Ahana Banerjee of the Clear App on the importance of tracking your skincare
Written by: Deepa Somasunderam
@Ahana Banerjee
The social skincare app that is changing the way you review skincare.
Welcome to our new series, the Foundery. Cult ingredients, beauty rituals, ancient medical systems: so much of the beauty industry is rooted in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean but usually when it comes to branding, entrepreneurship and mainstream industry recognition, we are left out of the conversation. So we spotlight innovative founders in and from these regions to build your brand awareness.
At 24, Ahana Banerjee has already accomplished so much: she participated in the Y Combinator in 2021 and built her company the Clear app, a social skincare community where people can buy, track and share their skincare. This year, Forbes also honoured her on their 30 under 30 list. Clear was selected as a winner of 2022 L'Oréal Beauty Tech for Good and selected by Beiersdorf for the Beauty Tech Innovation Summit 2023.
With all this going on we caught up with Ahana to help you understand the importance of tracking your skincare.
What inspired you to build the Clear app?
©Clear
Clear was inspired by my own personal struggles with acne. The frustration of not knowing which products to use or if they were even working, coupled with an industry-wide data gap, propelled me to create a solution.
As someone who is a skincare enthusiast, and also a software engineer, I wanted to combine my skillset with my passion to empower both individuals and brands in the skincare industry to make data-driven decisions.
How do you hope that skincare brands will benefit from all the customer journey information that Clear app has?
My hope is that skincare brands leverage the rich customer journey information provided by Clear to spark genuine innovation.
The beauty of innovation lies in data, and currently, brands lack comprehensive solutions to grasp large-scale, real-time consumer habits and the true effectiveness of their products.
What sort of feedback are you getting from skincare brands who have accessed your customer journey info?
The feedback from skincare brands has been overwhelmingly positive. The detailed insights provided by Clear empower them to better understand consumer trends, usage habits, and product efficacy; fostering a more informed and responsive approach to consumer needs.
We have also helped brands gain more exposure and the loyalty of new consumers, who discovered their products via our app.
What has been the most popular feature of the Clear app with the community?
Beyond the functionality of the tracker that encourages users to stay active and document their skincare routines, the standout feature has been the community itself. It's a space where individuals feel a sense of belonging and support, as evidenced by the heartening feedback of community members feeling positive after engaging with it.
What can you tell us about your own journey with cystic acne?
My personal journey with cystic acne has been a prolonged and arduous one, impacting me since I was 12 years old. Experimenting with various medications, herbal remedies, dietary changes, and lifestyle adjustments, I resorted to creating intricate spreadsheets to track my efforts, complete with linked Google folders housing my skin progress selfies.
This clunky tech solution and isolating experience led me to seek solace in social media communities, ultimately inspiring me to create a platform like Clear—a community where individuals facing similar skin conditions could track their routines, and share experiences and product recommendations.
What are the products in your skincare routine?
You can see exactly what I use on the Clear app ;)
So we checked the Clear app and Ahana is using:
Rohto Mentholatum Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronc Acid Lotion
©Clear
Which skincare product has worked best for you in taking care of acne?
While I'm still on the journey of discovering what works best for my acne and am about to try a new acne medication, I can attest to the efficacy of The Ordinary's Alpha Arbutin in combating post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Additionally, the Kao Biore SPF has become a staple, especially considering my use of medications that heighten photosensitivity.
Do you have any advice for people who are experiencing acne?
If you're grappling with acne, know that you are not alone, and it's certainly not your fault. The visibility of acne can be overwhelming, but it's essential to remember that others likely don't notice it as much as you do.
You may want to seek out a supportive community, which you can do on Clear; where individuals facing similar challenges share insights.
Whether you choose to embrace your acne or embark on a journey to clear skin, you can approach it methodically with tools like Clear, where you are empowered to treat it like a scientific experiment; isolating the variables, collecting your own data, and gauge the effectiveness of your current solutions.
What is your long-term vision for Clear or any future plans you would like to share?
Looking ahead, my long-term vision for Clear involves being there for every step of the consumer journey - from their first skincare routine, to supporting people with various skin issues, to connecting consumers to dermatologists, to being the best way of buying skincare, to continuously getting the best product recommendations.
Clear aims to remain at the forefront of revolutionising the skincare landscape, providing not just a tool but a community-driven platform that empowers individuals on their unique skincare journeys.
