The L’Oréal - La Roche-Posay My Skin Track pH sensor patch (with companion app) won a CES Innovation Awarded in the Wearable Technologies category.
The sensor is designed to measure the skin’s pH level, using capacitance detection technology (e.g.; Touchchip®), in particular, though unlimited, to better customizing or evaluating skin product regimens. The sensor measures skin pH on a scale of 1 to 14. A high score, above 7 indicates an alkaline pH and a low score, below 7, indicates an acidic pH. Normal skin is slightly acidic with a pH ranging between 4.5 and 5.5. Skin with a pH below the normal acidic range is dry, and sometimes associated with conditions such as eczema and contact dermatitis. Skin with a pH higher than the normal acidic range is more oily, and is sometimes associated with conditions such as acne.
The L’Oréal - La Roche-Posay My Skin Track pH sensor invention is recited in the US patent application US20040171962A1, titled Apparatus and method to evaluate hydration of the skin or the mucous membranes.
The invention invokes a sensor that measures pH in about 15 minutes, using an array of capacitative detection cells and a processor to convert the information obtained into an image, and/or into messages as congenial as “skin sufficiently (or insufficiently) hydrated” that are intelligible to an individual. The My Skin Track flexible pH sensor is a vast improvement on traditional methods of measuring skin pH, which are usually obtained via a skin care professional. It is also an improvement on rigid sensors of the prior art.
The sensor has two dots which change color during the test, indicating when it is complete. The sensor delivers an image of the skin region analyzed, where the grayscale level of each pixel corresponds to the capacitance measurement taken by the capacitance detection cell. A grayscale of 0 on the image corresponds to black. A maximum grayscale of 225 corresponds to white. Everything in between corresponds to the varying shades of gray.
In turn, the variation in grayscale of the image pixels is processed to indicate the level of hydration. The level of hydration possibly includes such information as the degree of hydration uniformity, which might conceivably vary according to the presence of microdroplets of sweat on the surface of the skin, and/or age spots. In this case, the degree of non-uniformity is processed as a standard deviation of non-intersecting mean gray scales.
The L’Oréal - La Roche-Posay My Skin Track pH sensor will be rolled out this year, first to L’Oréal’s La Roche-Posay partner dermatologists, and then to the public. The My Skin Track pH sensor follows in the footsteps of the L’Oréal - La Roche-Posay My Skin Track UV sensor, unveiled at CES 2018, and available since Nov. 2018 at select Apple Store locations, and at Apple.com.
The abstract of the US patent reciting the pH sensor apparatus and method is included below together with Figure 1 extracted from the patent. Figure 1 shows a diagram of all the components of the pH sensing system, including the sensor (10) for measuring pH on a region of the skin, processing means on a microcomputer (20) or other interface device (30), enabling to transfer sensor data to the microcomputer (20). The microcomputer is connected via network (41), such as the Internet, to a remote server (40). Sensor data, including an image of the region analyzed, is displayed on the microcomputer screen (60) or other interface processing means, such as a mobile phone or tablet.
An image of the pH skin sensor patch, as marketed and worn is also included above.
An image of the pH skin sensor patch, as marketed and worn is also included above.
An apparatus enabling a person to evaluate the hydration of a region of the skin or the mucous membranes. The apparatus includes a sensor including an array of non-optical detection cells and processor apparatus arranged to deliver at least one piece of information relating to the hydration of the region on the basis of signals coming from the sensor. A method for evaluation of hydration is also provided. The apparatus and method can also be used for evaluating, e.g., aging or the effectiveness of a treatment regimen.
L'Oréal
www.lorealparisusa.com
L’Oréal Media Room – Sensor unveiled
https://mediaroom.loreal.com/en/loreal-unveils-prototype-of-first-ever-wearable-microfluidic-sensor-to-measure-skin-ph-levels/
My Skin Track UV @ Apple.com https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HML02ZM/A/la-roche-posay-my-skin-track-uv-sensorhttps://mediaroom.loreal.com/en/loreal-unveils-prototype-of-first-ever-wearable-microfluidic-sensor-to-measure-skin-ph-levels/
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