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The Future Of Skincare Ft. 2250 · Skin Anarchy

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  SPEAKER_01: Like actual science-backed brands here.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to the co-founders of 2250 Skin Care, Fernando and Ness.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the show, Fernando and Nez.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited you guys are here.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: Hi everyone.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: We're super excited to be here.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really excited to host you guys because I really love the um, you know, the idea of what you guys are doing, which is this personalization, you know, and um, you know, I really love the the whole idea, but I want to talk to you guys from the beginning of the journey.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe Fernando, you can get us started by telling us about yourself and how you guys uh teamed up and you know what is 2250 really um trying to do in the industry.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: So um thank you again, Ekta, for the opportunity to expose what we're doing.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um Ness and myself, we met uh back in 2018 when we were both living in New York.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um we were both founders from from different backgrounds, and we ended up doing uh an accelerator program in New York for immigrant founders that were taking their companies to the US.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: So that's how this whole journey started.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: We started as friends.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um I come from the my my background is a little bit different.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I come from the from the digital media world, and and Ness comes from the artificial intelligence world, which which I'll I'll let him discuss in in a second.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_02: So um we started as friends, and at some point uh we said like, hey, listen, uh we wanna we want to start a project together.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_02: Uh why don't we start to to figure out like where our skills can be complementary?
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um I'm I'm a very good business operator and Ness is uh genius in in product and and technology.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: So we're like, okay, there's there's a very good fit for us to create uh a product that we want to introduce into the market.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: And and like the the the idea comes from a very uh very relatable uh product uh problem that that I we think everyone has, which is 85% of people do not know what what their skin needs, and and we were among those 85%.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: So we were really struggling in finding uh products that would be efficient for our type of skin or for the conditions and the environment.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: So that's when the whole idea of of customization became central uh to our current venture, which is 2250.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we went through two iterations.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_02: Our previous brand was Hee Shi, uh, which was a simpler version of what we do right now, and I'll let Ness explain in a moment.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that's where we are.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: This journey has been a four-year journey.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh this January, we've been uh we co-founded the company at the beginning of 2019, and and and this is where we are.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, before you uh continue with us, uh Nes with the story, I just want to say, you know, this is such a huge um problem.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: This, you know, what you mentioned, Fernando, with this 85% of people that really don't know, because I completely agree with you, you know, even today, you would think that with all these options out there, all these brands popping up left and right, that people are finding, you know, solutions for skin health.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: But unfortunately, we're going in the opposite direction, you know.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: So this idea of like, um, you know, less is more and all of that, I mean, that's great to like say, but then you actually have to back it up with the companies that are doing what you guys are doing, which is giving a lot more power into the hands of the consumer and you know, letting them understand that your skin is individual, okay?
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's not something that's cookie cutter, it's not something you're gonna find, you know, like your one person's skin is not gonna be the same as any other person's skin, even if you're the same race.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: That's my point.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to really come down to this personalized level.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I really enjoy the fact that you guys are going in that direction.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, Nes, I would love for you to tell us about the AI component.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's really cool stuff.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_03: So um, so basically the the AI component uh is so the way it works for for us is the following one.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_03: For 40 years, the beauty industry was all about mass-produced skincare and products in general that are meant to one size fit all, once one product for everyone.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_03: And personalization kind of exists since like a couple of years now and has been approached in in different ways.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, first throughout the quiz, and then through our new technologies that aim to uh do individual analysis of a person's skin.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_03: There is some interesting hardware and big machines that we can find in a few stores right now that can aim you to analyze your skin and that use AI.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: But our approach since the beginning was how can we apply this technology to all, to everyone?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: How can we make it easy?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we thought about your phone being the device that you use every day, being the best way uh to do that.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: And basically, thanks to a technology, an AI technology that is called image processing that is available and and that is proven and that now is kind of mature in uh in uh in its development, we can uh use artificial intelligence to analyze anyone's scheme based on a selfie picture.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_03: And basically that's how the that's how it works.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_03: You you take a selfie on your phone, on the website, you don't even need sorry, you don't even need to download an app an app, you can do this on a website.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_03: And after taking this this selfie, uh after a few seconds, our uh artificial intelligence uh algorithms are able to I'm so sorry.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just drinking a little bit of water.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: So basically, after just taking uh a picture or AI algorithms analyze your picture and divide this picture into ten different categories, which are acne, redness, wrinkles, and more, and give it a score between zero to a hundred.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_03: And based on this score, we are able to first have uh an assessment and a view of your scheme, and then be able to formulate uh products made based on those results.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_03: We also take into account your location.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: So, for example, we ask you to put your zip code, and based on your zip code, we have the UV index data, the weather data, the for example, uh how cold or hot your location is, and and the pollution level of your location.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_03: And we use those informations, plus the one that you have on your selfie, plus some more questions regarding your lifestyle to be able to formulate a unique uh skincare routine based on your needs and on your environment and lifestyle.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's really I I find that to be so interesting because there's our um obviously all key parameters, you know, that we have to keep in mind.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: But one thing I found to be very unique here is that you guys are putting it on a scale of what is it, one to a hundred for each of these uh traits?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's one to a hundred.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so one of my biggest questions is gonna be obviously, you know, um from the end of like what is like so if you score like 45 on something, you know, well what are those like what are your uh ranges, you know, how are they divided in terms of how you categorize?
