The award-winning Dream Cream has had a makeover after Dr Katherine Armour took on board feedback from loyal clients. She reveals to Anita Quade the importance of listening to your skincare customers.
You have just reformulated your award-winning Dream Cream – tell us about the new formula.
“We are so glad that you asked! We have been overwhelmed by the love that our customers and the media have shown The Dream Cream. The Dream Cream is designed to be a complete rejuvenation formula and a light moisturiser. The original formula contained mica which gave the skin a subtle shimmer. After feedback from our customers that they adored the results that they were achieving from using this product, but didn’t like the shimmer, we took that on board and removed it. Removing the mica from our formulation gave us the chance to improve the moisturising qualities of this product. So, we’ve made the Dream Cream dreamier than ever!”
You decided to tweak the formula based on feedback from consumers – how important is it to listen to your clients?
“Our customers and followers are everything. In fact, it was my patients and their wish list from what they wanted from their skincare that led to the naissance of Bespoke Skin Technology.”
What was their main feedback?
“Our customers’ main feedback was that only needing one product to achieve all of their skincare needs was life-changing, and that they were impressed with the improvement in their skin quality. But, even the best products can be improved. Increasing the moisturising quotient in the Dream Cream was one request, as was removing the shimmer. Some women found that the shimmer sat in their fine lines. None of us want to highlight our fine lines! Many women still love the shimmer. But, given that our main customer base is 35-65 years, we felt that removing the mica from our formula was the best way to go.”
“Our customers and followers are everything. In fact, it was my patients and their wish list from what they wanted from their skincare that led to the naissance of Bespoke Skin Technology.”
Did it take a long time to get the new formula correct – given you had such a cult following with the original Dream Cream?
“We are very fortunate that the lab we work with is so experienced. So, this was a relatively quick and efficient process.”
The formulation is known as 12 products in one – how did you originally formulate this Dream Cream?
“Again, the idea for the Dream Cream came from listening to my patients, friends, family, and thinking about what my perfect skincare product would achieve. Whilst there is nothing wrong with multi-step skincare regimens if you have the time and budget, the women I talk to are time-poor, but want results. They need their skincare products to be multi-tasking, and provide an indulgent skincare moment in their day.”
Were there any gaps in the skincare market you had noticed?
“One of the other huge unmet needs I noticed was the lack of pregnancy safe skincare that could allow women to continue use of their rejuvenation and pigment-combating products during this important time of life. We used retinaldehyde in our original night formula, Complete Night Shield. With the Dream Cream we switched out retinaldehyde for bakuchiol. This allowed the Dream Cream to be more appropriate for those with really sensitive skin, as well as during the day and by pregnant women, whilst still targeting acne, congestion, fine lines and unwanted pigmentation.”
What were some the main concerns it addresses?
“Fine lines and wrinkles, unwanted pigmentation such as melasma, acne and congestion, dryness, roughness, and textural change, as well as sun damage. What more do you need! Together these benefits lead to a significant improvement in skin quality and luminosity.”
The market is saturated with so many skincare products. How difficult is it to stand out?
“You are so right, with the focus for so many of us landing firmly on skin quality, the number of skincare products launching is growing month on month. Having your brand message heard and understood is something that takes constant attention and careful thought. My belief is that there is no point in launching another A, B, C, peptide and cleanser range, because it has already been done really well by so many brands. At Bespoke, we focus on perceiving gaps in the market and meeting unmet needs. I think that my role as a practicing and formulating dermatologist helps a lot in this regard – as well as the fact that I fit into our target audience demographic!”
Can you share with us any other plans for the brand this year?
“We want to continue to grow and engage with our customers and followers. Their support is why we keep going, and we are eternally grateful for them. We have three new products currently in the works. There are a couple of minor tweaks still to be made before they are ready to launch. But, we are really excited to hopefully introduce these products to the market in 2024-25.”
This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2024 print issue of Professional Beauty.
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