If you're wondering what the future of beauty looks like, look no further than SmartSKN. Following a $7 million deal with Korea’s pioneering beauty tech firm Lillycover, SmartSKN possesses the exclusive rights to introduce Lillycover’s AI-driven skincare robots to the US market. SmartSKN’s AI-powered robots use real-time data from an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) skin analysis to create highly personalized, supercharged Korean skincare right before a consumer’s very eyes.

“We’re setting the stage for AI skincare to become the norm, offering products tailored to each individual's unique needs, moving the industry away from a one-size-fits-all solution,” says Val Neicu, CEO of SmartSKN.

The company launched late last year and recently opened the first AI SmartSKN Lab in Beverly, Massachusetts, where it’s also headquartered. In January, SmartSKN debuted a first-of-its-kind skincare lab pop-up at BSPOKE/LA, a cultural hub in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California. Additional locations are slated to open in New York City and Las Vegas later in 2025, with plans to expand nationally. The pop-ups allow SmartSKN to test out retail without a sizeable investment and gauge consumer demand, but so far, the results are promising.

“Ten out of ten people take out their phones to film it,” says Neicu. “People love the personalization. On top of it being a very cool and novel process, it actually works. The feedback on the skincare has been amazing.”

SmartSKN currently has five robots stateside to support its expansion plans. The company’s Beverly headquarters and pop-up lab in Los Angeles allow consumers to observe the AI-powered robots in action as they craft personalized skincare solutions tailored to each person’s unique needs.

“We wanted to create an immersive experience for our customers and let them see firsthand the power of skincare personalization,” says Neicu.

SmartSKN’s robots are manufactured by Lillycover in Korea, which also provides the licensed technology and ingredients used to create the brand’s personalized skincare solutions. The technology was originally developed in Korea after nearly eight years of research, supported by government funding and extensive collaboration with universities. According to Neicu, Lillycover recently concluded clinical trials for its custom skincare formulations, delivering “impressive” results.

To train its algorithm, Lillycover collected skin analysis data from people across Asia and the Western world, amassing over 156,000 data points. The data was shown to dermatologists who were able to identify various skin conditions and train the AI to do the same through machine learning. With each scan, another data point is added, and the algorithm continues to improve.

Several systems on the market claim to offer AI-powered skin analysis, but most are focused on product recommendations. Many skincare brands already provide these tools through their owned channels. However, according to Neicu, the analysis can be superficial when consumers rely solely on their phone's camera to gather and submit data. SmartSKN’s technology is not a recommendation tool; it’s a formulation system designed to create personalized skincare solutions.

“This is taking it to the next level,” she says. “We're not going to recommend anything; we can create a formula for you.”

While the skincare robots are fun and flashy, SmartSKN isn’t trying to reinvent manufacturing; rather, it is optimizing and scaling hyper-personalization using robotics. The technology, Neicu says, is where the real value lies.

“We're not reinventing the wheel, but I think what's impressive is the algorithm that Lillycover has managed to develop. It's been growing rapidly since we started our partnership with them, and it’s first-party data collected at thermoscopic clinical level.”

The process begins with a skin analysis using the Muilli AI Dermascope, a device that can be purchased separately for $399 on SmartSKN’s website or accessed in person at one of its branded locations. This device features a 60x magnification camera to capture images across five key areas of the face: cheeks, forehead, eye area, nose, and chin. It also includes a microcurrent moisture sensor, which is placed on both cheeks to measure moisture and oil levels.

Next, consumers complete a real-time skin health questionnaire, which helps the AI better understand their skin’s unique characteristics and goals. The AI then analyzes the collected data and generates a comprehensive report, assigning each individual a personalized skin code. The report provides detailed insights into bio-skin biomarkers—such as sensitivity, redness, pore size, and wrinkle index—expressed as percentages from 0 to 100.

For in-person users, the SmartSKN robot formulates a base product and adds two active complexes specifically tailored to their skin's immediate needs, as determined by the AI’s analysis. All results are securely stored on SmartSKN’s server, enabling users to monitor the progress of their skin over time. Those who perform their skin analysis at home using the Muilli AI Dermascope can send the data to the SmartSKN Lab and have their personalized formulas delivered directly to their door.