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: So basically we have um up to four categories, and the first one being need help, can get better, good, or very good.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: And depending on the category where you false, then we set a priority on this skin uh problematic.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_03: Typically, uh the the formula and the routine that we that we're formulating are uh are focusing on the three on the three main uh main sorry uh skin that you main skin needs.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_03: So basically uh you can have three priority problems, which are acne, aging, and redness, and then your formula is gonna focus on those.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: We're not gonna we're still gonna focus on the rest, like hydration, for example, but the three main area of focus would be those.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_03: So basically, uh the scoring help us to define what are the main priorities.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: No, I that makes sense.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I I think that that is actually very, very brilliant in the sense that you know you are not giving one score, right?
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think that when we think about AI generated anything, you know, I think it's a very big gray area.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: And Ness, I'm sure you you've seen people, you know, using the term, you know, very loosely these days, right?
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: Especially with metaverse and all that stuff going on.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I think with AI, for me as a consumer, um, one of the biggest questions I have is, you know, what is this, like, what's going on on the back end, right?
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: In terms of like coming, bringing all of this data together to create some sort of an overview.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what does that overview entail?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I really like that you outlined these parameters that are very typical parameters that we actually have to consider when you're talking about you know, topical skincare.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's the whole point of topical skincare, is to actually address the concerns that you mentioned, which are measured through your you know tool.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I I think that's that's brilliant.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's brilliant.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_03: I mean one of the what one of the one of the other um uh let's say advantage of of using AI in in OK's is not only to establish a first diagnostic, but also to keep up with uh with the improvements and the results.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: Basically, the way it's the way it's working is like the first time you you're purchasing the product, you're asked to take uh a selfie.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_03: Then you're gonna be asked to take another one two months later.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_03: After finishing uh your first routine, because if a routine, our routine are designed to last two months, but also because your skin needs on average 28 days uh to renew.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_03: So to be able to see the all the improvements and all the impact of your skincare routine on your skin, then you need at least a month.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: So after two months, you're gonna be asked to take a new picture, and you're going to see basically the improvements in the scoring.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: So basically, if the first day your hydration score was 50, then our goal is to at least have a 60 uh uh hydration score after two months to see uh an incremental progression throughout the months.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: And basically, you can see those improvements and you're gonna have your formula that is going to be automatically updated based on those new results.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_03: So not only you take not only you take a first selfie and get results the first day, but also you can see and keep up with the improvements.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's a formula that's going to evolve with you, with the seasons, with the different textures and and and also with the new active ingredients that we're going to add to our database throughout the time because we are constantly researching and trying to improve our database of active ingredients.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, that's actually one of the questions I I had for you was this, you know, um, I think one of the hardest parts of skin health right now is to find that perfect combination of ingredients that tackle certain problems.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, for example, if somebody comes, you know, and says, Hey, I have really, really dry flaky skin, you know, and it's causing me to have um a damaged skin barrier, or you know, it's just like a lot of redness or whatever, it's very hard to come up with this cocktail of ingredients that are going to be perfect, right?
