Oddity launches telehealth skincare platform Methodiq

Il Makiage parent company Strangeness turns to medical-grade skin care with its new brand Methodiqas the online retailer tries to compete Hims and help find solutions to what he calls a “broken medical care system.”

Methodiq, which has been in the works for four years and was launched on Tuesday, is a telehealth platform that will offer 28 new products, including creams, supplements and cosmetics for acne, hyperpigmentation and eczema. The product line consists of a mix of prescription and over-the-counter products, ranging in price from approximately $29 to $59.

Methodiq combines Oddity’s investments in biotechnology, AI-based computational imaging and digital retailing. This will allow the company to capture a slice of the burgeoning medical skin care market, which is expected to reach $113 billion this year, according to Research and Markets.

The company’s expansion into medical skin care takes direct aim at Hims, which offers popular anti-acne medications and other prescriptions via a telehealth platform. The launch signals that Oddity may delve deeper into healthcare in the future.

“We have 60 million users on our platform. We know a lot about them. About half of them have a combination of acne, eczema, hyperpigmentation. Frankly, we already serve most of them with Il Makiage skin products or foundation concealer. We’ve never had the opportunity to treat this condition before,” said Oddity chief financial officer Lindsay Drucker Mann. “So dermatology is an obvious starting point for us. There are many other medical areas we can expand into from here.”

Oddity, which will report third-quarter 2025 results on Wednesday, did not include Methodiq in its 2025 or 2026 revenue outlooks, primarily because it expects sales to make up only a small portion of total revenue, Drucker Mann said. However, he said the brand will have “tremendous revenue potential in the future,” especially if Methodiq expands beyond medical skin care.

She pointed to Hims’ goal of reaching $6.5 billion in annual revenue by 2030 and said it shows “the size of what you can do with a successful telehealth” platform.

Yet the strategy does not come without challenges. Pharmaceutical products are tightly regulated, the industry is becoming more competitive, and customer trust is becoming more difficult to gain.

Additionally, telehealth platforms can be difficult to scale safely. In March, The Wall Street Journal published a study about Hims that showed how some patients fared. experienced serious side effects After taking hair loss medicine from the company. While most patients said they were unaware that medications could cause such side effects, others felt they were not warned enough.

Unlike drug manufacturers, telehealth companies are not required to disclose side effects and other risks in advertisements, the release said.

in 2021 acquired Voyage81A deep-tech AI-based computational imaging startup co-founded by the former head of research and development of one of the Israel Defense Forces’ elite technological units. Two years later, he acquired biotech startup Revela and founded Oddity Labs. The unit is working to create brand new molecules with artificial intelligence that can be used in cosmetic brands and future lines.

Voyage81’s imaging capabilities and Oddity Labs’ new molecules are part of the Methodiq platform.

When consumers join Methodiq, they fill out information about their skin concerns and undergo a facial scan. This scan maps their face and determines what conditions, if any, they have. A medical doctor then reviews the information and recommends a package of products that patients will receive in a “kit” at regular intervals.

Kits may include widely available standard acne medications, such as the oral antibiotic Doxycycline, as well as new approaches to anti-acne creams.

For example, Methodiq’s Clindalaq product contains tretinoin, a prescription-strength topical retinoid used to treat acne and other skin problems, as well as a blend of other ingredients intended to make it more appealing to consumers. than the standard creams recommended by doctors. It contains hydrocortisone to alleviate side effects associated with strong retinols, as well as aloe vera extract and vitamin E to make the product more moisturizing.

CNBC tested the product at Oddity’s headquarters in New York City earlier this month and found that both the texture and scent were different from the generic tretinoin cream distributed by drugstores. While the generic was white and flaccid, Clindalaq was smooth and blended into the skin without leaving any visible residue. It also didn’t have a medicinal smell.

“We are able to offer these very powerful acne-fighting ingredients, but in a formulation that is tolerable and can help effectively combat side effects,” said Alex Kaplan, Methodiq’s vice president of product development. “What we can offer is a true beauty experience in a prescription formula.”

At least 50 million Americans are affected by acne, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, and about 1 in 10 people have atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema. But, no dermatologist in more than 60% of U.S. counties, according to a 2018 study published in JAMA Dermatology.

Methodiq aims to meet this need by providing access to medical experts and products that combat common skin problems. Methodiq CEO Tom Amsterdam said a clinician will review each patient intake, recommend products and then stay connected with the patient throughout the entire treatment process.

While the platform is not set up to handle video or audio telehealth sessions between patients and doctors, patients can stay in touch with their doctors through a chat function where they can update them on their progress and adjust treatment plans as needed.

All of the doctors will be based in the United States, but not all will be board certified in dermatology, Amsterdam said.

D., a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City who is not affiliated with Methodiq. Having a broad range of doctors on staff to prescribe treatments can help increase access to treatment, Amy Wechsler said.

“In many parts of the country, patients do not have easy access to a dermatologist, so pediatricians, internists and other healthcare providers step in to prescribe treatments for acne, hyperpigmentation and eczema,” Wechsler said in an email to CNBC. “This can be safe as long as the provider is knowledgeable about the medications they prescribe, including proper use, potential side effects, and when the patient should be referred to a dermatologist.”