Dermalogica and education are two words synonymous with one-another, as the internationally regarded skincare brand enters the new year with a reimagined set of training strategies. Hannah Gay caught up with the brand’s Asia-Pacific Head of Education, Emma Hobson to dig further into the fresh ways Dermalogica educated industry professionals in 2022.
You were last year awarded the ABIA Educator of the Year for a Product Company! What does this title signify to you and your clients?
“To be acknowledged by our industry for the incredible work, passion, sheer dedication, and expertise my team put into their roles each day is so rewarding for them and company-wide. I cannot express my pride in their achievements – they stretch themselves when delivering innovative education with new delivery systems and techniques, and to new audiences. At Dermalogica’s core is education; we live and breath it daily, and for ABIA to recognise this is praise indeed! For our clients, it is confirmation and assurance that they are receiving outstanding education from a company embedded in education and the pursuit of professional development, knowledge, and expertise.”
What initiatives have been important this year in terms of business liaison?
“In March, we were delighted to open our ‘physical’ doors to welcome back our students to face-to-face (f2f) education. It had been too long, and we missed the connection with our wonderful customers. We were able to return to offering a complete suite of blended learning options; f2f, or digitally, hosting live webinars and self-led online courses.
Throughout 2022 we have moved several of our training locations, showcasing a completely new design that allows us to deliver learning moments in a new education landscape to an array of audiences. This includes direct-to-consumer master classes, and delivering a bespoke curriculum for our ‘skinfluencer academy’ with the aim to create an environment of engaging, relaxed, group-lead learning.”
I understand Dermalogica will have an increased focus on digital learning this year. How can you guarantee effective training and consistency among all staff if at the detriment to face-to-face learning?
“As we reopen our doors offering f2f education we can place the decision of how and when someone wants to learn completely in their hands. This freedom of choice means our customers can navigate their own professional development pathway. It can fit perfectly into their lifestyle and their preferred learning style and timelines.”
How do you distinguish which programs are made free-to-access versus fee-payable?
“All Dermalogica education workshops are free. This is a support service we offer our customers to help grow their businesses, upskill, and retain their team members. The International Dermal Institute is our generic arm of our company, which has no reference to Dermalogica or our product formulations. It is fee-paying, generic information which focus on subjects and trends that everyone in the industry would find of great value. We have some exciting new curriculum with some fascinating new research that we will be launching in Q2/3 of this year.”
What prompts Dermalogica to continue its focus on education in Australia, given the time and financial resources involved?
“It is important to note that The International Dermal Institute and Dermalogica started and remains an education company that also creates a product line. Education is at the very core of who we are and why we do what we do. It is instrumental in our thinking, our innovation and our roadmap for the future; it is embedded in everything we do and the compass that guides us to our ‘True North’.”
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