Charmaine Chow, founder and CEO of
GetHarley, on what skincare patients seek for their skin and what ‘skin health’ means to them.
Patients come to GetHarley to look, feel and be their best selves at every age. They want to remain connected with their trusted clinicians and have easy access to the products those clinicians recommend. Underpinning this is a universal desire to have healthy skin throughout their lives.
We noticed the importance of skin health to our community quite early on. They would not invest the time, money and mental space to keep up with their skincare regimens if it wasn’t important to them. They invest in themselves and their future.
Our GetHarley clinicians, first and foremost, discuss the health of each patient’s skin before prescribing them a regime of products. They do this by delving into the patient’s habits, lifestyle and current product applications via in-clinic or online skincare consultations. Achieving optimal skin health does require a multifaceted approach.
The most common skin concerns we see via the GetHarley platform are acne and pigmentation. People want advice and active products to target and manage these conditions. The next most popular requirement is ‘healthy skin’.
From our data and observations, the most successful skin health journeys include regular and effective cleansing, a high factor, broad spectrum SPF and clinically proven, potent actives. When people use medical-grade pharma brands, they get better results than OTC brands that put more money into marketing than clinical studies. It’s science over hype.
Some of our best-selling actives contain retinol. Retinol can be irritating and easily misused; however, via GetHarley, each customer has a clinician who advises them, so they are much more open to using a product with a high concentration of retinol, knowing that they have that support from a professional. GetHarley really does help people to use what works in a safe and effective way.
I notice that most, if not all, of the clinical skincare brands we sell via GetHarley, are marketed at achieving ‘skin health’. It is a marketing ‘buzzword’ and has been for some time now, but it is definitely becoming more prominent as consumers are more educated about what they should be doing to look and feel great. They finally understand that most of the time, there is no quick fix.
For me, ‘skin health’ means glowing, radiant skin. However, skin health can also relate to someone who is confident in their own skin, even if they are having a breakout or some sensitivity. It is healthy to understand that ‘flawless’ doesn’t exist and that it’s more important to be the healthiest you can be rather than trying to look like a filtered version of yourself.
I hope we start deviating from the word ‘anti-ageing’ as ageing is a privilege and should be considered a privilege. We strive to help all our customers age well by keeping them connected with the best industry experts and helping them have access to skincare products that work.
