中國消費者愛“私人定製”護膚品

It was as easy as 1-2-3. I refer, of course, to the so-called Clinique “computer”. Launched in 1968, the computer was actually a plastic diagnostic tool with a sliding bar — like a beauty abacus — that sat on shiny white counters in department stores and swiped to reveal a personalised solution for your every skincare need. Every skincare need, that is, as long as it was one of four: normal, oily, dry or (More radical at that time when there really weren’t any other options) combination.

一切就像是數1、2、3那樣簡單。我指的當然是倩碧“皮膚分析器”(Clinique computer)。1968年推出的這款皮膚分析器實際上是一臺帶滑桿的塑料診斷儀，看起來就像一個美妝算盤，擺放在百貨商場潔白光亮的櫃檯上。劃一下，就可以針對你的每一個護膚需求，顯示出一個定製方案。每一個護膚需求，確切地說，只要屬於以下四種膚質之一：中性、油性、乾性或（在那個年代更具創新性，因爲當時真的沒有其他任何選擇）混合性。

Personalised skincare has come a long way since Clinique’s pioneering skincare programme became one of the world’s best-selling “bespoke” ranges (50 years later, a bottle of Dramatically Different Moisturiser — from ￡30 — is sold somewhere in the world every four seconds). Wander through a beauty hall today and aside from the ubiquitous monogramming, you’ll find personalised skincare programmes wherever you look.

倩碧具有開創意義的護膚方案一舉成爲全球最熱銷的“定製”產品系列之一（50年後，全球平均每4秒就能賣出一瓶售價30美元起的倩碧特效潤膚露(Dramatically Different Moisturiser)）。此後，私人定製護膚品突飛猛進。如今再逛化妝品區，除了無處不在的倩碧身影，量身定製的護膚產品隨處可見。

From Dior’s new Capture Totale serums, which address an array of individual concerns — be it plumping, redness, lifting, mattifying or getting extra “glow” — to face masks by Fresh designed to be layered and alternated according to the day of the week, brands today are catering to a consumer who, rather than being boxed into a “type”, wants a moisturiser for every mood.

迪奧(Dior)新推出的活膚駐顏修復(Capture Totale)系列可解決多種個人需求，例如豐盈、抗敏、緊緻、控油、或增加“光澤”；蕾詩(Fresh)面膜則可在一週不同日子疊搭、交替使用。現在的消費者不想再被籠統歸爲某類“膚質”，而是希望每一種心境都有對應的潤膚產品。對於這種新趨勢，各大品牌都在竭力迎合。

“It makes sense,” says Noella Gabriel, the co-founder of Elemis, whose skincare analysis relies on detailed facial mapping and lifestyle consultations, as well as a choice of 10 different treatments, all of which help explain which of its 450 products are right for you. “Skin type will fluctuate throughout the month due to hormones, stress and varying factors as well as age. So, although you may have a combination skin type there will be times that oiliness and breakouts are more the norm, when you feel that your skin most needs the attention.”

“這很有道理。”英國品牌艾麗美(Elemis)聯合創始人諾艾拉?加布裏埃爾(Noella Gabriel)表示。艾麗美爲顧客出具護膚分析報告前，要進行詳細的面部測繪和對生活方式的諮詢，有10種不同的護理可選。所有這些手段都有助於顧客在其450種產品中選擇適合自己的產品。“整個月，膚質類型每天都會隨激素分泌、壓力和其他因素，還有年齡的變化而不斷波動。因此，儘管你或許屬於混合型膚質，但有時會更偏向油性和出痘，這時你會感到自己的皮膚最需要注意。”

According to a new report by Mintel, this demand for individualised beauty is in its infancy. It predicts a big increase in customisable beauty in the year ahead. The demand is driven by the Asian market: in the same survey, 31 per cent of Chinese consumers aged between 20 and 49 said “individuality” was the definition of luxury. “More than ever, customers are seeking experiences and products that are tailored rather than a one-size-fits-all approach,” agrees Emily Saunders, the beauty buyer for Selfridges and its Beauty Workshop. The newly opened 5,000 sq ft space offers a range of “bespoke” services, from facial massages at FaceGym to skincare from Geneu — a British brand that sells tailor-made serums (from ￡200) based on a 15-minute DNA test.

根據國際市場研究諮詢公司英敏特(Mintel)新近發佈的一份報告，這種對個性化定製護膚品的需求才剛剛興起。報告預計，未來一年這種定製化美妝的需求會大量增多。需求主要來自亞洲市場：在同一份調查中，中國31%的20至49歲消費者表示，“個性化”代表着奢侈。“消費者比以往任何時候都更加關注量身定製的體驗和產品，而不再是無差別的成品。”埃米莉?桑德斯(Emily Saunders)也這樣認爲。她是Selfridges百貨公司及其美妝館的美妝產品買手。這家新開的美妝館佔地5000平方英尺，提供一系列“定製”服務，從FaceGym的面部按摩到英國護膚品牌Geneu——該品牌提供一次15分鐘的基因測試，根據測試結果量身定製護膚品（售價200英鎊起）。

For stores, personalisation has the added advantage of offering a flexibility that can’t be delivered as easily via e-commerce. The Clinique “computer” (a version of which they still have for those of us nostalgic enough to miss it) is now the ubiquitous iPad, while other skincare counters offer high-tech equipment or hands-on mini-facials, all of which require the advice of a consultant.

