SKINVISIBLE, INC. 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors Risk Factors Associated with Covid 19 The extent to which the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which cannot be predicted. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to modify our business practices (including employee travel, employee work locations, and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and business partners. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus or otherwise be satisfactory to government authorities. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including, but not limited to: • the duration and scope of the pandemic; • governmental, business and individual actions taken in response to the pandemic and the impact of those actions on global economic activity; • the actions taken in response to economic disruption; • the impact of business disruptions; • the increase in business failures that we may utilize as industry partners and the customers we serve; • uncertainty as to the impact or staff availability during and post the pandemic; and • our ability to provide our services, including as a result of our employees or our customers and suppliers working remotely and/or closures of offices and facilities. Even after the coronavirus outbreak has subsided, we may continue to experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of its global economic impact, including any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future. Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and our Business We have outstanding secured and other debt that has matured and we have not paid off, which could negatively affect our ability to continue as a going concern. We expect to experience high debt payments in the future as a result of our outstanding secured and unsecured liabilities. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we entered to settlement agreements to settle various notes. As part of the settlement the principal balance of the notes were settled for cash and all interest due through the date of settlement was forgiven. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has recorded a gain on settlement of the debt of $109,688 associated with the settlement of $298,400 of principal. As of December 31, 2023, $433,600 of the outstanding secured notes payable are past due and in default and have been classified as current notes payable. We also have $40,000 in outstanding unsecured notes that are past due. If we are unable to generate sufficient revenues and/or additional financing to service this debt, there is a risk the lenders will call the notes, secure our assets, as to those applicable secured notes, and demand payment. If this happens, we could go out of business. Our investors may lose their entire investment because our financial status creates a doubt whether we will continue as a going concern. We do not have sufficient cash nor do we have a significant source of revenues to cover our operational costs and allow us to continue as a going concern. The Company anticipates generating revenues through the licensing of its core products and if that is not sufficient we may seek to raise additional operating capital to implement our business plan in an offering of our common stock or debt. Our company's plan specifies a minimum amount of $500,000 in additional operating capital to operate for the next twelve months. However, there can be no assurance that the revenues generated or that such an offering will be successful. You may lose your entire investment 7 Table of Contents Our failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations could reduce our ability to compete successfully and adversely affect our results of operations. We need to raise additional funds to achieve our future strategic objectives, and we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we engage in debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions. If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, we may not be able to, among other things: • launch, develop and enhance our existing products; • continue to expand our product base, sales and/or marketing efforts; • hire, train and retain employees; or • respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements. Our inability to do any of the foregoing could reduce our ability to compete successfully and adversely affect our results of operations. If we are unable to generate revenues by implementing our business plan, you will lose your entire investment in our company. We have a history of losses from inception and we had an accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2023 of $39,380,488. We have not been able to generate sufficient revenues from licensees, from the sale of our own products or otherwise to cover our expenses. If we are unsuccessful in generating revenues, you could lose your entire investment. If our products or products that are licensed by our licensees are not deemed desirable and suitable for purchase and we cannot establish a customer base, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues, which would result in a failure of the business and a loss of any investment one makes in our company. The acceptance of our products is critically important to our success. We cannot be certain that the products that we will be offering will be appealing and as a result there may not be any demand for these products and our sales could be limited and we may never realize any significant revenues. In addition, there are no assurances that if we alter or change the products we offer in the future that the demand for these new products will develop and this could adversely affect our business and any possible revenues. If demand for the products that we offer or products that are licensed by our licensees slows, then our business would be materially affected. Deman d for our products and products of our licensees, depends on many factors, including: • the economy, and in periods of rapidly declining economic conditions, customers may defer luxury purchases or may choose alternate products; • the competitive environment in the skin care sector or sectors in which products are introduced may force us to reduce prices below our desired pricing level or increase promotional spending; • our ability to anticipate changes in consumer preferences and to meet customers’ needs for skin care products in a timely cost-effective manner; • our ability to maintain efficient, timely and cost-effective production and delivery of the products and services; and, • our ability to identify and respond successfully to emerging trends in the skin care and personal care industries. 