A new start-up — launched by some longtime beauty players — wants to make corticosteroid acne injections more accessible.
Called Indomo, the company has developed an at-home mode of delivery for the steroid injection, which currently can only be administered in-office by dermatologists and is known to rapidly treat cystic and inflammatory acne.
The innovation, called the ClearPen, will be available via prescription pending FDA approval.
“[Corticosteroid shots] are kind of this miracle treatment for acne, but in the U.S., we’re understaffed in dermatologist offices and if you have a flare-up, it can be difficult to get into one in a timely fashion,” said Jack Abraham, founder of Indomo and its incubator, Atomic. Abraham is also a cofounder of Hims & Hers, a telehealth platform that similarly launched out of Atomic and went public in 2021.
Designed so that the needle is hidden until injection — a process that is prompted by the push of a button — the ClearPen is reusable and can be loaded with single-use doses of corticosteroids. Pricing is still being evaluated, but like with in-office steroid shots, Indomo seeks to make doses for the ClearPen reimbursable by insurance, with prescriptions accessible via telehealth and dermatologist offices.
“There’s a huge cultural shift happening right now — people have been self-injecting at home for many decades with insulin, but with the rise of GLP-1s and fertility treatments, this has become an entirely trusted and familiar segment of drug delivery,” said Cara Davis, chief operating officer of Indomo and former vice president of operations at buzzy pimple patch brand, Starface.
Added Abraham: “We imagine a world where Indomo will be able to use this platform of micro-injectables for other conditions in dermatology, and outside of dermatology.”
Next year, the company will kick off the second phase of clinical trials for the shot, which should bring FDA approval closer, though an exact launch date for the product remains unclear. Longer-term, Indomo seeks to tackle conditions including keloids, boils and more via its ClearPen technology.
“[Indomo] can be a category-defining business; we’re talking about a product that will be magnitudes more effective than any other available at-home solutions,” said Davis.
The innovation comes at a time when consumers are increasingly seeking professional-grade solutions at home. Earlier this month, Shark Beauty launched its handheld FacialPro Glow tool, which aims to replicate the effects of a Hydrafacial and retails for $399 at Sephora. The cosmeceuticals category, too, continues to grow, with skin care brand Medik8 being acquired this summer by L’Oréal for $1.1 billion.
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