Would You Text a Beauty Brand Your Skincare Questions?

Because it’s already happening. But is texting a beauty brand the wave of the future — or just another way to get you to buy?

In the past decade, we saw a whole new way that brands started to interact with consumers. We went from literally never hearing from brands at all, to brands having it out and shading each other on Instagram. In a way, brand’s have become influencers in their own right.

In the same way influencers are going viral on social media for their makeup looks, brands are now looking to capture consumers’ attention. Take Fenty Beauty for example — they’re known to capitalize on viral social media moments by hiring influencers and celebrities who’ve gone viral to promote their products, therefore, creating their own viral moments. It’s like one giant circle.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA (@fentybeauty) on Dec 28, 2019 at 2:31pm PST

But other brands are trying to take a more hands-on approach to their relationships with their consumers. Versed, an affordable clean beauty line that’s available at Target, recently launched what they’ve dubbed “one of the platforms of the future.” What is it, you ask? Well, Versed launched its very own SMS text messaging service called a Skin Hotline that’s designed to address your top skincare concerns and questions.

Confused about the difference between an AHA and a BHA? Text them. Are you unsure when you should use that new vitamin C serum you just bought? They can answer that too. Are you going to a party and you need help on how to reduce the size of that pimple? Well, the helpful people at Versed can help you, all within your iMessage app.

For now, this service is actually manned by real workers — no AI or robots here, folks. Three employees on the Versed team worked to compile a list of the most common skincare questions, so they’ll be able to assist you quickly and efficiently. Just don’t expect any sort of medical advice — questions like “I’m breaking out in a rash from using XYZ product, can you help?” are meant for a licensed doctor, not the staff at Versed.

But this begs the question — would you trust skincare advice from a company whose main priority is to get you to buy their product? There’s a big ol’ blurred line between a company claiming to care about the customer’s genuine skincare questions while simultaneously hawking their skincare products that they claim will solve your problems. At the same time, instead of relying on a reddit post or Instagram review of a product, being able to get a direct answer about a product that you’re thinking of buying straight from a brand within minutes could be a game changer.

Despite some of the skepticism of a brand’s true intentions with this type of technology, other companies haven’t hesitated to jump on the SMS board. Esteé Lauder offers a skincare consultant via text and voice technology, while Supergoop is employing text message technology instead of email newsletters to grow its subscriptions.

So, would you text a beauty brand your skincare questions? Let me know in the comments!