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: So, how was that process like for you guys when you were putting together, you know, some key ingredients, um, some baseline ideas for your formulas?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what was the formulation aspect like, you know, in terms of uh drawing out the blueprint?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: So while elaborating or algorithm of formulation, the challenge was to avoid any cocktail of uh active ingredients that don't work together, that cancel each other, that uh gonna create uh reactions if they mix together, etc.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_03: etc.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_03: So it was a challenging work of data science basically to be able to create uh an algorithm that takes um a lot of parameters into account to be able to formulate um those formulas and and and give the best results to our users while keeping your formula uh safe.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_03: We went through an extremely uh strict selection of active ingredients.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um all the ingredients that we have on our database are have the best scoring of the EWG, uh, which is basically a platform that gives a score of toxicity of all the ingredients available in the market from zero to ten, and most of our ingredients are scored either zero, either one.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: So that's the best score possible.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: So we that's basically to answer to your question, a lot of research.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I mean, we spend more than two years and a half developing that, which for a skincare company is an extremely uh long and unusual, unusually long process, I would say, because usually companies tend to create products and put them directly into the market after um quick months uh of research or even like using products that are white label, etc.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_03: So we have to reinvent the wheel in our case because not only have we created our own algorithms, but we have also created our own production.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_03: Basically, we uh we have a laboratory.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: I can call it like that, just like a manufacturing place, but it looks more like a laboratory than uh regular um skincare manufacturing operation, uh, where we have operators that use machines, yes, but human operators that create each of the formulas for uh for customers.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_03: And we had to create this whole process, source uh machines that come from uh research and development in pharmaceuticals uh and and change the way we they they're being used to be able to adapt them to a process.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_03: So it took us quite a while.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: That sounds like a very um, you know, very, very in-depth process and a lot to take on.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's really uh hats off to you guys for really doing it the correct way.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's wonderful that you took your time.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't find that to be strange.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: I find that to be that's true innovation.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: It takes time, you know, and a lot of times what I notice is brands are coming out with products um prematurely, you know, they'll come out with something and it's like uh you should have done some more homework on this, you know, before you released it.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's a great thing that you guys have put so much time in.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, one of my big things though is uh, you know, I don't really believe in this uh idea of every new ingredient, you know, has to be tried.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: So how do you guys deal with that, you know, as entrepreneurs?
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: Because you know, every day there's a new extract coming out or a new quote unquote staple form of, you know, some active or you know, all these things are always coming up and uh people are hyping it up.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, from the standpoint of your formulations, do you do you guys have to make those you know decisions?
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: Is that conversation happening a lot, like in your team?
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, we need to start thinking about this ingredient, or are you pretty uh focused on like the published papers?
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like tried and true.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: How does you know what's that?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's like I would I would say like it's uh so it it's it starts with a lot of discussions between my uh my my director of cosmetology and myself about which ingredients we should uh we should try and and why.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: We have a trial process before uh using any active ingredients uh in in our products.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: We look a lot of obviously to to the papers and and and to the news.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: For example, we decided to remove retinol um from a product line uh or ingredient line because obviously retinol uh is great and efficient products, but it can create uh reactions at redness, etc.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: And and we try to avoid we try to avoid this to our customers.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: So, for example, we replace retinol by bacchusol, which is proving to be as efficient but without oversight effects.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: So let's say that we are very conscious and always alert about everything that is out there, but we try to be also extremely conservative in the way we select uh our product.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_03: For example, it took us a year and a half before uh uh integrating mushrooms actives to formulas.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: Now we have um, if I if I'm right, three or four strains of mushrooms uh in in a list of active ingredients because they are proven to be really efficient.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: I would say, for example, like the snow mushroom, that is uh an extremely uh good method and extremely good for hydration.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and and that's something that is quite new and unusual, but we have been following some brands that have been using those active ingredients for a while, and and we saw great feedbacks in the reviews uh in the reviews from the users uh and uh and and a good acceptance uh from the market.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I would say that it's it's a it's a process that is continuous, and sometimes we can add active ingredients and decide to remove them a little bit later if we if if if we discover that it's not the right fit for us.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, or if it's something better comes out, or you know what I mean?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I I I I was screaming in the middle of you explaining that you don't use retinol because I'm actually a huge believer in that every ingredient, every formula doesn't need retinol.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you said that because I genuinely believe in that as well.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, as somebody who uh sees a lot of products and stuff, I can say that the retinol, I think, is one of the most overused ingredients in this space and it's unnecessary because of the fact that what you brought up, which is this idea of it's gonna cause a lot of, you know, it takes a lot of time to get you your skin to get used to that because it's really causing chaos in your skin.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I really actually recommend people to go for skincare lines that are not, you know, bombarded with actives because of you know what you said, which is, you know, you don't want to cause an even worse reaction, right?
