Latest / The Science of Skin / Consumer-Centric Skincare: A Conversation with Tara Loftis

Transcript

Consumer-Centric Skincare: A Conversation with Tara Loftis · The Science of Skin

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to the Science of Skin Podcast, formerly known as Skincare Confidential.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Dr.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: Ted Lane.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a board-certified dermatologist and your host for today.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: I am so excited to present my uh guest today.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Her name is Tara Loftus.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: And Tara is a huge player in global skincare, but you may not have heard of her.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Tara is the global president for dermatological skincare at Galderma.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Tara, thank you so much for being with us today.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: I was so honored to receive your email.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a huge fan of you, your podcast, your congresses, all of it.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Tara, I mean, as the global president for Galderma, you oversee a lot of different brands.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: Can we just kind of go through what's all in your umbrella?
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I oversee four significant brands at the moment.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: The first being Cedafil, that's our largest anchor brand, of course.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Then Elastin, Skincare, and that's our highest end periodural positions brand.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then the incredible Differin and Benzac as well on the OTC side.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so people may not have heard of Benzac in particular.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's been around for a long time.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: And is that global, Tara?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't I didn't know that actually.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's not sold in the US.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: The uh the the products and the positioning is not completely dissimilar to different.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: However, Benzac has a huge, huge presence in Latam, in UK, Australia, Asia, and it's positioned to be overtly Gen Z.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's got really fun purple coloration, and it's it, we really hinge on the efficacy of the acne patches.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a really, really fantastic brand.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it's one of those brands, as soon as you see it, you want to buy it, even if you don't have acne.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Now I remember Benzac from my training.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know if it was in the US at some point, but uh I just I know about that that brand.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: So that's exciting.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't even realize that was in the Galderma portfolio.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Elastin is something I'm very familiar with.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: All dermatologists are very familiar with Elastin and Dr.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: Widerot, uh, who really helped start the brand.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: And that when when Galderma acquired that brand, I think we were all really excited because there's so much opportunity with with what Dr.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Widgerow can can do in his labs, and just adding the Galderma firepower behind that has been, and it has borne fruit, hasn't it?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the the recent advances and and product development that he's had is unbelievable.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's incredible.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we were excited to acquire elastin.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: However, since then, we haven't just acquired elastin.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: We we were able to also garner so much expertise from Dr.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Widgerow.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: And and Alan's now our chief scientific officer at Galderma.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: So he's not just on Elastin.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I know we've been working with you closely on the skin activator launch, which was his discovery.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so Alan is the gift that keeps on giving, as far as I'm concerned.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's truly amazing.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: He's a plastic surgeon, but he's really a scientist in the lab that just thinks of incredible products.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: And right, you mentioned that skin activator product for uh patients with fragile skin, and and it really is an amazing product because he's figured out that microdosing Mendelic acid and centella, which is sicca, been around forever.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like sick is it's just crazy.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: And he's realizing that using them at very low doses does incredible things for the skin, including helping people with that fragile skin and and the bruising that can happen with that.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it's truly a revolutionary product, and I've been so excited to be a part of it from early days.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think it's one of those products where, you know, as I said before, I think Galderma really listens to what our patients need and and produces products through the CFO line and others that our patients really need.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: And this is just such a a great example of that.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: So um kudos to the brand.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, it's just really important that it does that.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you, and thank you for your partnership.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: We're excited about the national broadcast that's coming up, and we're just getting started.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, it's it's huge for patients.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: So, Tara, you know, you you occupy such an important position in global skincare.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, can you kind of walk us through your career?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: How did you get to this point?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: You're you're very young.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: You you've you've done an amazing job um with Galderma and on all the different products that you have under that portfolio.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Tell us how you got to the point where you are in your career.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm I'm happy I'm happy to.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'll do my best to keep it to keep it condensed.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm a California native.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up in Central California, where we were in a small town where we had one dermatologist, Dr.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Villard, and we all went to Dr.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Villard.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And and I was I was raised with the values of taking care of your skin.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and my dad is a third-generation cotton and pistachio farmer.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: So he got a lot of sun exposure.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: So on my dad's side, he was always encouraging us to take care of our skin, to protect it.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: And my mom was a 1970s beauty queen.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so perhaps she was a little bit more um encouraging from a vanity standpoint of wanting to make sure that we aged well.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So dermatology was just a value that was always really encouraged in our family.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I was such a girl.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: I have two younger sisters.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: We grew up doing ballet and cheerleading and loving fashion and makeup.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And my mom still, by the way, hides her makeup bag today.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't lived in the house in like 20 years, but that's she does it instinctively because we stole it for so long.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: But but I grew up, I went to LA.