KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — The demand for aesthetic procedures are on the rise among Malaysians who want to be more attractive.

As more people endeavour to undergo cosmetic procedures, many businesses have taken advantage of the craze to go beyond legal means and tap into the lucrative beauty industry.

As a result, the country has seen thousands of medispas (medical spas), beauty salons and beauty clinics mushrooming and offering treatments and procedures that can only be done by certified medical professionals. 

According to Cosderm Sdn Bhd managing director Tom Goh there are approximately over 40,000 beauty salons across Malaysia – an enormous number when compared with the country’s 750 LCP certified (Letter of Credential Privilege) aesthetic doctors.

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Cosderm is a multi-channel beauty products distributor with comprehensive expertise in the Asia Pacific market.

Goh also warned beauty seekers to be cautious about uncertified beauty salons’ marketing strategy and attractive aesthetic treatment offerings. 

Although it may cost much cheaper to seek treatments at a beauty salon, Goh said the lack of knowledge or use of low-quality materials by errant beauty salons could lead to adverse complications.

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“Some of these beauticians have now become mobile and offer home services too,” he said.

Recognising the need to stem errant beauty salons in a more constructive manner, Cosderm has developed a mobile application called “NextBeu” to educate beauty seekers about the aesthetic world and also connect them to certified clinics and doctors.

“We felt a need for an avenue to educate and send the right information to all the beauty seekers.

“Although you may easily search for such clinics on Google, the information you get may not be as legitimate,” he added.

Goh said the app is designed in a way to work as a mobile encyclopaedia to offer extensive information about the aesthetic and beauty industry.

Simply put, he said the aim is to turn the app into a dictionary for the aesthetic world.

“For instance, if the patient intends to do double-eyelid treatments, the app will provide information about the procedure, precautions, expectations, downtime, complexity and all the probable questions one would have in mind.”

Screengrabs of NextBeu mobile application. — Picture courtesy of Cosderm Sdn Bhd
Screengrabs of NextBeu mobile application. — Picture courtesy of Cosderm Sdn Bhd

Available on both App Store and Google Play, NextBeu offers a user-friendly interface with 20 icons, representing common aesthetic procedures, including derma fillers, neurotoxins (Botox) injection, eye contouring, nose reshaping, facial contouring, hair reduction, breast augmentation and vaginal rejuvenation.

Each icon provides insights about the procedure, its features, benefits, safety and recommendations.

“We have included all the necessary information in the app to help beauty seekers make the right decision about their treatments without the hassle of browsing through the internet to find an answer to their questions.

“We also have thorough information about the post-treatment expectations should any complications arise,” he added.

There is also a section for beauty seekers to look for the latest aesthetic brands or catch up with industry news and updates.

Apart from serving as an encyclopaedia, Goh said the platform also connects beauty seekers to certified aesthetic clinics and physicians.

To ensure optimum safety and legitimacy, Goh said they have a vetting system to assess each aesthetic clinic and doctor before listing them on the app.

“We do not accept any beauty salons or uncertified products to be listed on the platform.

“All the clinics and doctors are required to present to us their LCP certifications from the Healthy Ministry,” he said.

Once listed, each aesthetic centre or clinic will have a professional profile, highlighting its area of expertise, doctors’ bio, contact details as well as their LCP certification number.

The users may also rate each clinic or leave a review under their profile.

The app also has a community section similar to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram where users get to engage in aesthetic-related conversations, leave a note or post photos. 

Additionally, there’s also a marketplace where users get to shop certified beauty products, collect points and redeem prizes.

The app targets about 700 to 1,000 LCP-certified aesthetic doctors and physicians to be on board over the next few months.

It also targets about 100,000 users to sign up over the next 12 months.

Moving forward, the company aims to expand its operations to neighbouring countries over the next few years.

Commenting on the aesthetic industry in Malaysia, Goh said the sector has been improving tremendously over the past few years following stronger demand from beauty seekers.

However, he noted that in terms of manufacturing and technologies, there is still a wide gap when compared with countries like Korea and Japan.

“As the industry advances, people tend to look for treatments that cut short the period of the downtime while achieving better aesthetic results,” he added