EpigenCare is a finalist in the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Digital Beauty Quickfire Challenge. 

EpigenCare is a personalized skincare startup company. The company will present on March 27th at JLABS South San Francisco for the final event of the competition.

One of the key innovation areas that the challenge focuses on is personalization tools to simplify product selection and build regimen in a way that empowers consumers to make better informed skincare choices.

EpigenCare has developed a direct-to-consumer skincare test that assesses the current state of one's skin by looking at epigenetic markers associated with quality indicators including aging, elasticity, moisture, pigmentation, and more. Epigenetics is the study of biological mechanisms (e.g., DNA methylation) that could activate or deactivate a gene's function over time. Since a person has the same genes throughout his or her entire life, only epigenetic -- rather than genetic -- profiling could accurately reflect the dynamic and current state of one's skin.

The company is currently working on a complementary digital platform that skincare companies can use to match their existing products to consumers on a personalized basis. The matching process is through a recommendation algorithm based on the epigenetic effects of product ingredients on the consumers' tested epigenetic markers of their skin.

"True innovation doesn't just elevate product experiences and outcomes—it challenges the very definition of skin care itself," said Sebastien Guillon, President, Global Beauty, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. "The next beauty tech disrupters are out there, and this Challenge will help us identify the most promising potential partners in the co-creation of meaningful, future-forward skin solutions."

The company's CEO and co-founder, William Lee, said, "It is an honor for EpigenCare to be recognized as an innovative organization. We are committed to bringing cutting-edge science in helping consumers identify skincare products that are best suited for their skin."

Johnson & Johnson Innovation is also hosting voting process for a social award that is separate from the main award.