Skin Inc posts notice of Ion outlet closure on day itself, founder apologises for inconvenience caused
It was the company's last remaining physical store.
Local skincare company Skin Inc, which also sells products online, posted on Instagram that the outlet "will be closed starting Feb 13" on the day itself.
The company made the announcement on Facebook only two days later.
One of its customers, Stomper Twly, said: "Skin Inc did not give prior notice of the shop closure. Customers are stuck with product credits and facial packages."
The Stomper has credits worth $717 plus a $50 rebate and wants a refund.
She shared a screenshot of her convo with Skin Inc where she was told: "Sorry, do not have the option for refund."
In response to a Stomp query, the Skin Inc Global Customer Experience Team said: "Thank you for reaching out and bringing this feedback to our attention.
"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by the recent closure of our Ion Orchard outlet. We acknowledge the concerns raised by our valued customers regarding the sudden closure and the change in validity of their product credits and facial packages.
"Please be assured that her case has been registered, and our management team is actively looking into it to provide a resolution as promptly as possible. We are committed to addressing and resolving all customer concerns with utmost care and urgency."
Dear Customers, We apologize for the sudden announcement of our ION store closure and understand that some of you have...
Posted by Skin Inc - Skin Supplement Bar on Friday 21 February 2025
On Feb 22, Skin Inc posted on its social media: "Regarding facial services, we are transitioning to our four trusted Medspa partners, who collectively offer 25 treatment rooms - including one dedicated to home facials. These partners will provide similar treatments using Skin Inc products on a one -to-one exchange basis while enhancing your overall experience. Rest assured, we will honour your packages and credits.
"At Skin Inc, we have always strived to redefine skincare through personalised, innovative, science-driven solutions. That's why we are refreshing our brand by discontinuing in-house facial services to focus on enhancing our product line...
"Product credits will be uploaded to our online store (www.iloveskininc.com) today or tomorrow, and your favourite products will be restocked soon."
The company also posted a video of its founder Sabrina Tan "apologising for any inconvenience this transition may have caused".
She told The Straits Times she never expected the customer backlash to be so extreme.
Citing post-Covid-19 challenges, Ms Tan said it had been part of Skin Inc's plans to phase out a bricks-and-mortar arm. During the pandemic, she chose not to renew the brand's two other stores in VivoCity and Junction 8 when their leases ended.
Despite this, demand for Skin Inc's facials put a strain on the three facial therapists working at the Ion store, leading to a waitlist of two to three months.
The plan was to eventually have Skin Inc facials conducted at full-fledged spas while retaining its product business online and in distribution partners such as Sephora Singapore, said Ms Tan.
"Where we failed was in the communications to customers," she admitted.
Chalking it down to a "technical database oversight", she said they had planned to give customers notice of two to four weeks. But due to multiple overlapping databases from online and offline customers, the team had put it off while trying to "clean up" the mailing lists.
When the store shut, the Singapore-based customer service team of 10 took a few days to gather their bearings and begin attending to customer messages. They have been fielding queries daily since.
"We're giving the customers flexibility - either product credits or a one-to-one exchange for facials at the med spa. Because it's so customisable, we need time to address every customer," she said.
Asked about the claims regarding validity of product credits, Ms Tan said that there was always a period of validity stated in the fine print. She has since brought on board four partnering spas and one home spa service to assist the transition for those with facial packages.
Addressing the feedback about shorter expiry dates, Ms Tan said those are old stocks being cleared for the ongoing buy-one-get-one-free promotion, to make way for the rebrand set to roll out in the second quarter of 2025.
She said: "This is the first time in 16 years something like this has happened, but I recognise the importance of each customer. We apologise for inconveniencing our customers and we could have communicated better. Rest assured, Skin Inc will honour all customers' packages and credits."
