FARMINGDALE, N.Y., March 22, 2018 – EpigenCare Inc., a personalized skincare startup company, has been named by Johnson & Johnson Innovation as a finalist in its Digital Beauty Quickfire Challenge. The challenge is designed to identify, recognize, and support the most innovative and future-forward digital beauty solutions. One of the key innovation areas that the challenge focuses on is personalization tools to simplify product selection and build regimen in a way that empowers consumers to make better informed skincare choices.
EpigenCare has developed a direct-to-consumer skincare test that assesses the current state of one’s skin by looking at epigenetic markers associated with quality indicators including aging, elasticity, moisture, pigmentation, and more. Epigenetics is the study of biological mechanisms (e.g., DNA methylation) that could activate or deactivate a gene’s function over time. Since a person has the same genes throughout his or her entire life, only epigenetic — rather than genetic — profiling could accurately reflect the dynamic and current state of one’s skin.
The company is currently working on a complementary digital platform that skincare companies can use to match their existing products to consumers on a personalized basis. The matching process is through a recommendation algorithm based on the epigenetic effects of product ingredients on the consumers’ tested epigenetic markers of their skin.
To ensure consumers’ privacy is protected, EpigenCare is implementing blockchain technology on the digital platform such that consumers are designated with a blockchain transaction ID rather than with any personally identifiable information. The company’s business model is for consumer data to be used only for one’s exclusive benefit in the form of personalized products. Through the decentralized blockchain ledger, consumers can choose to audit how their data is being used, thereby eliminating the perceived intrusiveness often associated with direct-to-consumer tests requiring DNA. EpigenCare also plans to implement machine learning with its epigenetic data, which can be combined with photo imaging of skin for an artificial intelligence based personalization method.
“True innovation doesn’t just elevate product experiences and outcomes—it challenges the very definition of skin care itself,” said Sebastien Guillon, President, Global Beauty, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. “The next beauty tech disrupters are out there, and this Challenge will help us identify the most promising potential partners in the co-creation of meaningful, future-forward skin solutions.”
EpigenCare will present at the JLABS technology center in San Francisco, CA on March 27th. In addition to a $50,000 grant, Johnson & Johnson Innovation will provide winners with access to a network of experts, residency for up to one year at JLABS incubator, and admission to a Johnson & Johnson Consumer Experience Center (CxC). Winners will be able to design and deploy a research initiative through the CxC.
The company’s CEO and co-founder, William Lee, said, “It is an honor for EpigenCare to be recognized as an innovative organization. We are committed to bringing cutting-edge science in helping consumers identify skincare products that are best suited for their skin.”
Johnson & Johnson Innovation is also hosting voting process for a social award that is separate from the main award. You can watch Lee’s two minute presentation video and vote for EpigenCare until March 25th towards the People’s Choice Award at: https://jlabs.jnjinnovation.com/quickfire-challenges/digital-beauty
About EpigenCare
EpigenCare Inc. is a privately held personal epigenomics and digital biotechnology company based in New York. The company offers a direct-to-consumer epigenetics test to assess the dynamic state of one’s skin type and quality. Subsequently, capture of the dynamic quality allows for actionable results from the analysis report such that optimized product options are recommended to the consumer. EpigenCare’s epigenetic technology is supported by EpiGentek Group Inc. Learn more about EpigenCare and its personalized skincare solutions at https://www.epigencare.com. Investors interested in EpigenCare can learn more about its business model and opportunities at https://token.epigencare.com/
Note: This release includes forward-looking statements by the Company.
For media contact, please e-mail media[at]epigencare.com.