Smart skin: Amorepacific to use wearable device to develop cosmetics for specific environmental needs

Amorepacific announced in June that it had collaborated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop a wearable skin measuring device.

The film-like and stretchable patch is embedded with a flexible sensor. It can be stuck on the skin and used to measure the skin condition for a long period of time, withstanding sweat and remaining comfortable for the user.

“Efforts to measure the condition of human skin more precisely and stably have been carried out in various fields. However, the skin is naturally affected by various external environmental changes such as sweat, and thus, it was difficult to maintain measurement and observe changes without interruption,”​ said Han Jiyeon, a scientist from the Amorepacific R&D centre clinical research lab.

The patch was designed with artificial sweat ducts to mimic pores in human skin, ensured that sweat can escape through the patch, preventing skin irritation and damage to embedded sensors.

Han told CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ that this perforated design of the device was the ‘key’ to the technology.

It was inspired by the Japanese paper-cutting art of kirigami, allowed the device to solve the limitations of previous iterations of smart skin devices.

“This electronic skin has a built-in flexible sensor with excellent breathability – which allows it to remain on even when the wearer is sweating. It adheres along the curved surface of the skin and is not affected by skin movement, so it works stably for a long time after it is attached,” ​said Han.

Han added it would not irritate the skin even when worn for long periods of time, making it easier to observe changes in skin conditions accurately.

The company has no plans to commercialise this device, said Han. Instead, it plans to use this e-skin technology in its research to observe skin conditions in diverse environments and improve its product offerings.

“As a company that offers beauty and health solutions for everyday consumer use, such as cosmetics and health supplement products, this research device will be used to measure skin changes to incorporate the data analysis into our products and solutions,”​ said Han.

The properties of the e-skin device would allow the company to more accurately study and develop cosmetic products that can withstand specific environmental needs.

“By using this technology, it is possible to continuously measure and analyse the skin condition not only in daily life but also in more demanding situations such as long-term movement or exercise, which we hope to use to develop cosmetics suitable for special environments,” ​said Han.

She told us the company has already lined-up various clinical studies planned around the use of its new device but declined to share more information about them except that it would be related to future product development.

Moving forward, the company, along with MIT, plans to improve the design’s strength and durability.