HEMARANI AUSHAT elaborates on what do dermatologists look for while choosing a product for their patients.

I nIndia, the skincare market segment has experienced a steep growth in the last couple of years, making me, or many like me, label the segment recession-proof! An article from a leading business-focussed daily newspaper suggests that the trends that accelerate this growth are:

• The rise of e-commerce and the emergence of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands.

• Preference for natural or clean beauty

• Bringing consumers closer to the brands

• Digital diagnostics or e-trials (for personalised recommendation according to skin type)

Social media mirrors global trends and it is one of the fastest mediums to connect with the Indian consumers. Tier-II and Tier-III cities have seen a significant influence of brands that trend on social media, especially Instagram. Buyers have been exposed to so much knowledge that they feel empowered to take charge of their skin health. With so much opinionated information from social media, influencers and a plethora of brands to choose from, consumer awareness of skincare is at its peak.

However, here’s a word of caution – with as much information as one can relate to, nobody can understand the skin better than a dermatologist. Even for a regular skincare routine, my advice to my peers has always been to visit a dermatologist for a regular check-up just as you would consult your dentist. A nudge to the teenagers who are glued to Instagram – please visit your dermatologist before choosing a product for your skin.

Having said that, I would credit dermatologists on social media for guiding informed consumers with meaningful additional knowledge. And this article is dedicated to all dermatologists who I have come across during my brand presentations.

Besides being a marketer, I am also an importer of one such brand that brings me closer to the dermatologists and cosmetologists.

As a consumer, the purchase triggers are packaging colours, highlighted ingredients, an influencer or the advertisements that are shown based on the consumer’s browsing history. With multiple thoughts on the consumer’s mind, they are probably looking for the ‘dermatologists recommended’ word for purchasing a new skincare product.

Undoubetedly, ‘dermatologist recommended’ is a responsible claim. In my quest to answer how those who heal a client’s skin decide on what is worthy of their purchase, I came across some really good information that I would like to share with the dermatologists. I am not a skin expert or a skin professional; I am a marketer, and this is what I learned from my several interactions with the professionals:

1. For regular skincare, the first filters dermats have before choosing a product are:

• skin type and hygiene

• skin concerns

• Age

• Lifestyle

• Current skincare routine (if it needs to be replaced)

2. When recommending a skincare product, who could have an eagle eye better than a dermat? They look for:

• Active ingredients and their quality in a product. not just the names of the active ingredients but the entire composition because high or low percentages can have adverse reactions (eg, a rosacea patient can be given retinol only based on the advice of a dermatologist as it can harm the skin if used without proper guidance)

• Combination of AHAs, BHAs, and retinol as per the patient/client (to avoid any product sensitising the skin)

• Efficacy of the product for the concern it addresses

• Type and percentage of preservatives

3. There is the palliative care recommendation of products based on the following:

• Treatments taken (eg, peels, lasers, dermabrasion, rosacea, acute acne)

• Length of the treatment

• Patient compliance (a pain point of many dermats)

4. Finally, a few more product-related elements are looked for, such as:

• All approvals are in place (FDA, CDsCO) as per the country of manufacturing

• Labels are not misleading

• Alcoholic/non-alcoholic (in products like toners)

• Comodogenic/non-comodogenic

I skipped pricing as a decisive factor because, as dermatologists, you would know better. Choosing a product based on pricing is not the best strategy, though it depends upon their clients’ purchasing capacity based on the dermat’s practice location. That reminds me of a great blog by Dr Dave Lewis that is worth a read – Chasing the unicorn-The Panacea skincare Cream and speaks about the confusion one has while purchasing a skincare product.

To all practicing dermatologists, take a bow for the great work you do!

About the author: HEMARANI AUSHAT is the CEO & Founder of Argus CmPO Brand & marketing Consultants.