“It's great to be able to see that something is working,” says Neicu. “We've seen the wrinkle index actually go down a lot, especially in mature skin.”

Conversely, consumers can also track when specific biomarkers increase. Neicu noted seeing her own pigmentation levels increase over the course of one summer, which reminded her to reapply sunscreen more often.

“Because this data is so accurate and precise, with each analysis, you get a new formula,” she says. “Each time, your skincare adapts to what you need. Your skin is always changing. There's currently no other system on the market right now that is able to meet [a] consumer's needs when they need it, so I think that’s a game changer, and the fact that we can bring it into retail and people can experience it is really amazing.”

SmartSKN’s skincare robots are not full-scale production lines; instead, each robot creates one bottle at a time, entirely hands-free. The robot handles every step, from picking up the bottle to filling, mixing, and producing a personalized label with the product name and ingredients. The entire process takes about three minutes. However, the system isn’t fully autonomous—each robot requires a human operator to guide both the consumer and the robot through the formulation process. The operator handles the initial and final steps, including conducting the skin analysis and removing the finished bottle to apply the label.

SmartSKN is launching three product lines, all powered by advanced AI technology and formulated with Korean plant-based ingredients. K-AI is a hyper-personalized product line created by using real-time data from an advanced AI skin analysis. This product will be sold at SmartSKN’s retail locations in Beverly and Los Angeles.

K-PRO is designed to be distributed through skincare professionals, enabling estheticians and dermatologists to co-create formulas using SmartSKN’s Muilli AI Dermascope to best suit their client’s needs.

Finally, K-OWN is a customizable line where users can formulate their own products without performing a skin analysis. Users can build their formula from scratch by picking their base, active complexes, and oil levels, all under the guidance of SmartSKN's AI.

Neicu believes that the rise of customized skincare will also lead to a broader shift in how consumers view mass-produced products.

“All my life, I've been consuming products that have been made for tens of millions of people and didn't bother me before because that was the norm,” she says. “Once you go this route, you don't want to go back. I now look at traditional skincare almost as generic.”

Currently, SmartSKN’s robots can only formulate skincare products, but according to Neicu, this is just the beginning.

“For our next batch of robots, we're working on a system that would allow the robots to create haircare products because the [Muilli AI Dermascope] also does a scalp and hair analysis,” she says. “We're working with [Lillycover] on creating a more scalable model for retail for haircare products.”

In the future, Neicu intends to take this technology to the next level and allow other companies, from indie brands to major players, to manufacture their own product lines directly in-store to help expand their product offerings and better serve their customers.

“The hope is that other companies can use this technology to make their own customized products under their label using their ingredients but using our analysis and algorithm,” she says. “Some companies have great ingredients and products, but then that base or that particular combination [of ingredients] might not work for everybody.”

Currently, SmartSKN is exploring partnerships with companies that provide professional spa treatments to operate on a revenue share model that allows spas to create and sell their own products using SmartSKN’s technology and formulations. The company is also exploring applications in the medical field with dermatologists to provide tailored solutions for people who suffer from skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea and have those solutions adapt to the person’s skin and their skin condition changes—all under a doctor’s supervision.

“Everybody in this space is looking to create more personalized offerings,” says Neicu. “This system allows you to create a product that is customized to your pain points and also adapts to you.”

SmartSKN is entirely self-funded by Neicu and her co-founder, Tony Di Rico. Although Neicu says they will eventually be open to investors, for now, their focus is on partnerships and getting SmartSKN’s robots operational in various locations nationwide.

“I hope next year everybody will know what these robots are and what they do, even if they're not skincare consumers,” says Neicu.

For Neicu, the future of the beauty industry lies in the integration of big data, robotics, and AI.

“In my version of the future, you walk into a Sephora, and instead of shelves, you have robots that make you your skincare from each of these lines, and you know for a fact that it will work for you because that particular combination of ingredients is made just for you.”