Can you trust AI for skincare routine? Bhakti Modi, Shantanu Deshpande and Diipa Khosla reveal | Today News

Artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced to remarkable heights, assisting people in nearly every aspect of their daily routines. One area that could see significant benefits from this technology is skincare. But the question is—how much can you really trust AI with your skincare?

Discussing the BPC industry, entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath opened up about AI tech in the skincare market. In the latest episode on his YouTube channel, Kamath talked about AI advances in identifying the right skincare product.

He asked, “Is there a tech play to figure out (if) Diipa's morning routine is different from Nikhil's morning routine? And Bhakti's night is different from Shantanu's?”

Khosla replied, “Using AI? If we have enough data, sure.”

“Just talking about taking a picture of your face and asking a generic AI to tell you which product to us,” he explained.

“There are a lot of advances in that. My only concern is you are going to the model of hyper personalisation? Because then I don't know, operationally, how that is going to work,” Khosla shared her take.

“It's just too many permutations, combinations,” doubted Bhakti Modi.

To this, Kamath narrowed it down to 3 SKUs in the hypothetical scenario, including three morning and night products.

He further asked if the website could allow users to submit their picture to receive skincare recommendations between the products.

Khosla admitted it might work. “You come to the website, take a picture, and complete a quiz,” she said. The host added that AI could simplify the process by analysing just the photo, skipping the quiz. He also mentioned that the user’s location can be accessed further, narrowing down the right product.

Modi shared that the popular 'try before you buy' offer has also proven successful for similar brands. However, she highlighted that 80% of consumers in India still purchase new skincare products offline. She predicted that by 2028, this ratio will shift to 33% online and 67% offline. Khosla agreed and quipped that online is still preferred for a second purchase.

He said, "My job is of a trader in the stock market. It is my primary job. So delay gratification is a reminder not to sell stuff fast, which I tend to do a lot.

Diipa Khosla teased him, saying, “Without the tattoo, you will forget?”

He also explained his other ‘Be here now’ tattoo inked on him. “I have a tendency to procrastinate. I spent a lot of my life thinking what will happen five, ten years from now.”

“This says ‘do unto others as you would have others do onto you’ which I feel is like a simple model, if you have to pick one to live by. This is my handwriting.”

He also inked the date with the quote on his arm.

Khosla also shared the meanings behind her tattoos. “Back then, tattoos used to be quite thick.”

“It basically is Roman numerals for the letter G."

“When I was in the final year of my high school, I did a thesis on what made people successful. The end answer was grit.”

"Tariffs are impacting us, though not at 50% across the board, which could actually be an opportunity in itself—making Indian products outside India can help bypass these duties. Many Indian companies are now creating US subsidiaries, especially with the rise of TikTok Shop, which has become huge. Unlike Instagram, where content is largely brand-driven, TikTok thrives on user-generated content, and we’re even seeing a ‘TikTokification’ of Instagram. This trend extends to niche categories like perfumes, showing how strategies are evolving across products and markets.”