Can Machines Teach Beauty Routines? (Tech Tracker Report)

In its 2024 trend overview, Mintel noted^a that “technology will play a vital role [in beauty] with artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) applications personalizing beauty experiences, tracking well-being metrics and offering virtual wellness consultations.”

This insight merges well with the firm’s Beaut-AI trend, which explains that, “Artificial intelligence will transform the beauty industry by making it more personalized, efficient and effective, but governance and transparency will be critical to growth.”

AI and AR are already being applied to consumer-facing experiences to improve the shopper’s journey in selecting ideal products, particularly in efficacy-centric categories like skin and hair care.

AR Skin Care Coach

Shiseido’s new Beauty AR Navigation platform allows consumers to perfect beauty regimens via their smartphones or tablets.ShiseidoFor instance, Shiseido’s new Beauty AR Navigation platform allows consumers to perfect beauty regimens via their smartphones or tablets.

The application was developed using Kansei emotional engineering that leverages “aesthetics, sensory psychology and design” to create emotionally resonant experiences that appeal to the senses, per Shiseido.

The system uses AI-driven motion recognition technology to capture detailed hand movements and provides skin care steps via the Beauty AR Navigation interface, which features videos and narration.

The content provides a quantitative evaluation that will reportedly show users if their skin care routines are appropriate for their needs. The goal is to coach users toward an optimal beauty routine that maximizes the benefits of skin care products.

The system provides visuals on optimal hand movements (direction, speed, etc.) using virtual hands superimposed on the user’s own image. Voiceover narration, meanwhile, provides real-time explanations of the movements.

The user can then repeat the hand movements on their own and receive an evaluation from the system.

The AR platform is intended to fill the gap left by an increasingly contactless consumer experience that has transitioned from traditional in-store and in-person communication to a digital-based milieu.

While contactless experiences can be convenient, they can also create an education gap, leaving consumers to wonder “whether they were using the cosmetics correctly, or if they were failing to get the full benefits due to inadequate application,” Shiseido explained.

According to the company, “When users apply lotion and emulsion following the ‘Effective Skincare Application Method’ developed by Shiseido, the feeling of the moisture, firmness, and elasticity of the skin is enhanced and the psychological state of the users improve such that they experience a positive uplifting feeling, compared to the time when they follow their own self-care routine.”

Shiseido argues that an optimal routine can boost skin moisture levels within a month.

Inclusive AI Hair Analysis

Myavana's core technology first went beta in 2012 and analyzes the variables of hair strands and hair products to produce personalized hair care regimens.MyavanaJust as the Shiseido system resolves a challenge for skin care consumers, Ulta Beauty’s new Virtual Hair Analysis tool integrates Myavana's HairAI technology to help shoppers understand their hair type and receive personalized product recommendations.

The analysis tool has been folded into the retailer's e-commerce virtual try-on experiences to improve the hair product search journey.

Myavana's core technology first went beta in 2012 and analyzes the variables of hair strands and hair products to produce personalized hair care regimens.

As of June 2023, Myavana's scientific intelligence hair analysis system (SI) had sharpened its analyses based on 2 billion strands of hair.

Meanwhile, Myavana, founded by Candace Mitchell Harris, has received strategic investments from Prisma Ventures (Ulta's emerging tech fund) and the BrainTrust Fund (the group behind investments in companies such as Thirteen Lune).

The funds will reportedly go toward Myavana's enterprise retail expansion, including salon channels and global product distribution.

"Myavana is emerging as a leader in beauty AI because its hair strand analysis super-serves every customer in this valuable marketplace, from the shopper seeking a personalized diagnosis, to retailers and stylists wanting to sell the right products to shoppers the first time," said BrainTrust Fund general partners Kendra Bracken-Ferguson and Lisa Stone. "We're looking forward to working with Candace and her team as the brand continues to accelerate."

As of June 2023, Myavana's scientific intelligence hair analysis system (SI) had sharpened its analyses based on 2 billion strands of hair.Myavana"Through Prisma Ventures, Ulta Beauty's digital innovation fund, we're always looking to support and invest in technologies that will pave the path forward for the world of beauty–especially those with like-minded values aiming to innovate the space through an inclusive lens," said Agustina Sartori, senior director of digital innovation at Ulta Beauty and managing director of Prisma Ventures. "Candace's visionary approach to digitizing beauty experiences for all hair types, including textured hair, is incredibly unique, and we're thrilled to collaborate with Myavana on their mission to open new doors for more guests through hair analysis technology."

"In the beginning at Myavana, we set out on a mission to transform the hair industry through science and technology and I am ecstatic to partner with Ulta Beauty to begin this digital transformation in retail," said Harris. "Through our personalized hair care technology that will innovate and elevate our shopping experiences, we're excited to bring to market better identification and understanding of our unique hair strands and unique hair journeys while partnering with the nation's largest beauty retailer that prioritizes innovation and inclusion."