FITTING well into the current interest in customised skin-care products are the V-Solution 10 Series (V-10) from Japan that promise tailor-made formulations for individual skin. Each of the 11 V-10 skin supplements or serums - formulated by a group of five Japanese dermatologists - is designed to address a specific skin problem such as pigmentation or wrinkles.

To figure out which serums your skin needs - and usually it is a set of three - you need to visit Skin Inc, the skin supplement bar that opened here last week. At this 'bar', the right 'cocktail' is found for your skin, based on your answers to a questionnaire. Founded by Sabrina Tan, Skin Inc is the only retailer here for the V-10 Series.

Ms Tan explains that there are several aspects that make the series efficacious, such as the customisation, as well as the purity of the products. The V-10 Series might come in an eye-catching set of rainbow-coloured bottles, but are free of fragrance, colouring and paraben (a group of chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetics, among other things).

The series is highly concentrated; rather than the large number of ingredients that make up many skincare products, each serum in the V-10 range has less than five constituent ingredients. Collagen Essence, for example, only contains hydrolysed collagen, hydrolysed elastin and lysolecithin.

Apart from Collagen Essence that uses fish cod extract, all the other V-10 serums use plant extracts. Even the Placenta Essence uses vegetable essences from plants like aloe. Some serums contain encapsulated ingredients to prevent them from being oxidised; they stay fresh till rubbed on the skin, thereby releasing the products. Extra Q10 Essence, for example, contains encapsulated coenzyme Q10, and is useful as an anti-ageing product for skin.

But, of course, it is well-known that a substance like collagen is unable to penetrate to the dermis layer of the skin because the molecules are simply too large. The V-10 Series apparently takes care of this problem through a process of hydrolysed technology that breaks down the molecules of the Collagen Essence by 1,000 times. The serums also use lyso technology, says Ms Tan, which allows the active ingredients to work deeper into the skin.

Ms Tan created the Skin Inc bar to cater to customer preferences to use the V-10 Series in different ways. You can simply answer the questionnaire and take home the recommended range to use on its own, or as a supplement to your daily moisturiser. As the serums are concentrated, says Ms Tan, just a few drops a day, twice daily, is sufficient. The home kit also contains a mask, mixing bowl and brush.

Alternatively, you can do a skin infusion at the bar, which is reasonably quick and painless. First, a 20-minute Diamond Peel that removes top skin layers, then a 20-minute infusion process or needle-less mesotherapy, where your particular cocktail of serums is worked into the skin. As a final bit of optional pampering, a quick boost is offered through the application of a collagen mask that is said to stimulate skin reproduction.

In fact, the 'V' of the V-10 Series stands for 'variable', pointing to its versatility and the multiple ways in which the product can be used.

An ongoing three-month promotion offers a set of three 10ml bottles of V-10 serum at $198 (with a free Diamond Peel treatment and collagen mask); individual 10ml bottles for $78 each and 30ml bottles for $168 each.

Skin Inc, Central #01-65, Eu Tong Sen St, Clarke Quay; for more information, call 63242686, or visit www.skininc.biz