Although beauty tech was not the dominant theme at this year’s VivaTech trade show, which concludes this evening in Paris, it drew crowds almost as large as those gathered around the robots and other futuristic technologies on display.
Massive investments
L’Oréal, the French cosmetics giant, is showcasing the K-Scan — named after Kérastase, the group’s flagship hair care brand — a compact AI-powered device designed to assess scalp health. Trained on a database of some 12,000 hair images, it analyzes the scalp to identify its characteristics and needs, including predicting the risk of hair loss.
Just a few meters away, Lancôme, another of L’Oréal’s flagship brands, is presenting Cell BioPrint, a device scheduled for launch this summer. The inovation claims to estimate biological skin age from a simple surface sample and recommend the most appropriate skincare products. Here, too, technology has taken on a predictive role.
"To attract customers into stores, brands must offer personalization. Today, personalization means understanding an individual’s biological age—and that simply isn’t possible without AI," says Éric Briones, a luxury and beauty expert.
Delivering this level of personalization requires a powerful technological infrastructure, substantial investment, and partnerships with leading tech companies. On June 17, the opening day of VivaTech, L’Oréal announced a collaboration with OpenAI, the California-based developer of ChatGPT. Last year, the cosmetics group has invested EUR 1.5 billion (USD 1.7 bn) in technology and approximately EUR 1.4 billion (USD 1.6 bn) in research and innovation.
"Hyper-personalized responses"
"We continuously monitor advances in science and technology and explore how they can be harnessed to create a competitive advantage," Guive Balooch, Vice President of Technology and Open Innovation at L’Oréal, told AFP.
"That advantage can come from our laboratories — for example, through our AI partnership with Nvidia, which helps us accelerate the discovery of new molecules. It can also stem from the work of our chemists in developing new formulations, extend to marketing, and even enhance customer interactions, as illustrated by our partnership with OpenAI on AI-powered services," he explained.
AI is also reshaping the shopping experience at Sephora, the world’s leading cosmetics retailer and a subsidiary of the French luxury group LVMH. In the United States, the company recently launched a ChatGPT-powered application designed to provide personalized beauty advice.
"You interact with an AI assistant capable of answering all your questions with highly personalized recommendations," explains Gonzague de Pirey, LVMH’s Data and Omnichannel Director. "The more the system learns about your preferences and needs, the more relevant and tailored its responses become."
"Emerging technologies will enable customers to virtually try on products, analyze their skin, and receive increasingly personalized recommendations," says Franck Le Moal, Chief Information Officer at LVMH. "We are witnessing the digitalization of beauty—a transformation in which beauty is increasingly converging with a form of cosmetic healthcare."
Reflecting this broader trend, technology companies have also recognized the strategic value of investing in the beauty sector, which increasingly lies at the intersection of cosmetics, wellness, and health. At VivaTech, South Korea’s Samsung is showcasing several innovations, including an AI-powered skin and scalp analysis solution developed by Becon, a startup that emerged from the group’s internal innovation program.
"I believe AI players have come to realize that beauty represents a major opportunity for achieving economic profitability," observes Éric Briones.