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: In people's skin.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: Most people are looking for this calming, soothing maintenance effect with their skincare.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really where the the real deal is.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, what you guys are doing, I think is that's a great approach, really.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's it's making a lot of taking a lot of guesswork out for consumers.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that is something that I have been waiting for this industry to do.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: Because to this day, I kid you guys not, you know, let me share an example.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Whenever I go on a TikTok, half the time I see people and I'm like cringing.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why are you buying 15 products?
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: There's no need for that.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: They don't understand the concept of skin saturation, you know, receptor saturation, these kind of things.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I think um, you know, bringing AI into all of this and utilizing in a way that you are now decluttering the space, that's absolutely brilliant.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: And we really need that, you know, it's it's time to kind of cross over.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: I appreciate I appreciate your your feedback, and we totally align with it.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I would say that you have to understand that for a beauty brand in general, the goal is to sell as many products as possible.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: So trying like to promote a 10-step routine for some kind of makes sense.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_03: But let's say that we try to not fool our customers.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_03: Our approach is kind of like the Korean one, uh, where we try to have a three-step routine that just contains everything that you need for a day of skincare, no more, no less.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: So and we trying, we're trying to be extremely um, let's say, educative in our approach to explain why we need a cleanser, a moisturizer, and a serum, and what they're doing, and and why it's why it's enough.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: And you don't necessarily need more.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: But after I can also understand that some people that are extremely fun of the of the skincare routine like to try new things and are super curious and are gonna end up using a lot of products.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_03: But for the average customer, for our customers, the people that we're targeting are just people that want to maintain the skin or improve it or take care of it, then this three step routine is uh way more.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: than enough because at the end it would contain all the active ingredients you need and even more uh exactly yeah no I I completely agree with you and I also want to say you know um that right now we have to realize that there are two types of skincare routines I think you know one yes it's okay to use actives but you need a maintenance system and that's what I keep trying to tell people is that you know invest in maintenance every doctor for any problem you have will tell you that for example if you go and you get a surgery right you get something done for your um say you know you have your appendix removed or something's wrong with your gut health and you get a surgery done if somebody's gonna tell you or any kind of procedure done the doctor is going to tell you you need to maintain a good diet you need to maintain good exercise maintain maintain maintain and that is the same thing with skin you know it's just an organ like everything else so you us maintaining it is more important than changing the atmosphere so much you know which is what happens with actives you know when you put a peel on your skin you're disrupting a lot of things right and you're trying to get skin off but you don't need to be doing that every single day.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: Your goal every day with your skin and just for all the listeners, you know, is to find nourishing products that are geared towards what you need.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that's it.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: Something you do every single day you know and so that's why like you guys are really for me personally even if I think of it as a consumer you're filling a huge white space here because no one is creating maintenance skincare anymore.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone is just using the fancy words and the big you know oh you know exfoliate this and exfoliate no you don't need to do that.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's not you know it's not normal.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: So I I I'm fully behind what you guys are doing.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's great.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you appreciate it.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah no I want to actually ask Fernando I want to ask you about like future for 2250 I mean you guys are um obviously doing a great job right now but um in terms of this AI tool and I'm sure it's evolving right AI always evolves so how is how's the future looking for the brand and what it where are some next things you know in the works if you can share them.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah for sure so um since the the conception of the idea um Ness and myself created this roadmap of where where do we want to get so the the there's a lot of milestones to be achieved uh one of them is um and and Ness and I would love to discuss this is how uh how sustainability is entrenched in in in in the DNA of the of the brand so um we're really looking into redefining the the category we we see a lot of areas of opportunity from uh a personalized approach which is what what Ness just discussed to uh promoting conscience consumption which is a long way so so so that's in in the works we we're gonna launch um uh a vertical of the company if you want to call it that it's gonna be called 2250.learn in which we really wanna expose um conscience consumption and and ways to achieve it and it's not just by by education but we wanna we wanna create this uh outlet of information in which we're really um exposing the uh to our to our consumers and and future consumers uh what they can do or what are the brands that are aligning also with our mission