Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1531085
58 ASCP Skin Deep Winter 2025 Dasha Saian Marchese: Could you share a bit about SmartSKN's AI skin care analyzer devices and robots? Val Neicu: SmartSKN has five robots in our US lab in Beverly, Massachusetts, and access to LillyCover's catalog of ingredients for creating custom formulations. I think there's a big difference between being captured in photography or videography, like your phone or traditional skin analyzer systems, and being able to allow the AI to see the skin on a microscopic level. AI is only as valuable as the data that trains it, so to get valuable information from AI, you have to feed it valuable information. If we build an AI model and feed it 2 million pictures of people's faces from the internet to analyze, the AI will analyze based on the data that it was given versus if you give AI first- party data, [such as] photos collected at 60 times magnification to analyze at a microscopic level. LillyCover has been working on this for close to eight years. They've collected diverse profiles from all around the world, [holding] about 150,000 data points right now and continuously growing. We use anonymous aggregated data from each scan that we do to continue to train the algorithm. DSM: How is personal data managed and protected? Given the sensitivity of biometric data, what steps does SmartSKN take to ensure privacy and security? VN: We're compliant with every law that applies, but we're also only collecting the data that we need strictly for the analysis. Our app prompts the Discussing a Smart Approach To learn as much as possible about AI-driven skin care innovations, author Dasha Saian Marchese sat down with Val Neicu, cofounder and CEO of SmartSKN, a company bringing Korean personalized skin care to the US market. SmartSKN has entered into a partnership with the technology's maker, LillyCover, that grants SmartSKN the exclusive rights to introduce LillyCover's AI-driven skin analysis devices and on-demand K-beauty skin care production robots to US consumers. user with 10 questions to help train the AI, and the photos added to the data point collection are anonymous. DSM: Can you walk us through the analysis process? VN: The Muilli Skin Dermascope is small and handheld and uses powerful magnification to capture high-resolution microscopic images of the skin, providing a detailed view of sensitivity, pigmentation, wrinkles, erythema, pore size, oil levels, dryness, and acne. . . . The scope is recommended for use on clean skin, about 20 minutes after cleansing the face. The device has a camera and a bio-independence sensor, which is a microcurrent sensor that sends a quick microcurrent to measure the skin's moisture levels. It's a three-step process—you start by taking photos of the cheeks, forehead, eye area, nose, and chin. Then, you use the bio-independence sensor on both cheeks to measure the moisture and oil levels in the skin. At the end, you answer 10 questions for the AI to identify what the skin is like in real time. The AI analyzes the photography and the moisture measurements and takes into consideration the skin health questionnaire. The device connects to your phone through a secure Wi-Fi connection via QR code, and you see the camera view in real time on your phone or tablet.