Anti-aging skincare products personalized with DNA analysis

The UK's Geneu has developed U+, a system that uses in-store gene analysis to tailor skincare to each customer's DNA.

Different people see different effects from anti-aging products, because our bodies don't react to chemicals in the same way. France-based Personal Cell Services has already made moves to individualize skincare by incorporating consumers' own stem cells into its products. Now the UK's Geneu has developed U+, a system that uses in-store gene analysis to tailor skincare to each customer's DNA.

One of the reasons that people react differently to chemical products is that around 0.1 percent of our is unique to us. Founded by Chris Toumazou — who is also chief scientist at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London — Geneu has created a microchip that is able to analyze human DNA and locate these discrepancies, similar to the proprietary devices that healthcare professionals have been using for the last two decades or so. Bringing this medical-grade technology into the consumer sector, customers arriving at Geneu first take a swab sample for analysis. Instead of being sent off to a lab for weeks, the microchip is able to pull up the relevant data in a matter of minutes. The genetic information is then used to create a personalized beauty regime with a higher guarantee of working.

Watch the video below, which explains the science behind the service:

The service comes at the hefty price tag of GBP 600 for the analysis and two personalized serums, but the technology helps offer a product that is truly tailored to customers' own genetic makeup. Are there other ways that DNA could be used to personalize products for consumers?