Digital and cosmetics: the innovations that are on everyone's lips
In this age of digital technology and smartphones, personalization is everywhere, even in our makeup bags. And, with the current pandemic, cosmetics brands our bringing their in-store experiences into our bathrooms. While smiles are hidden from view at the moment, brands are preparing for the day when they will be unmasked: more and more brands are using the latest technology to offer product personalization services. Discover innovations created by the likes of Estée Lauder, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, for a look that is guaranteed to be yours and nobody else’s!
ESTÉE LAUDER's lip blend machine corner
In November 2019, Estée Lauder opened a new “corner” at Galeries Lafayette. The brand is enabling its customers to personalize their lipsticks by creating a custom shade. The service is provided along with personalized advice to adapt the color to their complexion and look. Customers had to wait 30 minutes to get a tailored product in a box containing the lipstick and two refills.
The system was a bit slow and, above all, short-lived, as the campaign only lasted a few months. However, it put the idea out there! Other brands got in on the concept, adding touches of digital and even m-commerce.
Smartphone, who's the fairest of them all?
In January 2021, YSL Beauté announced the release of its personal lipstick creator “Rouge Sur Mesure”. Yves Saint Laurent launched a lipstick that can be refilled and, above all, personalized from anywhere! Using a super easy-to-use mobile app, the brand will now help its customers choose their Rouge Sur Mesure Powered by Perso by YSL.
Using face and image recognition technologies, users can test the color in real time using their smartphone camera, match their color with their bag, select the lipstick color in a magazine photo to get inspired, and more. Personalization is done using a mixture of three preselected basic colors.
For now, this amazing technology remains in the beta test stage, and only people living in the United States can sign up to be testers. Test participants are rewarded with a gift of two sets of cartridges worth $180… However, with the retail price announced at around $300, it remains a somewhat inaccessible “beauty tool”.
The latest cosmetics brand to enter the field: Chanel and its lipscanner
The concept of this app is similar to that launched by Yves Saint Laurent, but Chanel has gone a step further by adding an e-shop module. Beyond the recommendation and virtual try-on features, the brand is making it possible for customers to order their personalized Chanel lipstick and receive it a few days later. The rest of the world won’t have to wait for the Americans to test it first! In addition, the range of colors includes all of Chanel’s various lipstick shades. The brand is also adding a community dimension with a photo sharing feature.
The slogan is simple: “Love it. Scan it. Find your perfect shade. ” Scan any color you see, whether it’s on someone else, in a magazine or on a poster. Within seconds, the new LIPSCANNER app will identify the corresponding CHANEL lip color. “Then, test out your match virtually with CHANEL TRY ON. Save or share photos of your discoveries and order the products you love directly through the app. ”
Choose your very own lipstick! We can expect to see other competitors get involved, dig deeper into the concept with new features and extend it to cover new products. The “beauty experiences revolution” is underway!