When Denver-based stylist Dani Everson expanded her hair salon business to include skincare, she quickly realized that these services required a different approach. An approach, that, she found was not on the market yet.

She created the Skinforyou app, which provides estheticians and salon owners an all-in-one, intuitive tool for client management, offering a better way for them to get to know and serve their clients. The app allows everything from records and requesting appointments to customized recommendations (product and ritual), direct chat, and consultations, whenever they need it. It benefits clients, too, through shoppable product recommendations, instructions for use (including push notifications for daily rituals), and a more intimate connection with their trusted aesthetician.

Soft launched in May 2021, Skinforyou aims to help beauty professionals cultivate genuine relationships with their clients — something that Everson has worked for her entire career.

+ Tell us a bit about yourself and your beauty industry experience.

As a young girl, I fell in love with the beauty industry and followed my dream of becoming a hair stylist at Graham Webb International Academy of Hair. After graduating, I apprenticed at a high-end salon outside Washington D.C. A chance of fate called my family — my husband John and our three sons Brandon, Kyle and Huxley — and I to Denver, where I began my journey as an independent hair stylist. One thing led to another, and soon I opened my own salon in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood in 2011.

It went well, so I later expanded to a second location in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood and broadened my services to include skincare. This is where my idea for Skinforyou really started to take shape.

+ What did you see missing between client and skincare professional that convinced you Skinforyou was needed?

I, myself, was experiencing a lot of confusion after I got home with 3-4 new products to use on my skin. I couldn't remember which products I should be using daily, or which products should be used a few times a week. I had to use Post-its to keep track! The more I talked about it with friends, clients, and family, I realized that it was really rare for someone to be confident in their skincare regimen — it wasn't just me struggling. What started as a "someone should make this" became a "buckle up, I'm making this" real fast. 

+ How did you go about designing the app, and how did you determine what was most important to feature in it?

This took a LONG time. I sent a Survey Monkey to all of my clients and asked for their honest feedback. I went to Los Angeles weekly during much of 2019 to attend a peer networking group, connecting with women in the skincare industry. I asked everyone I knew to help with their honest opinions.

I had a developer who believed in me and started this project by my side in 2018. However, in 2020, she had to redirect her business and we were left on our own. I met an amazing developer at a pitch contest a year prior and gave her a call. 2020 was such a pivotal year for so many reasons, but it was monumental for me to connect with someone who saw my vision and was able to build it, turning my creation into reality. 

+ What is a trend you’re seeing today in skincare?

I see less of the fluffy, feel-good facials, and more of the productive and results-driven facials. People want to see all of their hard “skinwork” come to fruition.

Also, Geneo is a new device I can't wait to try.

To download Skinforyou, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.