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.
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.
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.