Have you ever walked into a department store, or sat scrolling online for skincare, only to find yourself so overwhelmed by the plethora of choices that you’ve just given up? With new beauty brands and products launching every week, it’s no surprise that all these options could lead you to end up not choosing anything at all.
That being said, modern technology is coming to the party, with brands locally and globally embracing artificial intelligence to, ironically, create a better connection with their customers. Welcome to the future of beauty; it’s 2022, and a computer can now prescribe your skincare routine for you.
This is the premise behind Australian website Askbella, an AI-powered beauty product recommendation platform that matches dermatological data from more than 1000 products with your skin’s unique needs to offer multi-step skincare recommendations, without the bias.
“Askbella was created based on research we conducted in the beauty market, which showed that 74 per cent of customers were overwhelmed by too many beauty choices,” explains Askbella founder Elaine Yang.
“For e-commerce, there is a high bounce-rate, because customers land on a site but they don’t know what to buy. They browse different pages across different brands and they might end up buying products that have been recommended by friends or influencers that are not suitable for them. This tool can really benefit not just customers but e-commerce retail as well. We are like the bridge between the customer and retail.”
Askbella works by using a quick online customer survey platform called Skinalyser. The platform pulls data from a collection of products across more than 100 trusted brands including AlphaH, Dermalogica, Clarins, COSRX and many more, the ingredients of which have been decoded by dermatologists according to skin type.
The Skinalyser tool then offers a skincare routine in accordance with a customer’s skincare preferences and needs. Askbella receives an affiliate commission through any products purchased by linking customers with online retailers, but retailers do not pay to be part of the platform.
While Elaine says Askbella is the only platform of its kind currently with the ability to offer non-biased recommendations, there are certainly many brands embracing artificial intelligence to create better customer experiences.
Mutual Skincare, a New Zealand-based company, uses an online skincare assessment tool to create a bespoke and personalised all-in-one face cream, which targets the specific skincare needs of each individual.
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Advertise with NZME.The complex algorithm consists of more than 70,000 dermatological data points and there are currently 220 individual formulas available that use ingredient boosters combined with a base lotion to produce a three-month supply of product.
When the product runs out, customers are encouraged to complete their skin assessment again in order for the next lotion to best suit their changing needs.
Overseas, the L’Oreal Group is leading the way with its use of AI and tech innovations across its network of brands to create both customisable makeup and user-friendly solutions to skin and hair dilemmas.
YSL’s Rouge Sur Mesure device is the first-ever personalised lip colour system which works with your smart phone to create thousands of different lipstick shades using refillable cartridges. Once you’ve found your perfect shade virtually, the device will “print” you a sample of your lipstick, ready to use.
Personalised hair colour is offered through L’Oreal’s Color&Co service, which sees customers answer a three-question survey about their hair before participating in a video chat with a trained hair colourist. The colourist then designs a bespoke hair dye kit for at-home use, which is manufactured on demand and sent directly to the customer. At this stage however, customers in New Zealand are not able to access Rouge Sur Mesure or Colour&Co services.
La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Spot Scan (which is available in New Zealand) is a virtual acne diagnosis tool that uses AI to analyse selfies, counting imperfections and determining an acne grade from 0 to 4+. This allows the system to create a personalised Effaclar regimen and offer tips for customers to improve the condition of their skin.
While the pandemic has undoubtedly been a catalyst for the use of personalisation through AI across the beauty industry, there’s no sign of this high-tech trend slowing down. Here’s hoping more investment in this area brings increased versatility, inclusivity and convenience for customers, as well as a welcome excuse to get a little bit more creative and adventurous with our beauty routines from the comfort of home.
