Beauty and The Bot: How new tech and AI analysis are changing the skincare game
From AI-driven skin diagnostics to 3D-printed brows, beauty has never been more cutting edge. But what’s hype, what’s clever marketing and what’s here to stay?
Recently while, em, “researching” on TikTok, I came across a video showcasing the beauty tools used by the Ancient Romans – from sword-like strigils that helped to clean and exfoliate your body to make-up palettes to mix and apply coloured powders and a portable all-metal self-care kit consisting of tweezers, nail cleaners and even an ancient “ear spoon” to deal with unwanted wax. Safe to say, the beauty landscape has always looked for ways to innovate.
But, in recent months, things have been heating up. Earlier this year, something curious happened at CES, the annual consumer electronics show that takes over Las Vegas every January. It’s usually the place to learn about wacky tech prototypes, cool new concepts and weird and wonderful gadgets. This year, however, L’Oréal Group CEO Nicolas Hieronimus became the first beauty company executive to give a keynote speech. The famed tech trade show was awash with all sorts of beauty tech from the group – from Giorgio Armani’s skin profiler to temporary tattoo printers and a headset that delivers scents based on your emotions.
The 115-year-old beauty brand has made no secret of wanting to be the leading beauty tech company in the world and has spent the past decade showcasing various innovations at the trade show. But the keynote speech, complete with fog machines, AI chatbots and even an appearance by Eva Longoria (showcasing a promising-looking hair dye applicator for root touch-ups that would have been a godsend to many during the pandemic) was a sign that things have just been dialled up a notch in the beauty tech space.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that if you don’t already have some kind of techie gadget incorporated into your beauty routine now, you soon will.”
But what does this mean for the industry and the consumer? Will we actually see these products on our beauty shelves any time soon? And what exactly is “beauty tech” anyway? The last one is the easiest to answer; simply put, beauty tech is any device using technology in the skincare, makeup, hair or wellness space. What’s less clear is how much of this tech will end up in our homes, and when. A lot of the headline-grabbing innovations – from fragrance finders that use neuroscience and futuristic-looking EEG headsets to help you find your dream perfume to at-home 3D brow printers – are slow to get a wide roll-out, if they ever do at all. Instead, they are often confined to beauty pop-ups or one-off “innovation lab” experiences in key department stores in major cities; that is to say, often they are fun marketing exercises designed to boost the beauty brand’s reputation as cutting-edge and science-focused in the hopes that you will buy their products over others.
But while it may be many months or even years before you’re reaching for some of these tools in your bathroom cabinet, technology has already begun creeping in, and it’s no exaggeration to say that if you don’t already have some kind of techie gadget incorporated into your beauty routine now, you soon will.
For Anna Forde, founder of Irish beauty tech brand Haumea, technological advancements mean that at-home skincare devices can now mimic the results of professional treatments. “When people talk about the future of skincare, you’ll likely see LED light therapy or ion technology at the top of the list,” she says. “In the past, these advanced skincare treatments were only available in the treatment room.” Haumea’s devices include a smart sonic facial brush, a high-frequency ultrasonic device and the LED tri-booster, which uses specific wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin, stimulating cellular activity. “Tech devices are creating a new standard, they’re a game changer,” she affirms. “It means beauty professionals will need to be at the cutting edge of skincare to enhance their clients’ results, while these tools will help maintain those professional results between treatments.”
“Soon, you’ll be as likely to hear your neighbour or aunt extolling the benefits of red LED light as your TikTok-ing teen.”
Tech advances and economies of scale will be great levellers, allowing smaller, nimble brands to make an outsized dent in the market. “All the innovation out there is democratising things,” says Ashley McDonnell, Global Consumer Acceleration Director at Puig and host of the Tech Powered Luxury podcast. “It means that everyone will have access to more or less the same tools, whether it’s artificial intelligence or blockchain.”
For example, little-known German beauty brand Geske is about to enter the Irish market in force, with a huge range of affordable and award-winning beauty tools that will be available across chemists nationwide. Soon, you’ll be as likely to hear your neighbour or aunt extolling the benefits of red LED light as your TikTok-ing teen.
Most of the current crop of available tech gadgets fall into the “elevating” category – that is, helping you maintain something that’s already being maintained by complementing your beauty routine rather than replacing any part of it. So no, while you don’t need any of these tools or gadgets, many will significantly boost the efficacy of the products you are already using.
Skin Analysis, AI Style
On the software side, there’s no escaping AI, and that includes the beauty industry. While there has been much buzz about beauty chatbots, virtual try-on software and AI-driven product recommendations, the reality is that the software is as prone to the same frustrations and foibles as any app or digital product.
Right now, at least, many at-home AI-powered beauty tech experiences leave little to be desired. A slick-looking perfume quiz promising to match my mood to my dream fragrance crashed on my device several times before I gave up and decided to just hit the shops for a good, old-fashioned sniff tour. I tried several AI skin analysis “experiences”, which use your smartphone camera to “scan” your face, after which, in theory, advanced machine learning algorithms and data analytics kick in to create a customised skincare report. Some were fun, some were infuriating and buggy, and few told me anything anyone with eyes wouldn’t have been able to. And of course, most only recommend their own brand’s products, natch.
So, while there is huge potential in technology’s power to assess and personalise, right now most brands are too busy frantically trying to integrate this tech in a way that will encourage you to buy their product over their competitors. Proving that some things, at least, never change.
Beauty tech: Three to try
1. Featuring three LED light wavelengths (red, yellow and blue), heat and sonic pulsations combine with a jade stone to create a glow-boosting device that tackles everything from acne to fine lines.
LED Tri-Booster, €189, haumeaskincare.com
2. With over 7,500 pulsations per minute, this sonic facial brush will up your cleansing game no end.
Sonic facial brush, €49.95, geske.com
3. A celebrity favourite, this wand uses red light therapy and pairs with a dedicated serum to smooth fine lines and decrease puffiness.
Solawave skincare wand and serum kit, €230, global.solawave.co
This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2024 issue of IMAGE.
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