AI-Based Personalized Care: Accurately Assessing Scalp and Skin Conditions
Becon is a beauty-tech company developing AI-driven skin and scalp assessment solutions. Its proprietary AI algorithm can automatically analyze 12 skin and 12 scalp parameters in just two seconds, delivering expert-level insights and personalized care recommendations. Additionally, Becon integrates data from approximately 33,000 ingredients, mapping them to products available in stores or from brands, thereby supporting improved sales performance.
While everyone experiences skin or scalp concerns, care methods are often highly variable, and evaluations frequently rely on subjective observation or experience. Visual inspection and consultation-based assessments can produce inconsistent results, making it difficult for consumers to objectively confirm whether their condition is improving. This challenge motivated CEO Minsuk Park to found Becon. Having personally experienced hair loss while at Samsung Electronics, he recalls struggling to find clear answers to questions like “Why am I losing hair?” and “Which products will actually help me?” To address this, he pursued the development of AI-based analysis and product-matching solutions—marking the beginning of Becon.
"I began experiencing hair loss in my 20s, which caused significant psychological stress. Visiting clinics was burdensome, and even after treatment, navigating the vast amount of information and ongoing management was confusing. Through this, I realized that understanding one’s scalp condition based on accurate data is critical."
Park’s idea was selected for Samsung Electronics’ internal venture program, C-Lab, in 2019. Together with Vice President Kyungah Kim, he spent approximately 15 months developing a prototype, refining the technology. Recognized for both technical excellence and business potential, Becon received investment from Samsung Electronics in 2020 and spun off as an independent corporation. Over the following three years, Becon continued intensive R&D, with the majority of its team composed of developers, focusing on strengthening technical competitiveness. This dedication led to the CES Innovation Award in 2023, and after four years of development, Becon officially launched its B2B service for professionals in 2024.
Establishing a Sustainable Skin and Hair Care Process Through Precise Analysis and Progress Tracking
CEO Park’s personal experience has shaped Becon’s technological philosophy. From product design onward, Becon prioritizes building systems that allow users to understand their condition accurately and manage it with data, rather than simply recommending products. This philosophy is reflected in the assessment system: high-resolution imaging is combined with UVA photography and temperature, moisture, and volatile organic compound (VoC) sensors, collecting five types of information simultaneously. Sensors measure skin heat, hydration, scalp odor, sebum, and porphyrins, while images extract precise metrics such as pore density and size, redness, hair thickness, and volume. All data is then comprehensively evaluated through AI algorithms.
Becon’s solution also provides both micro-level localized analysis and macro-level whole-face and hair evaluation using tablet cameras. This includes integrated assessments of blemishes, wrinkles, dark circles, M-shaped hairline, and crown hair density. The combination of micro and macro analysis is a key differentiator. Park explains: “We can analyze 12 parameters each for skin and scalp simultaneously.”
As the paradigm of skin and scalp care shifts from symptom relief to continuous management and improvement tracking, Becon’s data-driven AI approach enables users to quantify their condition and visualize changes, providing consistent care standards. Park emphasizes: “The goal is not just analysis, but understanding how to manage and track improvement, adjusting strategies accordingly.”
Becon has established an integrated protocol that combines AI analysis, personalized product recommendations, and CRM-based improvement tracking, enabling a sustainable care workflow. Standardized imaging, repeated measurements, and verification through collaboration with medical experts ensure accuracy and reliability. Additionally, cloud-based machine learning servers accumulate big data, building models that consider age, gender, and ethnicity to expand evaluation universality.
"In AI-based assessment, data quality and validation are paramount. Becon ensures reliability through standardized imaging, consistent algorithm training data, and expert verification processes."
Currently, Becon possesses over 5 million data points and continues to refine analysis through customer-specific modeling. Designed for real-world use, the system allows users to track before-and-after changes, establishing a practical and trustworthy foundation.
Global Expansion: Partnerships and Localized Strategies
One of Park’s earliest challenges was deciding whether to target B2C or B2B markets first. With limited resources, he prioritized efficiency and chose to gain trust in the professional (B2B) market before expanding to consumers.
Rather than simple app-based evaluation, Becon developed a cloud-based modular system from the start to collect and manage all data, flexibly accommodating expert needs. This approach delayed the product launch by approximately two years but was necessary to ensure accuracy and reliability in sensitive areas of skin and scalp assessment.
Based on this strategy, Becon began expanding global partnerships in 2025, localizing solutions for country-specific regulations and operational environments. Within a year and a half of its March 2024 launch, the platform was adopted by approximately 5,000 clinics in 15 countries. Becon has also established partnerships with global brands such as Wella and Mannings.
Recently, collaboration with DFI Retail Group introduced Becon’s AI assessment platform to major Asian retail stores, marking a key milestone in global expansion. Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia now provide consumers with a scientific, accessible way to evaluate skin and scalp conditions. Park highlights Becon’s evolution from a product company to a global health and beauty data platform.
Becon customizes its UI/UX, operational processes, and compliance with local data regulations, achieving over 98% assessment accuracy verified through certified institutions. Its algorithm matches over 1,000 in-store product ingredients to individual customer conditions, ranking optimal recommendations.
Source: Monthly People
