Skincare brand announces closure of ION Orchard store 2 days after shutting, shocked customers demand answers

Skincare brand Skin Inc announces ION Orchard store is closed due to ‘brand refresh’

Local skincare brand shocked customers when it said that its only physical store in ION Orchard had closed.

Part of the reason for the bewilderment was due to the company announcing the closure two days after its closing date.

Skincare brand says on 15 Feb that ION Orchard store closed on 13 Feb

In an Instagram post on 15 Feb, Skin Inc said the company would be embarking on “a new chapter”.

After 16 years there, its concept store at ION Orchard “will be closed” from 13 Feb — two days before the date of the post.

This comes as the company undergoes a “brand refresh and repackaging”, it added, pointing customers to its website, Sephora, Lazada and Shopee for product purchases.

Members with remaining facial packages may continue their treatments at “trusted partners”, or convert them to Skin Inc products or gift cards.

The store’s listing on Google Maps now says that it’s “Permanently Closed”.

Customers demand answers from skincare brand after ION Orchard store is closed

The sudden closure left some customers aggrieved, especially those with existing credits.

One who had at least S$3,000 worth of credits questioned why the closure was announced after the store had closed, and said she had received inadequate responses from customer service. She also took issue with the short expiry dates of the products she had purchased.

Skin Inc apologised for the inconvenience and pledged to make sure she was “taken care of during this transition”. It also said its customer support team aims to respond to any queries within 48 hours.

Another customer asked why the brand was still sending promotional messages but no notifications on the store closure and existing packages.

To that, the company apologised for the “oversight”, acknowledging that updates should have been communicated to customers “in a more timely manner”. All affected customers have already been contacted, it said. The brand is still continuing to engage with our customers through promotions as it aims to “provide value” during this transition period.

A third customer claimed many of them had not had their website orders shipped out, with no response to emails and social media messages.

Skin Inc said it was “actively working to resolve any order fulfillment issues”, including those with subscription-based orders, and was “prioritizing responses”. It advised her to reach out to them via WhatsApp so they can assist her directly.

Skin Inc founder apologises

Following the concerns from customers, Skin Inc founder Sabrina Tan personally apologised in a Instagram post on Wednesday (19 Feb).

She said the company was facing manpower challenges as the retail scene “continues to prove challenging”.

It now has two medspa partners, adding 20 treatment rooms in three locations across Singapore, meaning customers no longer need to go on waiting lists, she added.

Skin Inc’s brand refresh will be unveiled in the second quarter of this year, she revealed. In the meantime, its products will continue to be available across 40 retail points in Singapore via retailers, e-commerce platforms or medspas.

Skincare brand to discontinue in-house facial services

In a subsequent Instagram post on Friday (21 Feb), Skin Inc updated that it now had four medspa partners offering 25 treatment rooms, including one dedicated to home facials.

Moving forward, the company will discontinue in-house facial services to focus on enhancing its product line.

Product credits will be uploaded to its online store within the next two days and products will be restocked soon, it said, adding:

Rest assured, we will honour your packages and credits.

Customers may contact its “enhanced” customer service team via WhatsApp or email, with responses to come “within 48 to 72 hours”.

Also read: Nails Mama Outlets Across S’pore Close Suddenly, Customers Left With Packages Worth Hundreds Of Dollars

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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.