How is Artificial Intelligence used in the beauty industry?
Revolutionizing Beauty
When was the last time sustainability became associated with the beauty industry?
With all the new and major brands in cosmetics and beauty projects emerging and producing new products left and right. It’s hard to determine which of these brands can live up to customer demands and expectations.
Fortunately, the beauty industry is among countless business sectors benefiting from innovative technology.
Tech and Beauty: The Perfect Combination?
AI in the beauty industry is exploding in numerous ways across a range of products. Moreover, experienced first-hand by dozens of customers globally. These advancements represent the reality that improving customer experience and unveiling their unique preferences. And purchasing behaviors are made possible through the intelligent use of customer-generated data.
In that regard, here are some of the impressive ways that tech has changed the way people purchase and experience the beauty and cosmetic products and services:
Customized Services and Products
AI gathers and processes data input by customers. This information could be their recent purchases, product pages they browsed recently or frequently on the brand’s website, their skin concerns and skin type, the type of makeup they use, and even the hair products they prefer.
All of these details are important to help brands prepare and offer a product that caters to the distinct skincare and beauty preferences of each of their clientele. Not all formulas, ingredients, and product combinations work for everyone.
Say, if a client has acne-prone and oily skin, having them specify these key problem areas enables the brand’s AI to filter ingredients and products that are best suited to help solve their dilemma. In the same manner, if a customer is looking for a shampoo or makeup that is made from organic ingredients. Adding an option to personalize what customers purchase narrows down their options in no time.
Consequently, customers feel more satisfied and valued. Moreover, if the brand is now capable of addressing their needs and meeting their expectations. Whether it be facial wash and serums, face masks, sunscreens, or moisturizers. It is now possible to go beyond the traditional formulation of beauty products and expand the scope of solutions that one brand can bring.
Virtual Product Trial
Most of the time, online beauty and cosmetic stores struggle with reducing abandoned shopping carts or multiple site visitors browsing their product pages for hours yet end up not buying anything.
What’s a smart way to target an international audience and boost conversions on an online beauty shop without splurging the company’s budget? The answer is to enable a virtual product trial. Simply, augmented reality makes it possible for customers and potentially new buyers to try a product. Even without being physically present in the shop or using an actual product from the store.
This advancement is more applicable to cosmetic products, especially since it uses different shades and colors for different skin tones. For instance, a customer could check out how different shades of lip liners and lipsticks would suit their skin tone. They can also try and see which shade of foundation or concealer blends perfectly for their skin. The possibilities are endless—customers can do this with mascaras, eyeliners, eyeshadows, bronzers, and even decorative contact lenses.
Some brands are developing apps meant to help their customers see what each color of hair dye would look like on them.
It saves time and effort for both the company and its customers. In addition, also increases the likelihood of a customer completing a purchase.
Instant Touch-ups
Society’s gradual integration of technology into their daily lives also has its disadvantages. With people on their smartphones 24/7 and the emergence of social media, people’s perception of beauty has drastically changed. They were also more conscious of their flaws. As a result of the so-called “selfie culture”. And the unspoken standards of a perfectly flawless beauty seen all across the internet.
While there is nothing wrong with having a flawsome skin, some people simply cannot stand it when the imperfections in their physical appearance are visible to other people.
The use of filters and skin-correcting computer tools then became all the rage. People would add filters to their photos to cover up a pimple or a scar on their face. Some filters make a person look a couple of times younger than they are. In some cases, AI-generated beauty filters can make a person seem as though they are wearing actual makeup even when they are barefaced in front of their trusty phone camera.
Even on digital video conferencing platforms, instant touch-ups and hyperrealistic filters received a warm reception from the platform’s users.
Ecological manufacturing and waste management
Over the past weeks, there have been multiple videos of scientists protesting the climate. Shared across different social media platforms.
It is scary, but it is a reality. Eco-friendly initiatives grow. Such as switching to non-plastic and recyclable product containers. And packaging significantly aids in reducing the amount of waste disposed by people to the different bodies of land and water around the world.
Unfortunately, the beauty industry has a hand in polluting the earth’s natural resources. Plastic containers, microbeads, and greenhouse emissions are all factors that contribute to the depletion of Mother Nature.
Meanwhile, embracing green technology as an integral part of sustaining beauty and cosmetic businesses is needed now more than ever. Innovative mass-production alternatives help reduce the carbon footprint.
As mentioned above, both AI and AR have contributed to regulating the amount of skincare and beauty products produced regularly. Now, brands can limit what they create based on the level of demand for a particular makeup kit or skincare item. It might seem like a small thing at first, but it can impact the world positively in the long run.
Undoubtedly, Artificial intelligence has successfully made it possible to change the way cosmetics and beauty products help maximize their resources and enhance customer experience.
