When nothing helped his eczema, this Singaporean invented a fix that actually worked

By the time he was 17 years old, Reuben Loo claimed to have accumulated seven figures by investing into crypto. Not only that, he’d also become an angel investor in the crypto and tech sectors, and was one of the first few polytechnic students to join Protege Ventures, Southeast Asia’s first and Singapore’s only student-run venture fund, as a venture capital analyst.

Despite his achievements, Reuben has always felt inferior to those around him, and this was due to his eczema. Unfortunately, his condition led him to experience constant bullying in school, getting diagnosed with severe depression and developing suicidal tendencies.

As if that was not enough, Reuben was also hospitalised in 2017 for a severe infection and had to be discharged from his mandatory military service after eight months due to his condition. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing could get rid of his itch.

“I’ve had the problem of scratching at night unconsciously since young, so I’ve experimented with wearing gloves since secondary school, handcuffing my hands to the bed with restraints, putting bandages over my nails, but nothing really came close to preventing the scratching damage,” he lamented.

Out of desperation, Reuben tried sewing anti-scratch mittens to one of his long sleeve shirts, and to his pleasant surprise, it worked! This led him launch Eczema Mitten in early 2023, offering cotton sleeves designed to act as a physical barrier between fingernails and skin, helping to reduce scratching damage.

Creating a foolproof solution

Reuben claims to have invested about S$10,000 to kickstart the venture, and it took him several prototypes before perfecting Eczema Mitten’s final design.

The very first prototype of the eczema mitten Reuben made was hand-sewn by him, where he attached cotton cloth to the ends of a long-sleeved shirt—a process that took several hours. However, it wasn’t a completely foolproof solution.

“The stitches kept breaking, my fingernails still managed to break through them, and one layer was too thin,” he shared. Undeterred, Rueben continued to experiment with different types of silk for the mittens and various fabrics such as cotton, tencel, and modal for the sleeves.

As for how long it took? Reuben said he slept with the mittens for weeks before settling on the final material, designed specifically for heavy scratchers like himself. He discovered that synthetic silk and a particular type of cotton, which he did not disclose, worked best for the mittens and sleeves, respectively.

Although he was confident in the product, the software engineering major had absolutely no experience in marketing and had no idea how to reach his target audience.

His first attempt was through Facebook and Instagram advertisements, but that wasn’t a profitable solution for Eczema Mitten. Hence, despite his introverted nature, Reuben decided to step out of his comfort zone and create content on TikTok and Instagram.

But it took a while for Reuben to find his rhythm, and he admitted feeling uncertain if the business would work. “If you look at my first (talking) videos on TikTok in 2023, my presentation skills were not great; thus, I didn’t get many views,” he shared.

Once he found a way for him to share his story while making use of the apps’ algorithms by sharing photos and creating video compilations of his eczema experiences and “worst days,” his business became viral—some of them even garnered millions of views. “Even my neighbours were congratulating me,” Reuben added with a laugh.

Value that outweighs costs?

Eczema Mitten broke even just months after going viral, and since then, Reuben shared that it has continued to be “steadily profitable” within the niche market.

The business has also evolved from a one-man show to a working with a factory to manufacture its products.

However, when browsing Eczema Mitten’s website, I couldn’t help but notice that a pair of cotton mittens costs S$100, and the price doubles if you choose the premium tencel version.

The steep price point may raise eyebrows, and Reuben is well aware of this. Still, he maintains that the product’s value outweighs its cost to consumers.

“When you consider the cost of medical treatments, the emotional toll of waking up with painful wounds every morning, our mittens are actually a cost-effective investment that significantly improves quality of life,” he said, adding that the mittens are durable enough that customers only repurchase after a year.

But like any retail brand, there will always be customers who may not get the results they hope for. Hence, Eczema Mitten has implemented a money-back policy that allows customers to try their mittens for up to seven days. If they are not satisfied, the business will refund 100% of the price and shipping fees.

There’s also a concern that copycats might patent his idea, but Reuben isn’t worried about that just yet. After all, he has tried them all, and firmly believes that his story and products put him ahead of his competitors.

That said, he expressed a clear intention to continuously innovate his products, and if there’s anything patentable, he would strongly consider it in the future. 

-//-

Over the years, Eczema Mitten has scored collaborations with various brands, including skincare giants QV and Cetaphil in 2024. As part of the partnership, free cream samples were distributed to his customers in Singapore.

Reuben was also invited as a collaborator and speaker at QV’s Bare It All event that year. These partnerships have helped boost brand visibility and credibility, but Reuben also credits Eczema Mitten’s growing traction to the increase in awareness and media coverage of people suffering from eczema and other skin conditions.

While he acknowledged that today, most people judge him based on his character rather than his appearance, he believes there’s still more that can be done to support others facing similar challenges.

“[This] is why I actively share my story on social media and even have an eczema support group for everyone who wants to join (even if they’re not customers), [where] community members share tips [with one another].”

Through these efforts, Reuben has also garnered customers from abroad, expanding Eczema Mitten’s reach beyond Singapore.

For Eczema Mitten, Reuben aims to continue improving his products by manufacturing them with medical-grade materials and exploring different solutions to make them more effective. He also expressed his ambition to sell the mittens at the National Skincare Centre (NSC) pharmacy, although he had already attempted to list them for sale last year.

“However, the feedback we’ve gotten is [that] it was too ‘new’ at the time,” explained Reuben. Still, he remains optimistic that, if all goes according to plan, Eczema Mitten will eventually make its way onto pharmacy shelves.

• Learn more about Eczema Mitten here.
• Read more articles we have written on Singaporean businesses here.

Featured Image Credit: Eczema Mitten