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I I graduated from Pepperdine University with my degree in international business.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: I knew instinctively that I wanted to work in fashion or beauty.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: I wasn't sure, but but I I had a gut that beauty was going to be incredible.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: I tried my hand at both.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, after after starting my first career at Fiji Water immediately after graduation, I thought, my gosh, if if this company can take water that comes from a faucet and their water doesn't come from a faucet, but if they can turn this commodity into a luxury item, I wanted to learn how to market from Fiji Water.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where I also got hooked on the wellness angle of how you're doing genuine good for people by by marketing and selling something that that increases your skin quality and overall health.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then beyond that, I had the opportunity to go work at PR Fob as their US PR and marketing manager for a year.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I was I was in their Pasadena office.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that was where I just really fell in love with beauty.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I after that, I tried my hand at fashion and I didn't love it as much, to be honest.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: No disrespect to anybody in the fashion industry.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: I have lots of friends in the fashion industry, but it wasn't it wasn't for everyone.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's the way that from the inside of the fashion industry it feels.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I really just wanted to go back to beauty.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: I had the very wonderful opportunity to go to Two Faced Cosmetics, which was a startup brand that was an indie, an indie line at Sephora.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: It was 35 million per year.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: And they were wanting to supercharge the brand and take it to be to new heights at Sephora.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: And in the four years I was there, we grew it to over 450 million.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so I became really, really adhered to the to the founder, Jared Blandino.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: And he made it my mission to learn how to make the brand bloom.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: And in time, we all know what happened with Two Faced Cosmetics.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: It became the largest beauty sale in the world when it happened to Estee Lauder.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's such a great story of what happens when you root a brand in passion and in genuine care for the consumer.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because the insight behind Too Faced was that we just wanted women and men to feel as good about themselves as possible, right?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: When you put on lipstick or when your skin looks great, you're gonna you're you might stand up to that boyfriend.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: You might like be your most confident version of yourself.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so that worked.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: And we leaned into femininity and Too Faced really thrived.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then I ended up being approached by LVMH um not too long after I left Too Faced to um to help build Marc Jacobs Beauty at the time.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so I spent seven years working really closely with Mark and his team in New York to build and design every launch and eventually launch skincare with Mark as well.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: And some people don't know this, but Kendo Brands was a division of Sephora.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: So Kendo Brands was a division of Sephora, and Sephora is a significant part of the beauty division of LVMH.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So while I was there, although I was originally approached by LVMH and Sephora, Kendo became its own company and reported up into LVMH separately.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: And what was special about Kendo is we had this connection to Sephora.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we had data insights about what consumers were looking for in Sephora.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: So we were dreaming up brands to create that would fill those gaps and paint that white space.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: So in time, we ended up really elevating and accelerating growth of Ula Henrickson skincare, which I also oversaw from a marketing standpoint.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: We obviously built Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, Fenty skin, Fenty Hair, and we had KVD Beauty at the time.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: And we were it was always rooted in an insight, basically.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I ended up spending 10 years there.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: The last five years of my time at LVMH, I was in Paris.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that enabled me to really get close to the consumer outside of the US.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's, I think so many beauty brands are US centric.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: And that's great, but the world is so big, and it's important that we serve consumers and know them intimately and what their skin and beauty needs are.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I fell in love with living in Paris and the opportunities I had there with my team.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: I fell in love with coaching the next generation of beauty leaders and beauty marketers.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then about two years ago, I uh was approached by Gal Derma and had the opportunity to come to Switzerland to lead fully uh the dermatological skincare franchise.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I could, I could talk at length about my experience.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to talk your ear off, but I'm really passionate about the consumer.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm passionate about doing things that nobody else has done before and disrupting, and it's getting harder and harder now because the space has never been more saturated.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's so true.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and I'm just thinking about everything you just said in terms of especially at Sephora and having all that data to drive decision making and product development.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: Nowadays, is that data still siloed?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like does Sephora only have that data, or do you think it's more democratized so that other companies can can have or find that data to develop products like for for patient desire still?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sephora owns that data.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: And and they they do they do sometimes, to the best of my knowledge, choose to share it with with certain partners that are developing something that might be exclusive to Sephora, where it's in everyone's best interest to make sure that it's going to deliver on consumer needs.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Sephora is an absolutely best in class partner to have as a as a as a beauty brand.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can imagine just the amount of data that they have.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, just blows my mind, actually.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I was thinking about the brands that you mentioned, Ula Hendrickson.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't know much about that brand, but I know that they've done very, very well.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And um, a couple of their products actually broach into some Durham territory where um I think they have a really good sunscreen, for example.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's interesting.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and so yeah, I can see how the track of your career has led you to the point where you are and why Galderma wanted to quickly snatch you up to take over.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you mentioned something that I'm passionate about, which is skincare is self-care.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: And and how especially early on in your career, you realize that uh the brand realized that and leaned into it.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you're still doing that.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you've brought that to Galderma as well, uh, especially I see in the in the Alastin line, but the reformulations that we've had over the last few years in Cetophil kind of speaks to that also.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's we can't avoid it, right?
