DFI Retail Group and Becon Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch AI Skin Scalp Assessment in over 400 Stores Across Asia

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 30 January 2026 - DFI Retail Group ("DFI") and Becon, a Samsung-backed company, today announced a strategic partnership to launch an AI-powered skin and scalp assessment solution across online and offline channels in Asia. This milestone reinforces DFI's commitment to driving growth in wellness and delivering integrated omnichannel experiences at scale, underpinned by trusted advice and personalised recommendations for customers of its Health & Beauty business.

(Group photo, from left to right) Amanda Tay, Commercial Director of Health & Beauty, DFI Retail Group; Andrew Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Health & Beauty, DFI Retail Group; Minsuk Park, Chief Executive Officer of Becon; Kyungah Kim, Chief Operating Officer of Becon

Accelerating mass roll-out across Asia

The partnership will see the phased deployment of Becon's skin and scalp assessments across more than 400 Guardian and Mannings stores in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, and Singapore. A phased roll-out will also introduce a mobile app lite solution on Guardian and Mannings apps.

The mass roll-out builds on a successful proof-of-concept in 2025, which demonstrated strong customer engagement, achieving significant purchase conversion and basket growth, along with consistently high revisit intention scores exceeding 6.5 out of 7.

Driving integrated wellness experiences across omnichannel

With Becon's solutions, Guardian and Mannings will be able to leverage data-driven insights to provide tailored wellness advice and personalised recommendations, effectively building trust and strengthening loyalty with customers.

Customers will be able to start with quick assessments online, and be guided towards stores for comprehensive, in-depth assessments and consultations with trained wellness professionals. This seamless, integrated experience contributes to driving engagement and traffic between online and offline touchpoints, while empowering customers to make more informed choices as Guardian and Mannings continue to expand their wellness assortment with function- and efficacy-based products.

Delivering micro-precision analysis

Becon's solution combines macro and micro analyses for higher accuracy, backed by collaborative research with medical professionals and a robust database of over 3 million skin and hair profiles. Its specialised scanner uses a high-resolution camera and multiple sensors, including UV-A LED imaging, temperature, humidity, and odour detection, to measure 12 skin and 12 hair parameters respectively in just five minutes:

• Skin: moisture, redness, sebum, acne, porphyrins, pore size, pore density, blemishes, wrinkles, dark circles, skin barrier, skin temperature
• Hair and scalp: hair loss risk, hair volume, hair thickness, follicle density, hairs per follicle, moisture, sebum, dandruff, sensitivity, hair odour

Andrew Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Health & Beauty, DFI Retail Group, said: "This partnership with Becon represents a strategically important step in advancing our wellness strategy and reinforcing our position as the trusted advisor for our customers. By integrating technology with our long-standing professional expertise, we create an omnichannel experience that not only supports customers' diverse wellness needs, but also nurtures lasting engagement and loyalty across our Health & Beauty businesses."

Minsuk Park, CEO of Becon, said: "This partnership with DFI Retail Group allows Becon to bring our advanced assessment technology to more customers across Asia. By combining our innovation capabilities with DFI's strong retail network and omnichannel ecosystem, we can deliver personalised insights at scale and help customers understand their wellbeing with trusted advice."

DFI and Becon will continue to collaborate closely as the solution is introduced progressively across stores and mobile apps starting in 2026. Customers will be able to access these new services in more neighbourhood locations, supported by the phased launch of the mobile app lite experience in selected markets. Together, the two companies remain committed to enhancing wellness experiences built on technology, expertise, and personalisation.

Hashtag: #DFIRetailGroup #Guardian #Mannings #Becon

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