The industries that succeed most are those that take advantage of new technologies as and when they emerge. Beauty brands are well aware of this fact and have been first in the queue to ensure that they can stay in the running in one of the most fiercely competitive industries we have. There are many new tools available to them, and these tend to involve the latest technologies, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. The nice thing about these technologies is that because they are still emerging; there is so much scope to improve and refine what is already possible. The future of the beauty industry is very exciting. So here are the top five new technologies and a quick beauty FAQ.
1. The Virtual Dressing Room
This facility is offered via augmented reality and involves face or body recognition technology to create a realistic image of the customer and enable them to try on clothing or make-up to see whether it suits their body shape, face shape, and skin tone. For example, beauty brand Sephora has a virtual artist, and this enables customers to experiment with lots of different eye shadows and lipstick shades. Either by using an app that is available to download on their phone or if they do not have such a device, they can visit an in-store kiosk and get the same results. The technology behind it automatically locates eye position and size and shape of lips and can use this information to realistically apply the cosmetics so that the customer can assess the finished look. The other exciting development in this area is that the technology can learn about skin color and tone and therefore offer a better match if you have not picked correctly for yourself. Although at the moment the finished look may not be 100% accurate and certainly perhaps not up to make-up artist standards it gives enough of an insight for the customer to be able to determine whether they are making the right color choice or not. If you are not familiar with such technology but have Snapchat, it is similar to some of the philters you can apply on there.
2. AI Personalisation
One of the other significant game-changers has been artificial intelligence. Most women will know that darker skin tones have struggled for many years to find a good range of foundation products. Even with paler skin, it can be challenging to find something perfect. However, it also doesn’t make sense for companies to create thousands of shades all a little bit different just in case it happens to be the perfect one. So, Lancôme, which is a subsidiary of L’Oréal, has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence and created a machine that is able to assess the skin and offer a custom-made colored foundation. Called Le Teint Particulier this innovative scanner is currently only available at Harrods and Selfridges, but the progress is certainly there. Using what is essentially a handheld scanner, the technology is able to search through 20,000 shades of foundation and offer the perfect match. It can then be sent to the laboratory and mixed directly for you then sent to the store or home depending on your preference. Again, the information is such that the AI will be able to learn and overtime identify the most common shares which may lead to an on-shelf extension of maybe 5 or 10 more, and also be aware of the least likely shades.
3. The Smart Mirror
Developed by the New Kinpo group in Taiwan the HiMirror is just that. A smart mirror that is able to capture a photograph every time you look in the mirror. It can then scan your face and identify wrinkles, fine lines, pauses, spots, and more and help you look after your skin in a better way. Once it has made an assessment, it will offer recommendations for products to solve any problems. They are not the only ones with such an offering as Olay has skin advisor, which is an app that does similar.
4. Printed Make-Up
The robotic make-up artist, there have been a number of attempts to create the perfect robot make-up artist but, as, yet we seem to be a few years away. A make-up printer has recently been showcased in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show, and this is a handheld sized wand that can apply make-up after assessing your skin and deciding what is best. The possibilities here are endless and will not be out of reach for long. What it will mean is that companies are able to create a full-face make-up look and simply send the customer the tools with which to apply it, and it will be recreated perfectly. These are combination technologies, including artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and facial recognition technology, to name but a few.
5. 3D Make-Up
3D make-up sounds incredibly futuristic, and it is kind of outside of the beauty industry remit because it doesn’t actually feature any real cosmetics. Instead, it is a digital makeup similar to that found in Snapchat filters that enable the user to create wild and wonderful looks without actually having to do anything. It has proven incredibly popular though, and therefore it suggests that the beauty industry would be wise to pay attention to it as it could be incorporated into some of the things that they do.
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