Robert Manzo is the founder of Skinprint, one of the fastest growing cosmeceutical companies which focuses on skin care personalization and efficacious skin care products. Manzo is a biochemist who holds 15 patents in a variety of disciplines including: nanoparticles, skin care personalization, fragrance emission, skin care ingredient discovery, and many more. Manzo is a published author and speaks at industry events and private events, primarily focused on training aesthetic and medical staff on the use of proper skin care and the biochemistry of skin care products interacting with skin.

What do you see as an upcoming trend in the industry?

Skin care personalization! It is clear that skin care consumers are no longer satisfied with “feel good” products. They demand products that work better, faster, and more directly to their own individual skin needs. Advanced skin care professionals are now effectively combining topicals with services ranging from simple dermaplaning and micro-needling to mid-level ablative or fractional lasers, cryo fat reduction, and the full range of new procedures that are available. True personalization is here in select practices, but will be the norm in the near future.

What is your biggest hope for the industry going forward?

Better training! DERMASCOPE is one of the few sources of credible news and information in the industry for skin care professionals. The state-by-state regulation and licensing process for skin care professionals in the United States is sorely lacking in quality and up-to-date information. I travel to all 50 states and interact with new, intermediate, and advanced skin care professionals. Their education is dependent on their employer, for the most part. If they work for a plastic surgeon, they will get a specific education; if they work for a department store, they will get another education, and so on. The basic licensing and education in each state is extremely weak. This industry needs to advocate for up-to-date education in the licensing and education of skin care professionals nationwide. Advanced education is, then, the next step in this very important industry that we all support.

What advice do you have for someone planning to start a career in this field?

Continue to educate yourself! A skin care professional needs to have multiple levels of education and expertise: consultation techniques, manual facial manipulation techniques, device usage implementation, and the other hundreds of techniques that are on the market today.

In addition, the business and marketing aspects in the business are important to understand. Many skin care professionals start their own businesses.

Learn from vendors, manufacturers, consultants, peers, mentors, and people you see as credible. Do not take any one piece of advice 100 percent; instead, use the experience you obtain combined with other input to build your unique position in the market.

How did you come up with the name of your business?

I wanted the name of the business to reflect the unique products and processes that the company offered to the customer and the industry. Skinprint started out in 2002 as a company that only prepared unique and custom-made formulas for individuals. The concept is that each person’s skin is unique like their own fingerprint. The process the name is based off is called a Skinprint Analysis. The Skinprint Analysis is the process by which the structure and function of the skin is quantitatively measured and evaluated with the use of specialized and proprietary equipment. This includes ultrasound of the skin, barrier function, hydration, sebum production, and much more. All of these measurements and images are interpreted by clinicians and, then, cosmetic chemists formulate custom blended products for the skin. This is how the name evolved. “Skinprint, your skin is as unique as a fingerprint.”

How do you approach the unknown?

Curiosity. Louis Pasteur once said, "Chance favors the prepared mind." My interpretation of this is if you continually educate yourself and develop your professional and personal disciplines, you will be prepared to take advantage of unknown experiences. This will only happen if you blend your preparedness with your curiosity and are ready to react.

Which honor or achievement are you most proud of? Have you won any awards?

I personally worked with an active duty intelligence officer stationed in Afghanistan to resolve her skin conditions. She had a variety of issues including acne, hyperpigmentation and aging concerns. To this day, we still work with her. The Joint Field Office-Afghanistan (JFOA) sent me an award which included an American flag that was flown over Camp Phoenix, Afghanistan by JFOA in my honor. The flag was presented to me in the spirit of patriotism and as a tribute to the brave men and women who stand in the face of the enemy in defense of freedom. Skinprint supports our military and I was honored to receive such a distinguished recognition.
You can see her whole story on skinprint.com under “Real People. Real Results”.

What is your daily skin care ritual?

I use exclusively Skinprint products because I know the care and precision of the formulations that are in each product. My regimen includes: Skinprint Purifying Cleanser, because it has non-buffered glycolic cleanser in a sulfate-free cleansing base; Skinprint Revive Multi-Corrective Blemish Control Serum, because my skin can be oily, occasionally, and the active 5-alpha reductase inhibitors keep my skin in total balance; Skinprint Skintellect® Micro-Gel Cream, because it signals my skin to regenerate continually to keep my skin looking younger; and Skinprint Repair & Restorative Crème, because it repairs and maintains my barrier function as I age, which improves the overall health of my skin. Since Skinprint products are bio-available to the skin at defined layers, my skin maintains a youthful and healthy appearance.