IMPACT 0362: HELPING OTHERS FEEL GOOD IN THEIR OWN SKIN

Hi I’m Joanne! My brother, Abel, and I co-founded Kansoskin – a socially conscious skincare brand specially designed for eczema as well as dry and sensitive skin. Kansoskin is all about inspiring self-love and self-acceptance – one person and one story at a time. We want to empower everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin so that they can be the best that they can be.

Abel was the catalyst that sparked the creation of Kansoskin. He has had chronic eczema since young and after the use of topical steroids for over a decade, it caused him to suffer from a debilitating side effect known as topical steroid withdrawal (TSW), affecting him from head to toe. Because of this, he was bullied, ostracized by society, and couldn’t get his ideal job simply because of his skin issues.

Unfortunately, there are many others like Abel who are not judged on their abilities or personalities, but rather, how their skin looks. It is normal for people to fear what they don’t understand, hence there is a pressing need to talk about and normalize skin conditions to reduce the stigma surrounding them. That was the spark that inspired us to launch Kansoskin.

October 2020, we launched Kansoskin with our first product, Simply Better Barrier™, a hydrating relief moisturizer which took me a year to formulate. I wanted to create products that can help people with compromised skin conditions reduce their dependence on topical steroids to prevent side effects like TSW from happening in the first place. Simply Better Barrier™ has been featured by the media and is very well-received with many great reviews.

Our goal is to create meaningful skincare solutions that feel good and respect even the most sensitive skin. We deliberately omit common irritants and allergens to ensure they can be enjoyed by every skin, including babies and pregnant moms. Our products do not focus on altering how the skin looks (e.g. whitening, anti-aging), but on how the skin feels. SBB is designed to improve skin barrier health for healthy, balanced and happy skin.

We do not promote unrealistic beauty ideals and our marketing message reflects that. In 2021, we launched a “skinclusivity” (skin-inclusivity) campaign, featuring raw, unedited photos of real women and sharing their skin stories. Among them is a psoriasis warrior and a TSW warrior.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding people with skin conditions. We wanted to share the fact that many of these skin conditions are not contagious and there is no need to fear them. We are very humbled to have been featured by the Singapore Kindness Movement.

We are very passionate about helping people with skin conditions feel better physically and emotionally. Our vision for the future is to create employment opportunities for people with compromised skin conditions. We believe all skin is good skin, and we want to create a world where everyone is treated equally, regardless of the state of their skin.

This article was published on Feb 23, 2022