because we're not the only ones out there uh and we want to do that that through education so I think what one of the most important milestones and what's coming up next is is the launch of our of our learn initiative that it's literally called like that it's it's we're steering away from just having a blog uh of where we can use where we can showcase tips and tricks which of course it works and and and it's gonna be there but rather than educating our our consumers on on our mission and and where where do we want to where do we want to be in a couple of years with with a brand you know um so so I would say that that's that's a very interesting thing that it's coming um the the second one is um we're launching a blockchain reward system and uh you you were discussing a lot like yeah you you you keep hearing AI all these days uh that that word last year wasn't AI and that was crypto and blockchain and everything so it's it's not a fad that we're incorporating but blockchain as a model no I'm not talking about crypto I'm talking about introducing blockchain to our business model.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: We believe it it will allow us to build a community through transparency because again it's everything it's on the blockchain.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_02: So uh the uh one of the things that you will see in the next in the upcoming months it's gonna be our reward system it's not gonna be a point system but it's uh it's gonna be based on on a blockchain for full transparency and that's gonna come with a bunch of benefits that we would love to discuss that later on um and then the the the last uh and and one of the most exciting things is that um we are in the crafts of creating our our omnichannel strategy because as I as I said uh when Ness and I started with the idea um we also set a roadmap of where where should the brand be in two years three years five years ten years and and the idea it's it's it's very simple um going back to the data that I said 85% of people do not know what their skin needs um their their journey to purchase it's very particular it's through a recommendation that someone did or I will go into X store I will talk to one of the sales associates and tell them like listen I have my skin is super dehydrated or I'm breaking out of whatever the problem is that I want to solve and they're gonna steer me to to to a brand that they feel according to their knowledge will will help me solve those problems that still has uh has a an intrinsic problem with itself which is a problem that you're gonna end up buying it's not the it's not it's not the product that you that your skin needed so we want to break through all that and and offer customization in retailing so so that's that's the the the the the one of the most exciting things that we're working on.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: That is exciting wow i love that our our our customization process as Nes mentioned right now um it's simple but at the same time uh entails uh machines uh people we use a scanning system in order to have a supply chain that will be able to fulfill the amount of orders that we're receiving so so the challenge was like okay how can we take that into retailing uh and make it a a as a business you know the answer it wasn't so we had to create um a new way of delivery the uh for for the active ingredients to create customization and and when we want to create customization it's in the hands of the people when you go into uh a store that we might partner with so so we're in so we're currently in the world that it's gonna be exciting it's gonna be something that you haven't seen before i i'm sure of that that sounds really cool even you know um what you just described Fernando i'm I think you know that's something that we've been needing for a long time and I'm really excited to see you guys uh working towards it I mean I think eventually hopefully my my hope is that we all um start to understand the the role of customization in this world that we live in and really start to take into account how valuable these kind of products are in comparison to just guesswork which is what I call most shopping right yeah and just uh and and I love what what what you said that it's like part of what we do is like really giving back the the power to the consumer because right now again um skincare can be even intimidating you know we we've we've talked to to a lot of uh a lot of people and it's like hey sometimes I uh a lot of people have told us like I I don't use skincare products because I don't know what I need so so there there's there's uh there's a very very large group of of underserved um potential skincare consumers that just don't consume because they say like hey if I go into X store whatever it may be uh I I don't know what what retinol means or why does it do or why would I go for hyaluronic acid or vitamin C or blah blah blah and there's like thousands of active ingredients you know so so so skincare even for someone that knows it's it's intimidating because there's a bunch of new ingredients that uh that that that create all these different results um you have uh as Nez was saying that there's there there are routines that are very very granular that will be comprised of like 10 15 products so I was like if I don't know how to use a moisturizer uh why would I use a toner or a serum I don't know even the difference between one or the other you know so again think it can be intimidating so we we're we're taking the intimidation out and and and how are we doing is um we're we're bringing something very interesting that it's tech based uh to the retail point which is why Ness is making the claim of like this is something that you haven't seen because you haven't seen so you haven't seen it yet at least um and and and and it's aiming to to again take take out the guesswork uh make the the the the end user milk feel more comfortable that if I go into one of these stores uh and I'm not really sold on the idea of the recommendations of the of the sales associate I can also have the the the option with another brand like ours that can be like okay then this is going to be made for me versus me buying to to having to go and buy into one of the other brands that are already existing you know so we want to offer the uh that option to to the end consumer I love that and you know I wanted to say this because I really I you know this actually is very valuable to me that you're both male founders because here's why I think the male demographic of skin health consumers are being so underserved and I really feel like genuinely I believe this you know from psychologically I think it's because that you're not catering to how the the male mind thinks right like most brands don't do that from what I've noticed.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know and I think when you give especially male consumers it doesn't have to be only them but like when you give them a direct answer they're more likely to gravitate towards that rather than like 15 you know other options.