Consumers flock to the website What’s In My Jar in search for unbiased skincare recommendations. The platform hosts an AI-powered free routine builder tool that selects products from multiple brands and price points based on individual skin needs. Users also share and discuss their existing skincare regime, share reviews and skincare tips. Most users prefer anonymous accounts, but share their true skin details.
“We are building a place online where people can ‘peek’ into each other’s bathroom shelves, get support for their skin issues and have an honest conversation about products and actives. Our users reject glossy influencer images, and the exploitation of skin insecurities that feed so much of the traditional beauty industry marketing ” – says Maria Semykoz, one of the platform creators.
“Skincare industry marketing is dominated by paid influencer reviews and promotions today. Consumers follow influencers hoping to get a true insight into their beauty regimen. Instead, they get fed paid reviews, dubious skincare tips and unrealistic appearance standards. This is why more and more people are looking for other sources of skincare advice online. People discover What’s In My Jar via search engines and recommendations from friends, and stay for genuine community, evidence-based discussions of skincare formulations and honest advice. You will notice that our website even looks very different to a typical beauty page: it’s crowd-sourced and functional, without gloss and glamour.”– continues Semykoz.
The platform has over 7500 registered users at the moment. The registrations have grown 8% in May, without any ads and even active social media presence. The user routines section of the website hosts more than 3000 real skincare routines – the largest genuine collection of full routines online after the Reddit skincare subs.
“I think we’ll see independent social skincare platforms like What’s In My Jar grow to become a real challenger to the influencer dominance in the skincare space. More and more consumers are losing trust in the Instagram advice. They make an effort to educate themselves about cosmetic ingredients, formulations, and skin biology. We are witnessing a rise of an empowered, independent, savvy skincare consumer – and it is a good change for both people’s skin and the overall conversation about beauty and self-care in our society.” – adds Semykoz
