AI skincare innovation: Dermascan AI wins CEIBS-CHIETA Shark Tank

Team Impact Igniters takes the crown at the CEIBS-CHIETA SMME Entrepreneurs Innovating for Impact Programme Cohort 2 Shark Tank showcase.

The second cohort of the CEIBS-CHIETA SMME Entrepreneurs Innovating for Impact Programme reached a landmark milestone on 23 April 2026, when four competing teams took to the stage in a Shark Tank-style pitch session.

This was held during the Coschem JHB Supplier Day and IFSCC Seminar, with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (Coschem) kindly providing a platform for the Shark Tank sessions whilst not being affiliated with the CEIBS-CHIETA programme.

After months of intensive learning, coaching and collaboration, Impact Igniters (team 3) emerged as the winning team, impressing the panel of judges with their innovative AI-driven skincare solution, Dermascan AI. The team consists of a diverse group of professionals:

• Wilmé Crause (CEO, leading vision, partnerships and strategy)
• Karuna Shaamduth (sustainability and vetting officer)
• Refilwe Phala (chief cosmetic scientist and industry specialist)
• Refilwe Moshidi (chief community and access officer)
• Nyiko Mlambo (chief digital officer, responsible for the digital platform and scalability)
• Bongani Miya (chief learning and development officer and CHIETA alignment)
• Nthabiseng Flank (chief supply chain and partnerships officer).

The CEIBS-CHIETA programme

The CEIBS-CHIETA programme is a fully funded, six-month occupationally directed initiative delivered by CEIBS Africa Innovation School in partnership with the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA). Now in its second cohort, the programme is designed to transform small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) through innovation, equipping participants with the frameworks, tools and mindset needed to navigate uncertainty and build commercially viable business models. The curriculum spans theory, value proposition design, design thinking, AI applications, digital business models and minimum viable product (MVP) testing – all delivered virtually and blended with in-person sessions.

Why Dermascan AI stood out

Impact Igniters identified a pressing gap in the South African cosmetic skincare market: a fragmented customer journey, an overwhelming abundance of choice and significant barriers to consumption – most notably affordability and accessibility. In response, team 3 conceptualised Dermascan AI, anchored in a bold founding vision: “From idea to impact – building the future of unbiased beauty.”

At its core, Dermascan AI is a hybrid digital platform that combines AI with a verified, unbiased ecosystem of skincare products. Using AI sensor technology, the platform scans a user’s skin in real time to provide a personalised recommendation, then connects consumers directly with products that are compatible with their specific skincare needs and within their budget – cutting through the noise of an overcrowded market. The team’s ambition, however, goes beyond product recommendations. As Impact Igniters puts it: “We don’t just change how people choose products – we change how people experience confidence”.

The programme’s guiding principle, ‘Innovation is a team sport, not an individual one’, was embodied by Impact Igniters. The team demonstrated remarkable consistency throughout the programme – meeting weekly, documenting their learnings and functioning as a truly cohesive unit.

Advancing the field of cosmetics

The Shark Tank panel consisted of distinguished industry and academic leaders, including Jacques Strydom (Evonik), Abby Vorster (SA Pharmaceutical & Cosmetic Review), Percy Sibanda (ACRI), Kwezikazi Molamodi (L’Oreal South Africa) and Professor Devan Naicker (CEIBS Africa).

The teams were judged on the alignment of their ideas to CHIETA’s strategic pillars of innovation, AI, digitisation, collaboration and transformation; their contribution to advancing the field of cosmetics; the strength of their value proposition and business model; and the quality of their overall presentation.

The Impact Igniters are now actively moving into the market-testing phase of their MVP, taking their first steps towards achieving problem-solution fit and, ultimately, product-market fit. This is a testament to the real-world impact the CEIBS-CHIETA programme continues to foster across South Africa’s chemical and cosmetics sectors.