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's a lot of fluff around self-care and what that means.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: But there's no fluff when it comes to skincare.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: It is very important.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're talking about skin wellness and skin health, genuinely.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: And although it's it's great to have a wonderful face mask that helps reinforce your hydration levels, it's also next level critical to have an awesome SPF and to reapply it.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: So getting to be a part of that consumer journey is something that we don't take lightly.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's interesting.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: We talk a lot about inside out health and how kind of what you eat, the supplements that you take really affect your skin health.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I think we need to start talking more about outside in health as well, especially as we get more data to show that inflammation in the skin leads to increased inflammatory markers internally, also.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: So we are absolutely affecting other organs and we know everything is connected now, right?
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think we can all agree that the skin, gut, skin mind, everything is connected.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: So it makes a lot of sense for us to not only think about how we can affect the skin from the outside, but how we can or from the inside, I should say, but how we can affect the body from the outside also.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so to your point, sunscreen's super important, but also using products that minimize inflammation, you know, slow down the aging process, increase longevity and regenerative are more and more becoming important in in our understanding of the connections between the skin and the rest of the body.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: So product development that uh kind of targets that is of utmost importance.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: And and again, I I do think that Galderma is doing that.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: So again, I I think that you guys are exactly on the right track.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: But as we, Tara, as we look at skincare today, you know, I know antioxidants are important because Dr.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: Woodrow has kind of come up with a really interesting antioxidant product.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know moisturization is still important, but is there anything in particular where you're like, you know what, guys, let's really focus on X, Y, or Z?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I think that that right now our innovation stems from one of two things, typically.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: It either stems from a very clear consumer insight, and that can be a social listening method, or it can come from earned media that and we might see a trend being picked up um in Korea, for example, or from South Africa, right?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Where we have a faculty for for GSSF.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so we we hear those insights directly from our dermatologists, first and foremost.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is we we don't just view dermatologists as an advocacy lover.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: We are dermatologists first.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: And dermatologists, you are spending the most time intimately with the consumer.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: So from an innovation standpoint, the best ideas typically come from meeting with you and hearing about the trends, what are people concerned about?
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: What what is what is an increasing concern that consumers have?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then the second option for innovation stems from genuine product development innovation, like like Skin Activator, right?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that coming through Alan being so passionate and genuinely one of the best product developers and scientists in the world, I think, to discover what's next.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: He's always 10 steps ahead, genuinely.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: So all of that is encompassed with a macro cultural element at Galderma that I have been really passionate about implementing on my team, which is we have to be obsessed with the consumer.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: Obsessed.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like we cannot be people that sit in the office and build plans and decks all day.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: I encourage my team to spend at least two to three hours in stores, even just mystery advising people in the aisle, asking them questions, how they got there, and also spending at least 10 minutes every hour on TikTok and YouTube.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: And it might sound frivolous, it's not, because we have to stay in line and adhering to what real needs are and what the trends are.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: And as soon as we see a trend beginning to emerge, um, and that might come from us, it might come from Google, it might come from MuckRock, et cetera, we we brainstorm it together with all of our regions.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: Cetophil's in over 90 countries, which is incredible.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: And we discuss it and we find the common denominator and we say, Hey, JPAC, do you think this is going to be huge there?
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: US, could you get behind this as well?
