Future L’Oréal products might not be conventional cosmetics, but wearable technology capable of sending information directly to a customer’s smartphone.
We’ve already got a glimpse of the new age at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2016, where L’Oréal debuted its first e-skin product, a stretchable UV monitor. Named “My UV Patch,” it sends UV protection recommendations to help customers avoid non-melanoma skin cancer.
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The patch works similar to a children’s tattoo, sticking onto the arm for five days. It has an NFC (near-field communication) tag to talk to a smartphone and will survive a few showers. During the five days, the patch updates its recommendations. L’Oréal said it will launch the patch later this year.
L’Oréal set up its own incubator
L’Oréal started working on wearables and other tech products three years ago, after setting up a technology incubator run by Guive Balooch, global vice president. Its first product was a virtual cosmetics app called Makeup Genius, designed in partnership with Image Metrics.
“L’Oreal came to me internally and said that there was an interest to figure out what technology will mean for the beauty industry for the next five to 10 years,” said Balooch to The Irish Times. “They wanted us to work on some select projects around tech that could link to the beauty industry. And I think it was a very smart move because when you look at the health or fitness industry you can see how much technology has enhanced the consumer experience.”
The incubator moved onto the My UV Patch shortly afterwards, partnering with Irish design unit PCH International, Boston startup MC10, and skincare firm La Roche Posay to develop the patch. E-skin products are currently bogged down in lab tests, so L’Oréal launching a product that can talk to smartphones and doesn’t require any charging is quite innovative.
However, it will take a few more innovative projects like this before L’Oréal can say it has made a dent in the cosmetics and beauty marketplace with wearables.