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: Please correct me if I'm wrong both of you but you know I really believe that there that's a huge component of why we're not seeing as many men you know come into the skincare space.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: Well I think it's growing now but it was like almost nothing before but I think with this idea of here, you know, you go on this website they're gonna look at your face here, you know, it makes sense like it's a linear thinking process.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's what a lot of men experience is like they need to know why do I need this and what is it going to do for me.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that just addressing those two questions and the way you guys are doing it, that is I think more relevant to that specific demographic than anything I've seen.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know it's it's not that they don't want to take care of their skin.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's just that they don't want to go to a Sephora.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: Normal men don't go to Sephora and walk around for you know and you know what I mean most men don't do that.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's like you know it's very hard to get product into their hands.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so this is a really really great solution for them.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know so all of our male audience listening in like you guys this really is a great option for you.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: Not, you know, you're getting quality products but you're getting a solution.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_01: That's the main thing and I think we need to really kind of support this.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know I I really support what you guys are doing and I would love to see all of them the men get behind this because this is I think going to really lead to great things.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know it's gonna reduce things like sun exposure you know you having too dry skin causing other problems as we age I mean there's just so many things involved with skin health.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah I mean I'm I'm a huge fan you know you guys I think you guys are brilliant.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: No there's uh there's a um there's a habit component to to just what what what you were saying Ecta is that uh and I'm gonna our brand is genderless so so without we our focus is like we will look at your skin no matter if you're men woman uh or or or whatever gender you feel comfortable identifying with uh what we look is is what what are the problems that we're solving on your skin okay but uh uh aside from that just uh addressing to to the men part of it which is a which is a huge market potentially there's lack of education so us as men we don't have that education in our upbringing um of like hey take care of your skin that's uh at least I'm gonna I cannot be generalistic but I'm from Mexico in Mexico we don't get that part you know I cannot I cannot speak to other countries but I think that it relates to the gender um but there's the habit part of like hey if I'm used to uh showering putting my deodorant uh brushing my teeth putting whatever I put in my hair and then leaving adding a step to that you're also playing into the habit part of the person of like you need to change that person's habit in order for them to consume your product so so that there's there's a longer road there but that that that road uh has a uh huge yield of of opportunity of of of expansion in in in in a market you know um and again the the the word is is is making it more simple you know as as you were saying hey uh just like for example me i use my cleanser in the shower i i don't use it uh uh uh outside so i shower i use my cleanser and then i put my serum and then my moisturizer and then i'm done you know but but that's just me uh there's my thing i mean you made a great point though because here's the thing that is the you know let me just be honest people talk a lot about you know we want to we want people to change habits all this stuff right well the first step is to give them a solution you know what i mean and then the psychological part which is habit formation happens later because guess what every morning they will wake up they see their three step routine sitting in front of them the cleanser is in the shower so they know they have to use it as part of their shower routine come out of the bathroom use your serum use your moisturizer done that's a that's how you form habit is when the product is available and it's the right thing so that it actually shows you results that's what sticks and that's why I'm so excited to see you guys bringing this like technology component here because there's nothing better than technology to hook certain demographics of people like I grew up like gaming for example right so I always say like I'm a I'm a gaming girl kind of person.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: I love tech.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_01: I love I I gravitate towards everything technology you know so it's there's a lot more people out there that are the same way because we we tend to like whether we admit it or not as human beings we like data.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: We like to know what is this and why.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_01: And the fact that you guys are so data driven and you're so uh based on facts that's a huge hook point you know for everybody like you were saying Fernando it's it doesn't matter about gender or what it matters that this is science, this technology and that doesn't you know change based on someone's opinion.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_01: That is just what it is and it's much easier to get behind that than just you know some influencer saying yeah this is a good cream or yeah this is a good toner.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know I I I love that you mentioned the influencers because for example at some point we were like I can see whatever influencer that I follow with glowing looking skin like I want your skin.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_02: The problem with them recommending a product is like that product might work on them but it might not yield the same results for me.