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so we're very much a democracy in that regard.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: And we're just the most unhinged, passionate skincare lovers globally.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so from start to finish, it starts with an insight and it leads with a consensus.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: Gosh, it must be so difficult because I'm just thinking biologically, you know, when you when you have to formulate products for across the world, and we know that, for example, the East Asian woman has a different type of acne, for example, than the woman who lives in Africa or the woman who lives in North America.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the the oil production varies across different ethnicities and climates also.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Just the needs are different.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that must be such a challenge in your role to kind of decide which way we're going to go with a different product or or ingredient.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: It is and it's not.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that for other brands, it might there might be even more pressure for Cedophil, the basis of the brand is to be formulated for sensitive skin.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so, so for us, you know, we might be considered a safe bet for a lot of consumers.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: But the truth is we have to work 10 times harder than everyone else to make sure that our formulas are safe for sensitive skin, like the the most inflammatory types of skin.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so for us, we feel so confident by the time a product comes to market that it's going to be well received in every region.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: We have an incredible amount of SKUs.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: There are in some instances, Ted, where we have uh exclusive collections for certain regions.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: It happens when a region will come to us and be so passionate about a need for brightening, for example, or radiance, or our Brazil team will be really passionate about oil control, for example.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so there are these differences, but from a product development standpoint, we do not waver.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: Our integrity stands super, super strong with the fact that we have to deliver absolute results, absolute efficacy with clinicals, ideally a few.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: We have over 1200 on CFL, which is pretty wow.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very proud of that.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: And not enough people know that either.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we're now we're now at a place where we're churning out.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: More and more efficacious products that I think are going to really get the attention of the consumer in a way that we haven't before.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I know that the reformulation has certainly opened up the eyes of the Durham community over the last four or five years, right?
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas as you've reformulated some of the basics, the form the moisturizers, especially with Cetophil, and you've come out with a lot of new cleansers and sunscreens, for example, that show that there's a big boost in Cetophil's desire to meet the needs of the consumer.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: And quite frankly, Tara, to meet the needs of the dermatologist as well, which I think is born from that global sensitive skin faculty that you have.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to speak to that?
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: Just because I think that's very unique, also.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: So two years ago, we created the Galderma sensitive skin faculty, and we hand picked different individuals that specialize in sensitive skin that are passionate about sensitive skin from almost every continent, essentially.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: We wanted to have global representation and we we meet at least twice a year.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: We have whether it's at AAD or it's at the recent EADV, and and we discuss research and we fund special studies on the Galderma side.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: And we come together with our faculty leaders, we discuss them.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: So we it's it's abundantly clear the way that sensitive skin is affected by lifestyle, which is why I love that you said from the outside in, we have to start looking at that.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: That is the hot topic right now at the GSSF, is we we cannot avoid the fact that while we know 70% of the population self-identifies as having sensitive skin, the other 30% self-identifies as having sensitized skin.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: So what creates sensitized skin, right?
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: It could be a myriad of things.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: But what was extra fascinating and just and a little alarming was that 68% more people identify as having sensitive skin now than they did 20 years ago.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So skin stressors, pollution, lifestyle, processed foods, all of these things, they they they figure into how your skin feels and how it reacts.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's it's a genuinely passionate topic that that had been under-researched.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: And we have fellows as well.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: So we work with different universities, particularly George Washington University.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: We we help enable the next generation of dermatologists to to further their education.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: And we get involved wherever, wherever we can.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: And we're forever looking at what's next and what more we can fund to understand more about sensitive skin.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: So GSSF, it's um it's something we're really proud of.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's so important, Tara, that you guys are doing that, and especially globally, bringing uh all these sensitive skin experts together to really think about what studies should be run, like how to best spend those dollars in research and development, I think is is so smart.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I've always wondered, you know, do we think that sensitive skin is such a buzzword now?
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: Is it true an increased, truly an increased incidence in sensitive skin, or is it more of an awareness?
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess it really doesn't matter.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: People think they have it and therefore it is what it is.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: But as you mentioned, the the exposome, right?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: The idea of the everything you come in contact with externally plus all of your internal processes that can lead to aging of the skin and increased sensitivity of the skin, all of it needs to be taken into account when you're considering um skincare products and and product development, like you said.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that is such an important thing that Galderma is doing.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: And and again, just wanted to highlight that.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um Tara, I we we've already kind of we're coming up on our time.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: I cannot believe this.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: But uh as we I want to get your viewpoint because you're so uniquely positioned for this as we think about the next three to five years of of product development and or trends.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I know a lot of what you're doing is looking at what people are saying on social media, but but you also do, as you mentioned, product development internally, as we could tell with the skin activator.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what what do you think are the major trends that we'll see that may be different from today, but that we'll be working on in the next three to five years in skincare?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that right now we're seeing a shift into genuine skin health.
