Skin-deep learning? L’Oréal AI-powered device offers tailored skincare formulations
Dubbed Perso, the system represents the French giant’s latest efforts to blend technology with nutricosmetics as it looks to harness augmented reality and artificial intelligence in its latest offerings.
Developed by the L’Oréal Technology Incubator, the Perso device features a four-step process to that deliver real-time formulations that increase the degree of personalisation over time based on the user’s preferences.
“Building on our deep scientific heritage and leadership in innovation, L'Oréal is once again leveraging advanced technology to create smart beauty products and services that answer the needs of our consumers and offer them near-limitless personalisation and precision,” says Nicolas Hieronimus, L'Oréal's deputy chief executive officer.
“We are committed to making L’Oréal the leader in Beauty Tech – and Perso is the next step in that exciting journey.”
Tech Incubator
L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator sits within the firm’s Research & Innovation division and is tasked with developing and launching new beauty technologies.
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Starting in 2012, the Incubator takes a start-up-like approach in helping L’Oréal evolve from a beauty company to a technology player via personalised products and experiences.
It currently has a presence in France as well as New York, New Jersey, California, and Japan.
The Incubator had a hand in the launch of Custom D.O.S.E by SkinCeuticals, an automated system that delivers concentrated combinations of SkinCeuticals’ ingredients on-the-spot.
Addressing the concerns of over 250 skin types, the D.O.S.E technology is first-of-its-kind because it’s able to mix active ingredients into a single serum, specifically to target the appearance of skin aging issues, like wrinkles and discoloration.
Commenting on the launch of Perso, Guive Balooch, head of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator says, “L’Oréal is one of the most trusted names in beauty, and with Perso, we are putting personalised technology directly into the hands of our consumers,”
“We know that customisation relies on information about your unique skin and personal preferences as well as your environment; this technology accounts for that.
“Perso uses AI to optimise the formulas and actually gets smarter as you use it.”
How it works
Perso analyses the user’s skin via a dedicated mobile app that utilises L'Oréal’s ModiFace technology noting the appearance of deep wrinkles, fine lines, the appearance of dark spots, and pore visibility.
Users can also enter their personal skincare concerns into the Perso app, including fine lines, dark spots, pigmentation, pore size, radiance, and dullness.
The user can also input preferred texture and hydration-level to further customise the moisturiser, serum, and under-eye cream product formula.
L'Oréal says Perso will be launched in partnership with one of its leading skincare brand in 2021 with future offerings including the capability to incorporate real-time trend information and colour-matching technology into its personalised product offerings.
AI and personalisation for the skin remain hot topics in the nutricosmetic industry with Perso following hot on the heels of Givaudan's instant microbiome analysis and profiling system (i-MAPS) designed to tailor products to consumer’s bacterial skin communities.
i-MAPS uses bioinformatics data to create individual profiles, claiming to map the skin microbiome in around seven hours.
Each profile features user-specific insights describing the bacterial communities that make up the microbiome and how it links to oily, dry, sensitive, or an ageing skin type.
In a similar vein Olay have made available an online service that uses AI and proprietary deep learning technologies to analyse a user’s skincare needs.
Dubbed the Olay Skin Advisor, the service also uses a mobile app to analyse the skin recommending a personalised beauty routine tailored to address the skin’s specific needs.