brightening

At-Home Cosmetic Treatments Top 7 FAQs

Dr Naomi was interviewed about the best at-home options for cosmetic treatments:


1. There seem to be more and more at-home products that deliver in-office results these days. For instance, I know your website allows shoppers to browse products by alternatives to plumpers, age prevention, redness reduction and other in-office treatments like resurfacing peels. In your eyes, where has there been the most innovation when it comes to at-home products that help treat issues people used to only be able to get professional treatments for? 


I’ve noticed 3 main innovations in recent times:

A. At home peels are really important. These are probably the treatments where skin results can be seen quickest. Our product One Night Stand is a very powerful overnight facial to resurface the skin and give visible improvement by morning. The downside of this is that customers have to be more cautious with their use, due to the high-level activity of the products

B. Demand for skincare devices are growing. LEDs are the gold standard here and very high value compared with the cost of in-clinic treatment.

C. Combinations of science-based ingredients. It’s great to see companies using these ingredients. We can address so many different skin issues from pigmentation to redness and fine lines and crepiness.



2. What types of products will we be seeing less of and what types of products will we be seeing more of?


We will be seeing more actives and cosmeceutical type products. In my career I have watched actives start from being incredibly niche to becoming mainstream. Skincare users used to be scared of actives, now companies who would never have considered them in the past realise that customers want visible results, and actives are the way to achieve that goal.

People want vegan and cruelty free products, and they want science-based i.e. effective products. 

I also think customers’ expectations for cosmeceuticals has changed in that they now expect using cosmeceuticals to be a pleasurable experience on top of being effective. In the past customers tolerated less enjoyable smells and textures in their active products. Now they expect the non-cosmeceutical levels of elegance in their active products. We are working hard to meet that consumer demand.


3. What about ingredients? Are certain ingredients or other formulaic components becoming more mainstream/the gold standard?


Yes, look at niacinamide! What a powerhouse it is now. Everyone wants it in their formulas. It used to be niche but is now mainstream. I also remember a time when people were scared of retinol. Things have definitely changed. 


4. Can products that are used at home and marketed as alternatives to cosmetic procedures really deliver in terms of results and replace in-office treatments?


Will I ever give up my Botox and fillers? Never LOL! However, non-surgical treatments like injectables, lasers and threads will work better with skin that is well cared for at home, so both in-clinic and at-home treatments are important, and work together well.

In terms of becoming obsolete, one of the at-risk in-clinic treatments is LED. However, the irradiance or power of those devices can be higher than the at-home devices, making them safe for now.




5. What do you see being the next big trend in terms of at-home alternatives to cosmetic procedures?


I think very powerful resurfacing products are gaining traction. It’s a challenge for formulators as we need to create products that are very simple to use for customers because they don’t have that in-clinic level of training. It is also a challenge for skincare sellers in that we have to educate on the risks and need for a cautious approach and build a safety process into the customer journey when we are selling highly active products.


6. Where are some areas (product categories, longevity of results, etc.) that still have room for advancement?


Formulators need to improve eye cream effectiveness. We need to work on formulating products which are more active but at the same time have less side effects. We need to make active products more of a pleasure to use so customers love using them. We need to work on making products with a combination of immediate visible effects and long-term benefits as well.

Reversing sun damage for me is the holy grail for skincare.


7. What are the biggest misconceptions you think people have about these types of products?


There are a couple of the strange misconceptions for skincare that i don’t understand:

A lot of people think eye creams don’t work, which is incorrect. Obviously, there is a range of effectiveness of eye creams on the market. My brand, Dr Naomi Skin, worked hard to formulate an active and effective eye cream that was immediately blurring and also improved fine lines, and skin crepiness in the longer term as well.

Another common misconception I see is a lot of customers think they need to have in-clinic treatments for melasma, rather than using skincare. For melasma, brightening at-home skincare is a much more important and effective first line treatment and it is also a prerequisite for in-clinic energy-based device treatment of melasma. Patients should start with active brightening skincare ingredients as soon as possible if they notice pigmentation.