A camera, a research-derived algorithm and some specialized technology make up what Oku is calling the “world’s first, digital connected, personal skin coach.”
Track and attack
The hand-held skin monitoring device, takes photos, shares data through an app, and offers guidance for users to care for their skin. The Oku device “will tell you on a day-to-day basis what to do in terms of lifestyle, in terms of diet, in terms of product,” Rahul Mehendale, CEO and co-founder of mySkin told TechCrunch recently.
The device “uses visible light to look underneath the surface of the skin. And it analyses and evaluates that skin and connects you with the right recommendations for that skin,” explained Mehendale.
The digital (anti)age
Millennials live media-ready lives and are resolutely vigilant to preserve their youthful good looks, according to industry research. “Millenial women want to delay the appearance of ageing. So products that prevent, treat, and protect are important,” Verna Talcott of ingredients firm Dow Corning told Cosmetics Design earlier this month.
Skin health may be easier to preserve than restore. Which is why Oku is marketing to younger, tech-savvy consumers. “OKU is best suited for fully unlocking your skin’s potential and stall aging from your mid-twenties onwards,” according to the company’s site. By motivating consumers to start an anti-aging care regimen at a younger age, the company presumes they’ll have greater success staying younger (looking) longer.
Okus is “start[ing] off in the aging sector,” Mehendale explained. To do this, the system assesses “things like oil, moisture, elasticity, firmness…[to] really help people figure out what they should do to unlock their true potential and look their youthful best,” he said.
Good for skin, good for business
It’s not clear if product recommendations made by Oku will be brand specific, entail affiliate marketing, or simply direct users to use skin care items that perform a particular function or contain a specific ingredient.
Given the standard business practices of companies profiting from the internet of things, it’s worth noting that any data the device gathers would certainly be valuable to skin care brands looking to formulate and market to consumers’ specific needs and expectations.
Coming soon
The Oku website is live at getoku.com. It’s a clean, consumer-facing site that’s a streamlined derivative of Oku’s parent company site dermograph.com. There’s even a link for consumers to pre-order the devise for $249.00. A quick search in the App Store didn’t turn up the associated app.
Presumably that will go live once consumers have the devices and docking stations in hand. “We are going to start shipping spring of this year,” Mehendale said.