• 26:56
  unknown: Oh.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: And and what that means is a shift away from superficial ingredients.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: And as you're seeing with elastin already, we really embrace and pioneer the idea of regenerative skincare.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to begin to see that everywhere.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: And it's going to be under the guise of skin health more than anything.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: And what's going to be really unique is we tend to think about skin health and long-term skin health, right?
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: As something that an older demographic is urgently consuming, like anti-aging products.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's Gen Z right now and soon to be Gen Alpha.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: They're the most skincare fluent and passionate of any generation we've ever seen.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so preventative skin health is something that the younger generations are already beginning to embrace, become aware of, and then influencing their households with right now.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited for this trend to hopefully not become a trend because yes, to skin health, genuinely.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: And we're also seeing an uptick in in dermatology visits.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: We are seeing that that that derm talk, essentially, that's our fun term for the rise of dermatologists on TikTok, is essentially becoming stimulus for more in-person visits.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's increasing the conversation around dermatology and skin health.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: So all of this is working for the greater good.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: And it's coming full circle, the fact that consumers are passionate and just in discovering skin health online and through AI, which is my other big, big passion right now.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's driving people in store or through telemedicine to a dermatologist and ultimately leading them to better products.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: So the dermatology community needs to be prepared for this and prepared for the increased consumer demand for our knowledge and our services.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: And um that needs to start with the AAD probably, but uh that's a whole nother question.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: But the um I really appreciate that.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: And and I think reframing it into skin health versus regenerative and longevity, I think reframing it is just really focused on skin health and how um the like you said, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are so fluent in their skincare knowledge and language that they used is so true.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I've never thought of it that way.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that that is definitely happening now.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: And as these, as they become, you know, as they get older and they have children and families, um it's gonna become more and more of a self-fulfilling prophecy, I think, right?
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: Because they'll pass that on.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: And what one more thing that I'm really optimistic about, too.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: It used to be that the most efficacious and groundbreaking discoveries in skincare entered the the shelves at a at a super luxury or prestige level price point, no more.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't happen anymore.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we are able to be the first to discover a technology at Galderma and we make the decision, even though the consumer might not know about it yet, right?
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like with Skin Activator, it used to be the old, the old school playbook to only launch something in pharmacies after everyone already knew about this particular acid or or whatever the ingredient is, and those days are over.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: So we want to make a product like Skin Activator, which decreases crepiness and increases firmness.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: We want it available for everyone, which means that that your genuine everyday consumer is going to be able just to go into Walmart and get world-class scientific skincare.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't like that when I was growing up.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad you mentioned that.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: That is such an important development in the skincare industry and for our patients is this democratization of world-class ingredients and products so that everybody can have a hand in improving their own skin health and skin appearance.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm all for that, as you know.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: I I think that's exactly where the industry is going.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: And just like you said, Skin Activator is a prime example of that.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a$25 product uh that you could use all over your body.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: So um, and has amazing science to support its use.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: So um, Tara, thank you so much.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: This has been an incredible conversation.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: I've learned a ton, and and you've actually given me uh buzzwords and and kind of a new language to think about uh in terms of skincare.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: And and you probably this is just your language, but for little people like me, it's really important for us to learn it too.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, you are far from little.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: You are an icon in our industry, and the fact that you've created the science of skincare, it's the next gen of Congresses.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I admire what you're doing, and it's important that I say this before the end of the podcast because you are challenging status quo and you are curious and you are inquisitive, and you were encouraging the next generation of dermatologists to follow suit and to better serve your patients.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so I I genuinely very much admire everything you're doing, Ted.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you so much.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, let's end on that, because that was really nice.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh, my name is Dr.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: Ted Lane, and and this has been Tara Loftus.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: Tara is the global president for dermatological skincare at Galderma.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, please, if you like this episode, uh, we found that the growth of the Science of Skin podcast really is by word of mouth.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: So please tell your colleagues.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh subscribe if you'd like, and and we wouldn't mind a five star review either.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, thank you so much, Tara, again.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I look forward to meeting you in person one day.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: As soon as possible.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: Sounds good.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks again.