This week, I look ahead to a burgeoning 2024 skin-care trend: neuromodulator-enhancing topical products, starting with Peter Thomas Roth.
A new year, a new approach to skin care.
On January 2, Peter Thomas Roth introduced a new product franchise called Peptide Skinjection. According to the brand, the products can target and combat expression lines and complement an in-office neuromodulator treatment by prolonging the need for the next injectable treatment by up to six months. At launch, there are two products: the Amplified Wrinkle-Fix Serum and Moisture Infusion Cream, which sell for $65 and $55, respectively. The 30-year-old brand does not share financial figures, and Jeff Burge, director of global marketing, declined to share a 12-month sales outlook for Peptide Skinjection. But, he said, the brand intends for products to be a best-seller and a top franchise within the brand.
The phrase “Botox in a bottle” has long been tossed around for topical beauty products that want to boast their anti-aging properties and appeal to a needle-free customer base. But products that state they work in tandem with neuromodulator treatments, like Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Daxxify, are a newer niche anti-aging focus. In addition to Peter Thomas Roth, laser facial clinic Skin Laundry introduced a new protocol in early 2023 dubbed a topical peptide “Fixer” add-on, which acts as a wrinkle smoother for approximately a month.
“We’ve all seen the huge rise in cosmetic injectables,” said Burge. “We wanted to look into what we could deliver from a topical skin-care standpoint, where we’re able to join that conversation and offer something to customers who are looking for an alternative to those treatments or who receive cosmetic injectables and want to enhance and prolong the results.”
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The launch of these neuromodulator-enhancing products also dovetails with other notable recent trends — namely, peptides and clinical post-aesthetic treatment products. As Glossy Pop reported in Oct. 2023, peptides are not new but are suddenly everywhere. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that can penetrate the skin and stimulate collagen production. Among Peter Thomas Roth products is a 10% Argirelox peptide solution.
Peter Thomas Roth has a small professional distribution, but its largest channel is Sephora. The Peptide Skinjection line will be exclusively sold at Sephora for two months before expanding to Ulta Beauty in March.
Professional post-aesthetic treatment products have become a hot commodity as aesthetic treatments become more popular. In Sept. 2022, L’Oréal acquired clinical skin-care brand Skinbetter Science, which is distributed in thousands of dermatology and aesthetic offices, while pharmaceutical company Galderma acquired Alastin Skincare in Dec. 2021, to name a few. Founded in 2015, Alastin Skincare focuses on products that optimize aesthetic injectables and non-invasive skin procedures. In a Dec. 2023 report, Jefferies analysts stated that clinical brands are an attractive option for acquisitions in an otherwise slow M&A period.
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According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ 2022 plastic surgery statistics, minimally invasive procedures gained traction throughout 2022, offering quicker recovery and almost instant results. Neuromodulator injections are a favorite, with a 73% increase in the number of procedures, compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. There were nearly 9 million neuromodulator treatments performed in 2022. With this steady rise, particularly among young people using these services as a prevention tactic, it only makes sense that skin-care brands are trying to capture a segment of that audience.
“Ultimately, using skin-care products as a supplement to injectable neurotoxin treatments can potentially improve overall skin health and indirectly assist in prolonging their effects,” said Elena Feinstein, owner of NYC-based clinic Roseyard Aesthetics. “While some promising new treatments may be on the horizon, it is important to remember that injectable neurotoxins have been extensively studied and proven safe and effective when administered by a trained professional. Any new treatments claiming to replicate these effects should be approached cautiously and only after consulting with a medical professional.”
At launch, Peter Thomas Roth will have simultaneous narratives in its marketing as being an age-prevention product offering wrinkle elimination, an alternative to neuromodulators and a treatment enhancer. Advertising and marketing will target people from their early 20s to mid-40s. Across social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, Peter Thomas Roth will partner with dermatologist content creators to share their experience with the products and why they would recommend it for their aesthetic patients.
“Our whole team is looking to see how our community of customers respond to this franchise and what they want us to focus on,” said Burge.