對於商場來說，個性化定製美妝可以爲自己增加優勢。這種靈活性是電子商務無法提供的。倩碧的“皮膚分析器”（他們仍保留了一種，懷舊之人不容錯過）現在升級爲無處不在的iPad，而其他護膚櫃檯則配備了高科技儀器，或手持迷你面部護理儀器。這些都需要美容顧問提供建議。

“The customer wants to walk away knowing they have received something that’s bespoke to their needs and haven’t just been sold the latest launch,” says Emily Soulsby, beauty buyer at Liberty, whose beauty rooms offer a pop-up facial service that delivers a detailed skin analysis. “It’s about the service rather than what’s on the bottle. We have customers who come in for a facial and go on to purchase the products recommended in their treatment.”

“顧客希望買的化妝品是專門針對自己的需求定製的，而不是被兜售了最新產品。”Liberty商場美妝買手埃米莉?索爾斯比(Emily Soulsby)說。這家商場的美妝館提供限時面部護理服務，可以爲顧客出具一份詳細的皮膚分析，“關鍵是服務，而不是瓶子上的標籤。我們有顧客來做面部護理，接着就買了護理時推薦使用的產品。”

The potential for sales is enormous. When QMS Medicosmetics took over the beauty room for a week, offering tailored consultations, its in-store sales tripled.

定製產品的銷售潛力驚人。藥妝品牌QMS Medicosmetics曾接手在美妝館布展一週，提供專門的諮詢服務。期間，其店內營業額增加了兩倍。

Yet while the diagnostic tools are personal, are the products all that bespoke? Elixseri, a new range of serum-only skincare (from ￡76), is an innovative line designed to work according to how your skin feels at different times of the week, month or year. You pick a serum that deals with your most pressing concern, then layer on another to address other issues as and when you feel the need. This “wardrobe” approach is definitely a step in the right direction, but Dr Liudmila Korkina, the chief scientist behind it, agrees that — like most skincare offerings — it’s far from being fully personalised yet. “In order to create a truly personalised diagnostic, we need to determine many more factors than the standard lipid or moisture levels that we do today,” she says. “From a medical and formulation perspective, personalised skincare is one of the largest challenges of modern dermatology and cosmetology.”

不過，儘管診斷工具的使用做到了個性化，但產品都做到了量身定製嗎？新推出的純乳液護膚系列Elixseri（售價76英鎊起）大膽創新，會根據你的皮膚在一週、一個月或一年內不同時間的不同感受來選擇配方。你選擇一款針對你最迫切需求的乳液，在需要時，再疊加一層針對其他問題的乳液。這種“衣櫥”式護膚的思路肯定是正確的，但該品牌首席科學家柳德米拉?科爾基納博士(Dr Liudmila Korkina)也贊同一點，即與大多數護膚產品一樣，目前該品牌還遠遠稱不上完全個性化定製。“要想做到真正個性化的診斷，我們需要確定多得多的因素，絕不僅我們現在依據的標準脂質或含水量。”她說，“從醫學和配方上講，個性化護膚是現代皮膚科和美容業最艱鉅的挑戰之一。”

One brand attempting to meet that challenge is Allél, a Swiss-made skincare label created by two Swedes. Allél’s products and nutritional supplements are prescribed only after the customer has had DNA testing and a professional evaluation (available at the Cadogan Clinic in London for ￡1,500, and including three months of products). Allél looks at 16 genetic markers in five different categories of skin ageing, including skin’s collagen, pigmentation and how it responds to inflammation.

一個試圖應對這一挑戰的品牌是Allél。該品牌由兩位瑞典人創建，在瑞士生產。只有在顧客經過基因測試和專業的評估後，纔會配出護膚品和營養品（目前可以在倫敦的卡多根診所(Cadogan Clinic)進行測試，收費1500英鎊，含3個月用量的產品）。配方依據爲5種皮膚衰老類別的16種基因標識，包括皮膚的膠原蛋白、色素沉着及抗敏性等。

“Our products have been tested in clinical tests, showing significant results within 28 days of use, with improved skin firmness and elasticity as well as reduction of wrinkle depth and volume,” says the brand’s co-founder Dr Elisabet Hagert.

該品牌聯合創始人伊麗莎白?哈格特博士(Dr Elisabet Hagert)表示：“我們的產品都經過了臨牀測試。測試結果顯示，在連續使用28天后，皮膚會得到顯著改善，更加緊緻，有彈性，皺紋也會變淺和減少。”

Of course, the real test is whether having such a personalised regime will make a significant difference. “Everything about skincare is psychological,” says Elixseri chief executive Alicia Schweiger. “The placebo effect is at least 50 per cent of the entire experience.” Knowing it’s just for you might give your skincare a head start. For once in your life, perhaps you should take it personally.

當然，真正的考驗在於，這樣的個性化定製護膚能否爲皮膚帶來顯著改善。“護膚完全是心理感受。”Elixseri首席執行官艾麗西亞?施魏格爾(Alicia Schweiger)如是說，“安慰劑效應至少佔到整個體驗的50%。”想到這些產品是專門爲你定製的，可能會讓你的護膚贏在了起跑線上。或許，你一生至少應該選擇一次私人定製。