How AI is Shaping the Beauty Industry

Rapid technological advancements frequently redefine industries and the beauty sector is witnessing a metamorphosis, led predominantly by Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI's growing influence in the beauty realm is redefining the relationship between consumers and products, making it more personalized, efficient, and sometimes even transcending the capabilities of human professionals.

Leading beauty brands are tapping into AI’s immense potential. Benefit Cosmetics, the no. 1 brow brand globally, has recently unveiled its AI-powered Pore Analysis Tool (P.A.T.), crafted in collaboration with PerfectCorp. This innovative tool is designed to examine and analyze your pores in real time - it’s custom-made for Benefit, which means you’re getting the latest and greatest only at Benefit.

Diving deeper into the personalized skincare realm, we have insights from Shari Jafari, the CEO of Simon Ourian M.D. This brand epitomizes a unique skincare regimen, where the process is driven by state-of-the-art AI technology. She shares, "The AI consultation replicates the in-person experience at Dr. Simon Ourian's clinic by drawing from his vast 25 years of expertise in cosmetic dermatology. Customers interact with an AI-powered avatar, which represents Dr. Simon, and undergo an extensive skin analysis." After this intricate analysis, customers are provided with a comprehensive skincare report tailored specifically to their needs. When questioned about the data points AI uses to offer these tailored recommendations, Jafari elucidates, "Our AI system for personalized recommendations leverage user inputs such as photos taken and responses to specific questions." But the future, according to her, will see AI shaping cosmetic dermatology even further by identifying skincare trends and potentially linking skin concerns with other lifestyle factors, creating a 360 approach.

Likewise, Skinmade, (the German personalised skincare which launched earlier this year) emphasizes the uniqueness of everyone's skin, arguing that skincare should be equally distinct. As one of the first brands to utilise advanced technology and AI to truly listen to the skin's needs, their scientists have crafted an original biophysical skin reading system combined with AI. Dr. Lars Rüther, founder of Skinmade, encapsulates this sentiment when he says, “One day we will all look back and think it is crazy that we all used the same generic skincare products, instead of having individual products that are designed specifically for us, by our own skin."

The wellness and healthcare are facing life-saving revolutions. OneWelbeck, a pioneer in healthcare, has always championed patient care. With a commitment to mitigating the barriers in contemporary healthcare, OneWelbeck has been instrumental in implementing the Enhanced Breast Screening protocol. This groundbreaking approach has been proven to support a 25% reduction in breast cancer fatality by ensuring faster and earlier detection. But what truly differentiates OneWelbeck is its embrace of AI to further enhance the level of interpretation and analysis from the images produced by a digital mammogram. They employ a remarkable system, ProFound AI Solutions, which critically analyzes mammography images by comparing them with its vast previously learned database. This acts as a secondary layer of analysis for doctors, enabling them to pinpoint even the most subtle lesions that might evade the human eye.

However, with AI's integration into the beauty industry, concerns emerge about its potential to overshadow human experts. Kate Kerr, expert aesthetic facialist of Kate Kerr London Clinic, acknowledges AI's capabilities but comments, "The skin, for example, is deeply emotional... We therefore need real people who are professionals in their field... No matter how intelligent the algorithm, that’s just something that AI will never be able to offer."

Yet, for many, the democratization of expert-level advice through AI is a revolution. Not everyone can access dermatologists or aestheticians, given the often-prohibitive costs. Platforms like Sourcerie are transforming this landscape. Using extensive real-life data, Sourcerie offers a personalized shopping experience for beauty products. Kristin Cardwell, co-founder of Sourcerie, notes, "Nearly 60% of consumers have had an adverse reaction to a product at some point in time, and over 7 in 10 report they are dissatisfied with their current products. We saw a real need for objective, data-driven personalisation."

Mirroring Cardwell’s sentiments, Jasmine Wicks-Stephens, founder of no-nonsense skincare brand, Faace, comments, “If technology can help to avoid unnecessary wastage in the industry, whether that means being better for the environment, or preventing beauty consumers feeling like they aren’t getting the results they need, then better personalisation is a benefit for all involved.

I personally don’t think technology will take over beauty expert roles completely, as for those that can afford to experience in-salon treatments, no robots or artificial intelligence can replace the overall experience of human touch and connection. However, if tech innovation can help consumers to shop more savvy, and also democratise a more bespoke diagnosis to a certain extent, then there’s potential for the two to work in tandem.

I can’t see myself personally ever wanting to go for a facial treatment without the human interaction involved, but I think it depends on which level and in which context we are speaking. We recently launched on Sourcerie for Faace, because as a solution-led skincare range, the technology that enables a completely bespoke prescription for every consumer, really made sense to us.”

Sourcerie co-founder Alex Beyer finishes, “Beauty is a massive market, but falling behind when it comes to tech, and personalising for beauty has so much more nuance that can only really be captured by scaling community input. The data platform and software we’re building with Sourcerie has many potential uses for the broader industry, and we’re already in discussions with many of our brand and retailer supplier partners about further applications that they can use and take advantage of. We’re so excited to be pioneering innovation for the UK beauty tech industry and beyond”.

While there's undeniable concern over AI's encroachment into areas traditionally reserved for human expertise, its potential in redefining and enhancing the beauty industry is indisputable. Whether it's through improved healthcare or offering customized beauty solutions, AI is making its mark. Only time will determine how these two—human expertise and artificial intelligence—coalesce to redefine beauty standards and offerings.