It took seven years for what began as a start-up to become an international company, with more than 3,000 employees worldwide, more than 10,000 points of sale distributed in 77 countries, 22 offices and headquarters on 5 continents . Very few years if we consider that, to this day, Foreo is already known as the most famous Swedish tech-beauty brand in the world for bringing professional easy treatments to the comfort of home. We spoke with Filip Sedic, Swedish engineer and inventor of Bosnian origin and CEO of the firm, about the enormous discovery that Foreo has made for the cosmetic industry and about the importance and need for technology to achieve excellence in beauty.
He has up to 200 international patents in his name, how do you get to that number?
It is a matter of hard work and a lot of effort, of bringing more than 30 years of R&D (research and development) experience. This is the only way to achieve something like Foreo, innovative, radical … It is not a beauty company, it is much more, it is about innovation, so we are an innovation company in the technology industry applied to beauty.
Foreo was born as a technobelleza brand that brings easy, high-level treatments to the comfort of home. Can you tell us the origin of this idea?
It was born from the need to respond to the demand for effective treatments for facial skin care. For many years, about 50 or so, there has been more technology than there is now, but people have grown bored with false promises of products that then do not deliver the results they promise. It was always the same: a lot of talk but little substance. People say “we want results on our skin”. Technology and science are changing the world in ways that no politician has ever done.
The brand offers luxury beauty within reach of daily care routines, how can it affect clinics specialized in these treatments? Can the treatments of the clinics and Foreo be complemented or would they be replaced?
If there is the possibility of taking care of your skin at home, which there is, it means that clinics have to improve, they are forced to do so to adapt to the rhythm at which beauty works. If this happens, the user benefits from both realities: that of Foreo and that of attending specialized clinics. Until now, when we bought a bottle of cream, we used it and it ran out, we went for another. This made us consume many a year, but with Foreo it does not happen because it is for ten years.
FOREO
The facial cleansing device, Luna mini3, from FOREO, in its different colors.
One of the most outstanding benefits of the brand is in the BEAR technology, which is like a facial toner or a personal face trainer, what does BEAR mean in the world of beauty?
It is a true revolution in the smart device format of microcurrents that elevates the anti-aging facial routine to another level and tones the facial skin that acts on a general level and also in the most sensitive areas such as eyes, eyebrows and the area of the face. mouth. Its discharge level adapts to the resistance of each skin and provides the perfect amount of electricity to make the treatment efficient and safe at any time. Its effectiveness is so beneficial for the skin that it is one of the best treatments that exist and it is revolutionary because it adapts in real time to the conditions of the skin.
It is just as important to talk about the FAQ, the latest release from the firm, aimed at the most mature skins. What are the main benefits of this device? How effective is it?
It is not a new device, it is a new brand. FAQ is something unique. It is the first brand created for the need of consumers to fight against age and the passage of time. It is solely anti-aging, his sense of action is aimed at combating that reality that appears on the face at a certain age. With this launch it is the first time that the power of radio frequency has been used in a very concentrated way.
FOREO has revolutionized the home beauty industry, what’s next for the brand?
The idea is to continue revolutionizing this industry with easier-to-use products for treatments that we can do at home. Our researchers continue to work so that the brand gives its best, especially in the field of aging. It is important to educate the consumer before using a product and this is something unique that Foreo is doing.
Recently it has been known that Foreo has 460 billion counterfeits, 2.5% of the global trade of the brand. How has this crisis situation been dealt with?
I do not know the exact figure for the volume of counterfeiting, but when we started, seven years ago, nobody was convinced with what we were doing, of course, there was no talk of success. Not
even my wife was convinced, and that she really liked the products we were creating. All this problem came when Foreo was recognized by the beauty industry, when she began to have a name and a niche in this sector. And in 2018 we became the most copied brand in the world and we continue to be in 2020. Those counterfeits were the ones that recognized us as an original brand, as a basis to imitate.
In addition to the business damage caused by these frauds, how damaging is the effect of these products for skin health by not having a tested and certified technology?
Very harmful. Our products have a two-year warranty and are safe for the skin, imitations are not tested because no laboratory accepts to test fake products. They know nothing about technology and can cause irreparable damage to the skin if misapplied in formulas. When you buy a fake Louis Vuitton bag you do business damage to the brand, but it has no effect on you; however, when you use a skin product that is not scientifically endorsed there can be tremendous consequences for the components that are used. The skin is at risk and can be injured. The consumer is an investor (they not only buy and spend money, they invest in themselves), we must not talk about consumers but about investors.