Announcements
What's new, what's changed, and what's coming next on SkinLabs.
SkinLabs® Platform API preview, Practice Suite in beta, and a tidier menu
The new Platform API page documents the one endpoint that is live today (skin weather by South African city) and lays out what is proposed for v1: product reviews, ingredients and compatibility checks. Nothing marked proposed can be called yet. Practice Suite now carries a BETA badge in the main menu, and the Whitepaper 2026/27 sits in the menu resources. Also this month: the Community Forum for members, a sharper vector logo, and Spotlight now ranks from every published review. The standalone Methodologies page has been retired; how Spotlight ranks brands is explained on the Spotlight page itself.
The Skin Deep Podcast: Season 1 is complete, Season 2 starts January 2027
Episode 10, "Are You Buying Skincare Or Buying The Marketing?", closes Season 1 — all ten episodes are streaming now on the podcast hub, each with show notes and chapter markers. New episodes will be uploaded when the official Season 2 episode calendar commences in January 2027.
All paid plans free to try until 1 November 2026
For a limited time, Glow Lite and Glow Insider are free to try — sign up for either plan's free trial with no card required, and it runs all the way through 1 November 2026 instead of the usual 7 days. Every member benefit applies during this period except ad-free browsing, which stays a Glow VIP perk once standard billing resumes. Advanced AI Analysis Passes (for your Advanced AI Dermatology Report from SKYNN AI) remain a small once-off payment for every account, member or not — that's unchanged. Standard subscription-based billing returns for everyone on 1 November 2026 as we continue rolling out the rest of the platform — see the Pricing page for full details.
Ingredients Directory with Combination Checker now live
We've launched a comprehensive Ingredients directory featuring our new Ingredient Combination checker — a database-driven compatibility checker backed by real, cited sources. The combination checker is available for free to all members for a limited time. Browse ingredient profiles freely, or sign in to use the Combination checker and see which ingredients work together, which need spacing, and which should never be mixed.
Starter Analysis 2.0: your Skin Story, ranked priorities and refinement
Skin Analysis (SKYNN AI)'s free Starter Analysis is significantly more personalised, without asking more questions. It now includes a plain-language "Skin Story" built from your answers, a transparent ranked list of your top skin priorities with the reasoning behind each one, a lightweight check on anything that's recently changed with your skin, and an interactive "how close is this?" refinement step that adjusts your result on the spot. Analysis completeness — how much information SKYNN AI had to work with — stays clearly separate from any claim of accuracy. Your exact SkinLabs-reviewed product matches and the interactive Routine Builder remain part of Glow Insider and VIP membership.
SKYNN AI (beta) is here
The AI Formulator is now SKYNN AI (beta), at a new home: /skynn-ai. It adds an optional Monk Skin Tone (MST) step for fairness testing across skin tones, product picks grounded in SkinLabs' own reviewed catalogue, and a transparent "analysis completeness" indicator instead of a vague confidence score.
Openhaus Marketplace is on its way
We're building a multivendor marketplace for South African skincare brands. Join the waiting list on the Marketplace page for early-bird samples, giveaways and launch discounts.
Consultations rebranded to Consult
Virtual derm consultations now live under a shorter "Consult" label in the header — same HPCSA-registered practitioners, same booking flow, just easier to find on mobile.
Seasonal Guides launched
Skincare advice built around the season you're actually living in, with regional notes for Gauteng, KZN, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape.
Spotlight by SkinLabs launched
A monthly, review-led ranking of South African skincare brands, computed live from our own published product scores — never a paid placement.
AI Formulator upgraded
Personalised routines now factor in your climate zone, budget and skin concerns together, with weekly refreshes for Glow Insider and Glow VIP members.
The Skin Deep Podcast premiered
Weekly episodes on skincare myths, ingredient science and SA-specific routines, with new instalments dropping every Wednesday.