Today, French beauty company L’Oréal is set to unveil six ultra-futuristic tech innovations for the beauty industry at the Viva Technology event in Paris.
The new inventions include a multitude of skin and hair diagnostics, a GenAI-powered personal beauty assistant, a GenAI beauty content lab called Creaitech to “augment creativity”, a new hairdryer based on infrared light technology, a micro-resurfacing device for advanced skincare performance, and a human skin-like technology platform for scientific research and product testing.
L’Oréal Group’s deputy CEO for research, innovation and technology, Barbara Lavernos, said the business was a “firm believer that technology can push the boundaries of what’s possible for beauty to improve the lives of people around the world.”
“With advanced diagnostics, augmented beauty services, GenAI assistants, augmented creativity in the GenAI era, and breakthrough electronic devices, we are shaping the beauty of the future to be more personalised, more inclusive and more responsible,” she continued.
One standout innovation for the future of cosmetics R&D is its new bio-printed skin that it said "more closely mimics real human skin and opens up exciting possibilities for researchers across the cosmetic and health sectors.”
The new tech was made possible by a mix of biology, mechanics and electronics and is able to imitate the vast diversity of human skin, including conditions such as eczema and acne, as well as the ability to tan and heal from injury.
L’Oréal said it “promises to raise the standards of product testing and encourage beauty without animal cruelty.”
The business also revealed it is currently working with startups and renowned institutes worldwide on further developing the technology to enable skin that can actually feel.
Transforming content production & partnering with Meta
At the tech event, L’Oréal will also unveil its in-house GenAI Beauty Content Lab, Creaitech, an advanced lab with tools set to transform content production for the business
It said the lab is “being used as a safe space for GenAI experimentation” and that it “allows L’Oréal to scale the creation of brand-compliant and localised content across its 37 beauty brands, and in parallel, upskill L’Oréal marketers on the latest creative technologies.”
The French beauty company is also announcing a partnership with Meta and leading content creators to "continue to push the boundaries of creativity."
According to its chief digital and marketing officer, Asmita Dubey, this new tool is a” testament to what a human hand and a GenAI tool can achieve together in creativity.”
She continued: “With our new Brand Custom Models, we can train GenAI to recognise the unique visual codes of our brands and launch innovative beauty campaigns faster. Importantly, we can do so without compromising our principles of responsible AI, which include not using AI generated life-like images of the face, body, hair and skin to support or enhance product benefits in our external communication.”
Dubey also shared that, in partnership with Meta, the company will unveil its New Codes of Beauty Creator Program to “empower the next generation of 3D, AR, and AI creators and explore new creative frontiers in beauty.”
She said: “Our brands L'Oréal Paris, Lancôme, and La Roche-Posay are pioneering and embracing these new creative territories through collaborations with a squad of 30 creators adept at leveraging cutting-edge tools and techniques. Our goal is to unleash technological creativity in a rising creator economy.”
Launching a host of beauty tech innovations
L'Oréal is also unveiling a host of other innovations at the event.
Kiehl’s new Derma-Reader will evaluate customers’ skin using clinical imaging technology. It measures over 11 skin attributes both on and below the skin surface and recommends appropriate ingredients and lifestyle tips, along with a targeted routine, to add into the customer's daily skincare routine.
Lancôme Regenerie Nano-Resurfacer 400 Booster is a beauty device to boost cosmetic penetration into the stratum corneum to improve product performance. It's powered by breakthrough patented nanochip technology made of more than 400 ultra-precise nano-tips "for clinically tested results at home."
L’Oréal Paris Beauty Genius is a Gen AI-powered, all-in-one personal beauty assistant that offers its users personalised diagnostics and recommendations.
L’Oréal Professionnel AirLight Pro combines infrared light with high-speed wind to efficiently dry water on the hair’s surface, to improve hair quality, smoothness and shine.
L’Oréal Professionnel My Hair [iD] Hair Reader is a hair colour analyser that uses ultra-precise optics to analyse hair health and measure hair colour, including natural colour and colour on lengths, grey percentage, hair fibre diameter and density to offer personalised hair colour.
Digital sustainability – as the world’s fourth largest advertiser
At VivaTech, L’Oréal will also highlight three partnerships that help it work towards 360 digital sustainability.
As the world’s fourth largest advertiser, it said it is “committed to lead and enable the industry to measure the CO2 emissions generated by our digital activities and to identify levers to reduce their environmental impact.”
These partnerships are:
• Impact+, a French Sustaintech startup that helps the company measure its digital media carbon footprint.
• Adgreen, a Greentech partner that allows the business to measure the baseline carbon footprint of its content production.
• And Fruggr, a French startup that allows L’Oréal to measure its website’s carbon footprint.