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_02: And it's not that the product is faulty I'm not bad mouthing the brands like all of those products work you know but like through personalization you get that extra step and and to be honest like for example uh people will feel like yeah yeah this guy is just selling the company but I have to be completely honest until we integrated the part of artificial intelligence to our business model which which was uh with 2250 as I mentioned he should was a simpler version in which you would answer questions and the product would get custom formulated for you for you very granularly but then there was still the part of the questions that you needed to answer.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_02: That our AI is also a discovery tool which will allow you to think like I might go into a Cephora and say like hey I have dehydrated skin but maybe my biggest problem is going to be dehydrated skin but it was redness.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: For example me until we integrated and I am the founder of a skincare company so you can imagine like for the general public that they're not very like they're not as into this as us you know I found out that I that I have a very bad case of redness and I and I and I knew that once the artificial intelligence told me so this is not just only a tool that helps us optimize the product but it's a discovery tool of saying like hey you might think that your acne is the worst thing or the the the your biggest area of opportunity but it in fact is your dehydration your dehydration it's like through the roof you have a 20 score on on dehydration which should should be 100 so the focus should not be acne should be dehydration so so the tool again is a discovery tool um we see that there's as as as you you might meet a lot of entrepreneurs and everyone is trying like yeah we're like uh like like disrupting and you hear all these like like flashy words but when we say that we're truly really trying to redefine the category it's because we see areas of opportunity that through tech can be done uh the follow through of like if you like you can go Sephora you can buy a product the product can start to work but in two months due to internal facts of like maybe stress or whatever it is maybe the moisturizing is is is not working enough because you're not sleeping enough or you started to smoke or whatever uh through artificial intelligence and our tool as Nes mentioned the product is going to continue to evolve so it never stops and it's never the same product it's the product that your skin needs all the time.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_02: So in that way you don't have to jump from from from one brand to the other.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah just to sum up like we we feel that like like tech the the technology that we're implementing is is the next step um simplifying everything and offering uh uh optimized results exactly uh you know I I a hundred percent think you really hit the nail on the head there you know because I believe in everything you said I think that with skin it's so easy to assume that okay one you know I have dehydrated skin so that's just what I'm gonna keep focusing on for two years.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's an org and you know that's where this really really um I I agree with you because I like every organ it's changing every day depending on what it's exposed to what it's not exposed to these kind of things.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I think this kind of knowledge um it's even more it goes beyond just a skincare brand.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_01: It goes into this like you said earlier you guys were talking about the education component this is how you educate people by showing them.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I think when you guys you know everyone tuning in and listening if you guys start seeing like you know hey two months ago this is what my skin looked like since I addressed those this is what it looks like now that in itself is a journey and it's going to really like you said you know um Fernando it's gonna really open up a lot of doors you know for people to understand their skin rather than just think that they understand it.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know it's it's like saying that you know something living and breathing is like already determined.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_01: No your skin is always changing.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a it's an entity on its own every organ is you know I believe that and and I think that the biggest disconnect right now between good brands.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_01: Hello?
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_02: Oh I I lost you there for a second but I think it was me so sorry.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay no problem.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_01: No but I think the disconnect between brands and consumers right now is that their cons brands are saying we think we know best and consumers are saying okay we're gonna trust you but then we're not seeing results.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_01: And that's because they're not doing imaging of any kind.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where I'm really behind what you're saying because when we for example looking at neuroscience when did if you think about history when did we really start making progress in neuroscience?
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_01: It was when imaging got introduced.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's been the case with every organ system.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_01: Nowadays anytime you go for a procedure it's an imaging guided system and procedure that you're having you know like laparoscopic surgery for example or anything that is your is being done to you is now relying on technology and I don't see why we shouldn't be doing the same thing for skin.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I I fully fully back up what you guys are doing and I love learning about 2250 for everyone listening um I'm gonna link the brand obviously in all of our concept art but I really encourage you guys to go check out this brand.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like I mean honestly I think this is the next wave I agree you know I think that we need this level of personalization we need this to even become more educated.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_01: So you know for everyone listening and tuning in huge thumbs up from my end and you guys Fernando and Ness thank you so much you guys are brilliant and I love what you're doing.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for sharing that with us thank you and so it's been really nice uh to talking to you and giving us this space to to really talk about our mission and and and where are we headed and um thank you so much.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you thank you have a good day.
• 43:49
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• 44:56
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