8 Table of Contents For the long term, demand for product offerings may be affected by: • the ability to establish, maintain and eventually grow market share in a competitive environment; • our ability to deliver our products in the markets we intend to service, changes in government regulations, currency fluctuations, natural disasters, pandemics and other factors beyond our control may increase the cost of items we purchase, create communication issues or render product delivery difficult which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability; and • restrictions on access to North American markets and supplies. All of these factors could result in im mediate and longer term declines in the demand for products that we offer as well as licensed products, which could adversely affect our sales, cash flows and overall financial condition. Because we are new in the marketplace, we may not be able to compete effectively and increase market share. Our current and potential competitors may have longer operating histories, significantly greater resources and name recognition, and a larger base of customers than we have. Our competitors may also be able to adopt more aggressive pricing policies and devote greater resources to the development, marketing and sale of their products and services than we can. To be competitive, we must continue to invest significant resources in sales and marketing. We may not have sufficient resources to make these investments or to develop the technological advances necessary to be competitive, which in turn will cause our business to suffer and restrict our profitability potential. Because we rely on third parties to manufacture our products, we are subject to factors outside of our control to meet our standards or timelines. Our products are manufactured by three third-party manufacturing companies on a purchase order basis. No contractual arrangement are currently in place, except for standard confidentiality agreements. We are dependent on the timeliness and effectiveness of our third-part manufacturers’ efforts. Failure or lack of reliability in the manufacture of our products is likely to result in loss of business. Among other risks: • Our products may fail to provide the expected results; • We may experience limited availability of quality ingredients for manufacturing; • We may experience poor quality manufacturing; • Our products may have new competition from other companies attempting to duplicate our formulas; and • Our customers could experience results different from our test results. Like other retailers, distributors and manufacturers of skin care and personal care products, we face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event that the use of the products that we sell results in injury. We may be subjected to various product liability claims, including claims that the products we sell contain contaminants, are improperly labeled or include inadequate instructions as to use or inadequate warnings concerning side effects and interactions with other substances. In addition, we may be forced to defend lawsuits. We cannot predict whether product liability claims will be brought against us in the future or the effect of any resulting adverse publicity on the business. Moreover, we may not have adequate resources in the event of a successful claim against us. The successful assertion of product liability claim against us could result in potentially significant monetary damages. In addition, interactions of the products with other similar products, prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs have not been fully explored. 9 Table of Contents We may also be exposed to claims relating to product advertising or product quality. People may purchase our products expecting certain physical results, unique to skin care and personal care products. If they do not perceive expected results to occur, certain individuals or groups of individuals may seek monetary retribution. If our products become contaminated, our business could be seriously harmed. We have adopted various quality, environmental, health and safety standards. However, our products may still not meet these standards or could otherwise become contaminated. A failure to meet these standards or contamination could occur in our operations or those of our bottlers, manufacturers, distributors or suppliers. Such a failure or contamination could result in expensive production interruptions, recalls and liability claims. Moreover, negative publicity could be generated even from false, unfounded or nominal liability claims or limited recalls. Any of these failures or occurrences could negatively affect our business and financial performance. Our business may be adversely affected by unfavorable publicity within the skin care markets. Management believes that the skin care market and personal care markets are significantly affected by national media attention. As with any retail provider, future scientific research or publicity may not be favorable to the industry or to any particular product, and may not be consistent with earlier favorable research or publicity. Because of our dependence on consumers’ perceptions, adverse publicity associated with illness or other adverse effects resulting from the use of our products or any similar products distributed by other companies and future reports of research that are perceived as less favorable or that question earlier research, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are highly dependent upon consumers’ perceptions of the safety and quality of the products as well as similar products distributed by other companies. Thus, the mere publication of reports asserting that skin care or personal care products may be harmful or questioning their efficacy could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, regardless of whether such reports are scientifically supported or whether the claimed harmful effects would be present at the dosages recommended for such products. As we conduct international business transactions, we will be exposed to local business risks in different countries, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. We promote and sell our products internationally and our licensees do the same. International operations will be subject to risks inherent in doing business in foreign countries, including, but not necessarily limited to: • new and different legal and regulatory requirements in local jurisdictions; • potentially adverse tax consequences, including imposition or increase of taxes on transactions or withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries; • risk of nationalization of private enterprises by foreign governments; • legal restrictions on doing business in or with certain nations, certain parties and/or certain products; and, • local economic, political and social conditions, including the possibility of hyperinflationary conditions and political instability. We may not be successful in developing and implementing policies and strategies to address the foregoing factors in a timely and effective manner in the locations where we will do business. Consequently, the occurrence of one or more of the foregoing factors could have a material adverse effect on our base operations and upon our financial condition and results of operations. 