And this pro tip passed down by the homegrown entrepreneur's mum can be practised easily by anyone. Plus, it is pretty delicious!
Homegrown beauty brands have become increasingly popular in recent times but not all of them can proclaim that they’ve been in the industry for years. As one of Singapore’s most successful female entrepreneurs, Sabrina Tan isn’t just a visionary in the field of beauty but also a true pioneer in skincare personalisation through technological innovation.
The founder and CEO of Skin Inc launched the skincare brand in Singapore back in 2008 with the aim of providing “the world’s first customised serum cocktail bar” alongside its wide range of skincare products including its highly raved serums that target different skin types.
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After graduating from university and starting a career in the tech industry, Tan realised there should be a better way to deliver customised skincare to busy working mothers everywhere. With that, she founded Skin Inc. Among many breakthroughs, she instituted the inclusion of multiple active ingredients rather than only one through encapsulation technology.
“I first saw encapsulation through file encryption,” she says. “I thought if we could encapsulate vitamin C instead of exposing it, we could keep it fresh and maximise the results. Encapsulation became the answer. It enabled us to incorporate three to four—or even 10—serums into one bottle without them interacting with each other. Rather than layering or mixing, we’re actually customising. We’re personalising the journey. Customisation is literally the highest calling of skincare. We were able to marry tech and beauty to scale customisation.”
Today, Skin Inc has become a globally loved brand and recipient of over 100 beauty awards and is now available in 78 cities across 200 global distribution channels, including Sephora, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Amazon and more.
Tan shares more about her day and night skincare routines below as well as the beauty advice she lives by, as passed down from her mother.
How long do you typically spend on your skincare routine?
Sabrina Tan (ST): Ever since I've started Skin Inc, my skincare routine has been more targeted to my skin needs and minimal steps are required. It’s really quick and simple, three minutes, but efficient for my sensitive and eczema-prone skin.
What is your skincare routine like for day?
ST: For eczema and sensitive skin like mine, I have a three-step morning routine: My Daily Dose customised cocktail of serums which consist of hyaluronic acid which is great for dry skin, ceramide for my eczema-prone skin to strengthen skin’s barrier and vitamin A for anti-ageing and brightening. Then, I apply our newest Pure Serum Infused Moisturizer, which is our innovative, quick-absorbing hydro cream that hydrates from within and quenches the skin surface upon contact, allowing actives to be released on demand.
Lastly, I top it off with the Serum Glow Filter and I’m set for the day.
What is your skincare routine for night?
ST: I also have a three-step routine at night: Cleanser (I skip this in the morning as I have dry skin and it can strip my natural defence barrier). Then, I apply My Daily Dose cocktail of collagen, vitamin A and C to boost elasticity and even skin tone, sealing it off with our Hydro-Cream night mask from My Nightly Dose of Uplift with serum boosters, Soothe and Age-Proof. These boosters help to hydrate, replenish the skin barrier, target aged skin and renew radiance.
Are there any new skincare trends that you’re excited to try?
ST: To me, feeling good is the new looking good. I’m always on the lookout for wellness and beauty developments around AI where information is provided to consumers, taking the guesswork out of skincare and wellness.
When did you start paying extra attention to your skin?
ST: As I was born with sensitive and eczema-prone skin, finding a product that addressed all my skin concerns was constantly a challenge. I felt that the skincare industry was stereotyping us by skin type and ignoring how we all have specific needs.
Then I asked myself, was there a way to address the specific need of everyone’s evolving skin concerns according to our lifestyle and environmental stressors, and how could I increase the efficacy and performance of skincare? That was when I made a leap of faith to reboot beauty and launched Skin Inc in 2008.
What’s one skincare must-have you’ve “influenced” others to purchase?
ST: This has definitely got to be our hero product: the Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light++! This game-changing device combines the power of Nasa-inspired LED Chromotherapy and sonic therapy technology to tackle multiple skin concerns. We are able to provide millions of customers globally, a self-care, at home customisable LED-Sonic facial in just 10 minutes.
This device is well built and it lasts for 3,000 facials, making it not only a favourite among our customers but also delivering huge savings for everyone. It offers five benefits, to help skin repair, glow, soothe, optimise and V-sculpt your face and boost skincare absorption by 300 per cent.
The LED Chromotherapy has been shown to penetrate deep into the skin to activate the light receptors in the skin’s cells, addressing specific skin concerns.
What’s a skincare product you can’t live without?
ST: My Daily Dose Custom Blended Serum has been my holy grail. My customized three-in-one serum cocktail is recalibrated every half a year via the Skin Identity Check in sync with my current lifestyle habits. This is important in maintaining healthy, glowing skin as up to 80 per cent of your skin condition is affected by lifestyle and environmental factors.