Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
Technology:
Way more than just skin-deep
Advancements in the beauty industry.
A wearable sensor that measures the skin’s pH levels is being developed.
NO MATTER your perceptions of it, the business of beauty is a massive industry. From make-up to skincare, haircare and DIY gadgets, the market is saturated with big brands competing for consumer attention. Technological innovation is truly changing and reinventing the beauty sector.
Brands both big and small are using augmented reality (AR) to create more immersive experiences, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse consumer data. It’s about personalisation, customisation and better product recommendations – from in-store skincare scanners that can pick your perfect foundation shade to apps that let you try on make-up using AR in the comfort of your home.
There are already many online beauty retailers (such as Sephora) who’ve integrated AR into their online shopping experience. It’s as simple as using an Instagram or Snapchat filter. Before you buy, you can
‘try on’ a product to assess which shade will work best. Easier than going into a store, the app can also work with what you have chosen to make alternative brand matches and product suggestions.
Benefit Cosmetics has an online eyebrow try-on tool (benefitcosmetics.com/za) that uses your computer camera or an uploaded photograph to augment your brows in real time before recommending what products you should buy to get the look: ‘Each hair is detected and replicated, and the brows are only (virtually) manipulated in a way that’s actually realistic and feasible…’ explains Benefit Cosmetics global brow expert Jared Bailey. ‘With other facial detection technology, it’s not easy to find the curve of the brow, or the right spot for the start, arch, or the ends. Many of the formulas and algorithms are simply guessing, which is why brows often don’t look realistic.’
And then there’s Neutrogena’s Skin360. This pocket dermatologist is a little camera that pops on to the top of your smartphone. It includes a moisture scanner, eight LED lights and a 30× magnification lens to track and measure changes to your skin over time.
L’Oréal-owned brand La Roche-Posay is developing a wearable sensor that measures the skin’s pH levels: ‘Digital has changed everything,’ says Jean-Paul Agon, L’Oréal’s CEO. ‘It has been a true revolution. Nothing is the same as it was before. Thanks to digital, the connection we have with consumers is much better, richer and more interesting. There is a perfect match between digital and beauty – both are very visual. For beauty, the digital revolution is an opportunity, not a threat.’
Ultimately, digital transformation is key to the beauty industry going forward. It’s about using tech to understand what consumers want as well as apps that provide a new level of personalisation. Added to that are a plethora of gadgets and devices to give you results in the comfort of your own home, which were previously only possible by aestheticians.