10 Table of Contents Since our products will be available over the Internet in foreign countries and we plan to have customers residing in foreign countries, foreign jurisdictions may require us to qualify to do business in their country. We will be required to comply with certain laws and regulations of each country in which we conduct business, including laws and regulations currently in place or which may be enacted related to Internet services available to the residents of each country from online sites located elsewhere. Because of the nature of our products, we may be subject to government regulations or laws that increase our costs of operations or decrease our ability to generate income. Any failure by us, or by any third party that may manufacture or market our products, to comply with the law, including statutes and regulations administered by the FDA or other U.S. or foreign regulatory authorities, could result in, among other things, warning letters, fines and other civil penalties, suspension of regulatory approvals and the resulting requirement that we suspend sales of our products, refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, export or import restrictions, interruption of production, operating restrictions, closure of the facilities used by us or third parties to manufacture our product candidates, injunctions or criminal prosecution. Any of the foregoing actions could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our commercial success depends significantly on our ability to develop and commercialize our potential products without infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties. Our commercial success will depend, in part, on operating our business without infringing the patents or proprietary rights of third parties. Third parties that believe we are infringing on their rights could bring actions against us claiming damages and seeking to enjoin the development, marketing and distribution of our products. If we become involved in any litigation, it could consume a substantial portion of our resources, regardless of the outcome of the litigation. If any of these actions are successful, we could be required to pay damages and/or to obtain a license to continue to develop or market our products, in which case we may be required to pay substantial royalties. However, any such license may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a product or forced to cease some aspect of our business operations as a result of patent infringement claims, which would harm our business. The implementation of our business plan relies on our ability to manage growth. If we are not able to manage the growth, our business plan may not be successfully implemented. We expect to expand our operations by increasing our sales and marketing efforts, research and development activities, and escalating our services. The anticipated growth could place a significant strain on our management, and operational and financial resources. Effective management of the anticipated growth shall require expanding our management and financial controls, hiring additional appropriate personnel as required, and developing additional expertise by existing management personnel. However, there can be no assurances that these or other measures we may implement shall effectively increase our capabilities to manage such anticipated growth or to do so in a timely and cost-effective manner. Moreover, management of growth is especially challenging for a company with a short revenue generating history and limited financial resources, and the failure to effectively manage growth could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Our success depends on continuing to hire and retain qualified personnel, including our director and officers and our technical personnel. If we are not successful in attracting and retaining these personnel, our business will suffer. Our success depends substantially on the performance of our management team and key personnel. Currently, we have three employees, including our Director and CEO, Terry Howlett. Due to the specialized technical nature of our business, we are particularly dependent on our technical personnel. Our future success will depend on our ability to attract, integrate, motivate and retain qualified technical, sales, operations, and managerial personnel, as well as our ability to successfully implement a plan for management succession. Competition for qualified personnel in our business areas is intense, and we may not be able to continue to attract and retain key personnel. In addition, if we lose the services of any of our management team or key personnel and are not able to find suitable replacements in a timely manner, our business could be disrupted and we may incur increased operating expenses. 