It’s no overstatement that 111SKIN changed the game for commercially available skincare, pioneering clinical products before it became an industry trend by formulating with a doctor-driven, patient-focused, results-first approach.
The brains behind the brand belong to founders Dr. Yannis Alexandrides and Eva Alexandrides, and its name is born from the address of Dr. Yannis’ medical clinic located at 111 Harley St. in London. What started as an effort to help Dr. Yannis’ patients heal faster, quickly turned into a brand that became a favourite for celebrities and professionals, driven by a strong trust in both the doctor’s expertise and the proven results from every bottle.
Recently, together with the celebration of 111SKIN’s official launch in Kens Apothecary outlets nationwide, we got the chance to sit down with this dynamic duo on their first trip down to Kuala Lumpur and talk all things 111SKIN.
Welcome to Malaysia! How has your first trip here been so far, and what’s something memorable you’ve experienced?
Eva (E): It’s my first time in Malaysia and I’m already in love with the country! What really strikes me is that the people are very kind and warm, and you feel welcome from the start. From day one, you’re just immersed into the culture of the people; I love the food, I love the weather, and I like the beautiful merging of cultures you have here.
Dr. Yannis (Y): I agree with everything Eva said. It’s our first time but we already feel very welcome here. We love the people. It’s beautiful and tropical, plus the flavours are amazing. Our young son who’s with us also loves the place. So, we hope to come back again. We’ve only seen Kuala Lumpur but we’d like to go to the islands and see more of nature.
111SKIN was founded in 2012 with a mission to bridge the gap between clinical & medical plastic surgery and skincare, by bringing effective, non-irritating products to the market. How has the journey been so far in the past 13 years?
Y: The skincare brand part of 111SKIN started commercially in 2012, and the idea came about in my clinic from patients who needed a medicine-like product that will change their skin. The products we had before were not effective enough or they would cause problems [after surgery] so I needed to create something that didn’t exist. There was no scientific product that had a luxurious feeling and that gap is exactly the spot of 111SKIN. It’s very textural and pleasant to use but at the same time it delivers clinically-proven results.
Since then it has been a very organic process. This is a family business that we grew gradually through customers’ love and through personal recommendations. It’s been an adventurous journey where we have to be not only bold but also patient. Skincare is a very complex business with a lot of competition, but I think at the end what stands out is the quality of the products which makes them loved everywhere we go.
E: When we first started, plastic surgery wasn’t prevalent compared to now where people are more open to having procedures. Our skincare definitely appeals to more people because it leads with science and also the fact that there’s an authority behind the brand who is a plastic surgeon himself – someone who cuts into the skin and understands the three-dimensional healing of it. We bring a lot more credibility to an industry that is hungry for better results, more knowledge because so many brands are relying just on marketing and branding rather than on substance.
That’s how we have evolved over the years to be much more established, because people believe in what we stand for: credible products.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing when it comes to creating a skincare brand?
E: I would never have a skincare brand on my own so having Yannis, who is a surgeon who operates on the deeper levels of skin, is a serious point of difference for us. To us, skincare is not just a topical treatment, it’s the way it works in the layers of the skin, how each layer responds in a positive way, and it’s about long-term result. We are also very much about before and after results. When you go and have surgery with Yannis, you expect to look different and to have a visible result, and we want the same with 111SKIN. That’s how we approach everything.
Rigorous innovation and testing is another thing. For example, we had to have have textures that are easily absorbed yet light so they don’t clog the pores. It’s a very serious process in order to create something that really stands out.
Y: The most important thing for me is about being effective. There’s no reason to create a product that doesn’t do something meaningful and something new. Can you have a product you can buy on your own without a doctor’s prescription that gives the results you need? That is the aim of 111SKIN, to provide solutions.
E: The products we create must come from a real need and usually starts in the clinic because we have a very big international clientele. Next, it’s understanding what is missing, what do the clients want, and then really developing something that addresses the client’s needs. So we are very fortunate because our clientele is of global calibre and they’re usually very interested in results and in the best of the best.
Skincare, over the past decade or so, has taken a more clinical approach to its marketing and formulations, with a clear shift towards how consumers are choosing to buy based on ingredients and formulations above brand-name. 111SKIN was ahead of the game in this respect. How do you feel about this shift in consumer behaviour?
Y: I say that we feel validated because we believed in this trend from the start, and it proves that this was the right way to rise. For us, it’s not just creating a product, but creating something that has many different points that it becomes necessary for the market. So the people who use the products and really feel a connection and keep using it.
E: I think we have to be aware of what the consumer wants. As you said, there is a shift towards clinical, results driven, potent skincare and [the industry] needs to address this because the consumer wants results.
But the problem is that so many people are capitalizing on this, and now they would put 10% to 20% vitamin C in a product, for example. However, there are clinically tested effective levels of vitamin C. If you put 10 times more, 20 times more, it doesn’t equal more and can actually be damaging. So I think it’s the duty of the industry to really tell consumers who the credible brands are who really deliver results. Because everybody wants to enter this space and at the end of the day, it confuses the customers.
Y: Yes, I have to say that most of the products we create are blends of ingredients, and the reason for that is that we wanted to simplify skincare for people. We didn’t want them to have to use six different bottles to get six different ingredients and benefits, and people won’t do that either. And as Eva said, some ingredients don’t need to be a very high percentage, because that can hurt the skin instead of helping it. But if you combine products, and you know how to mix them together then you get the best out of it. So, my job as a scientist was to create these blends.
Now that 111SKIN is available in Kens Apothecary stores, which products would you recommend for first time users in Malaysia?
Y: Definitely start with the Dr. Yannis Alexandrides Repair Serum NAC Y² because it’s the product that gives so many different effects on the skin, from anti-aging to moisturising, healing and anti-inflammation.
For people who don’t have the experience yet of how to start [building a skincare routine], I would say you need three steps: start with cleansing, use an essence, and then apply the serum. During the day, you should also complement the serum with the Repair Day Cream NAC Y².
In the evening, repeat the first three steps with the serum and then use the Repair Night Cream NAC Y² and the Black Diamond Retinol Oil. Retinol is very important in maintaining good healthy skin.
E: I would recommend our Reparative range. The serum is the one that brought the brand into the global scene but you should never use a serum on its own. You should always have a moisturiser because the serum penetrates at a different molecular level, and then a moisturiser seals everything in and protects against environmental damage. So I would say the Repair Serum NAC Y² plus the Repair Day Cream NAC Y². Definitely you should get a special cream for the eye because the eye area is more sensitive and for that we have the amazing Eye Lift Gel NAC Y².
If you have more visible signs of aging, then I would recommend the Black Diamond range which has retinols and serums formulated for fine lines and wrinkles, which makes it much more for anti-aging versus the Reparative range for everyday use.
What’s next for 111SKIN? What can we look forward to in the future?
Y: The new product that’s launched, which is going to be available here in a couple of months, is the Dark Spot Correcting Serum. This is a very powerful product that is stronger than vitamin C or retinol combined, and it has, again, a blend of the right ingredients to brighten the skin in a natural way without irritation.
E: It has also taken us years to develop because we needed to have something that targets the deeper signs of pigmentation, which is underneath the skin. So that’s definitely one thing to look forward to.
But I think what you should expect from 111SKIN is continuous innovation. We are very humble as a brand. Even our original products, which were so well received, we reformulated them three years ago to make them stronger and better because science is evolving and so should your skincare. From there, you can always expect more innovation and nothing else from us.
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