11 Table of Contents If we are unable to attract new distributors and customers, or if our existing distributors and customers do not purchase additional products, the growth of our business and cash flows will be adversely affected. To increase our revenues and cash flows, we must regularly add distributors and customers and sell additional products to our existing distributors and customers. If we are unable to sell our products to customers that have been referred to us, unable to generate sufficient sales leads through our marketing programs, or if our existing or new distributors and customers do not perceive our products to be of sufficiently high value and quality, we may not be able to increase sales and our operating results would be adversely affected. In addition, if we fail to sell new products to existing distributors and customers or new distributors and customers, our operating results will suffer, and our revenue growth, cash flows and profitability may be materially and adversely affected. Key management personnel may leave us, which could adversely affect our ability to continue operations. We are entirely dependent on the efforts of our management because of the time and effort that they devote to us. They oversee all development strategies, supervise any/all future personnel, and implement our business plan. Their loss, or other key personnel in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Risks Related to Our Securities If a market for our common stock does not develop, shareholders may be unable to sell their shares. Our common stock is quoted under the symbol “SKVI” on the OTCQB operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc, an electronic inter-dealer quotation medium for equity securities. We do not currently have an active trading market. There can be no assurance that an active and liquid trading market will develop or, if developed, that it will be sustained. Because we are quoted on the OTCQB, our securities may be less liquid, receive less coverage by security analysts and news media, and generate lower prices than might otherwise be obtained if they were listed on a national securities exchange. Our securities are very thinly traded. Accordingly, it may be difficult to sell shares of our common stock without significantly depressing the value of the stock. Unless we are successful in developing continued investor interest in our stock, sales of our stock could continue to result in major fluctuations in the price of the stock. Our common stock price may be volatile and could fluctuate widely in price, which could result in substantial losses for investors. The market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including: • technological innovations or new products and services by us or our competitors; • government regulation of our products and services; • the establishment of partnerships with other technology companies; • intellectual property disputes; • additions or departures of key personnel; • sales of our common stock • our ability to integrate operations, technology, products and services; • our ability to execute our business plan; • operating results below expectations; • loss of any strategic relationship; • industry developments; • economic and other external factors; and • period to period fluctuations in our financial results. 12 Table of Contents Because we have nominal revenues to date, you should consider any one of these factors to be material. Our stock price may fluctuate widely as a result of any of the above. In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We have not paid cash dividends in the past and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the future on our common stock. Any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock. We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of cash dividends on our common stock will depend on earnings, financial condition and other business and economic factors at such time as the board of directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay cash dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on your investment will only occur if its stock price appreciates. As a new investor, you will experience substantial dilution as a result of future equity issuances. In the event we are required to raise additional capital it may do so by selling additional shares of common stock thereby diluting the shares and ownership interests of existing shareholders. Because we are subject to the “Penny Stock” rules, the level of trading activity in our stock may be reduced. The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations which generally define "penny stock" to be any listed, trading equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exemptions. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document that provides information about penny stocks and the risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the penny stock rules generally require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock, the broker-dealer make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for a stock that becomes subject to the penny stock rules which may increase the difficulty Purchasers may experience in attempting to liquidate such securities. Provisions in the Nevada Revised Statutes and our Bylaws could make it very difficult for an investor to bring any legal actions against our directors or officers for violations of their fiduciary duties or could require us to pay any amounts incurred by our directors or officers in any such actions. Members of our board of directors and our officers will have no liability for breaches of their fiduciary duty of care as a director or officer, except in limited circumstances, pursuant to provisions in the Nevada Revised Statutes and our Bylaws as authorized by the Nevada Revised Statutes. Specifically, Section 78.138 of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that a director or officer is not individually liable to the company or its shareholders or creditors for any damages as a result of any act or failure to act in his or her capacity as a director or officer unless it is proven that (1) the director’s or officer’s act or failure to act constituted a breach of his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer and (2) his or her breach of those duties involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law. This provision is intended to afford directors and officers protection against and to limit their potential liability for monetary damages resulting from suits alleging a breach of the duty of care by a director or officer. Accordingly, you may be unable to prevail in a legal action against our directors or officers even if they have breached their fiduciary duty of care. In addition, our Bylaws allow us to indemnify our directors and officers from and against any and all costs, charges and expenses resulting from their acting in such capacities with us. This means that if you were able to enforce an action against our directors or officers, in all likelihood, we would be required to pay any expenses they incurred in defending the lawsuit and any judgment or settlement they otherwise would be required to pay. Accordingly, our indemnification obligations could divert needed financial resources and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock. 13 Table of Contents