Edited by Sophia Savva
There is no denying that the beauty and cosmetics industry has been through some major changes and improvements the past few years. This article goes through some of the changes that I thought were interesting or important. It certainly seems that the growing influence of technology in beauty isn’t something that we’re going to brush off (haha) anytime soon.
Social Media
Firstly, social media has brought about many changes, particularly Instagram and YouTube. YouTube stars such as Jeffree Star and James Charles regularly post makeup tutorials, reviews, and have even made their own palettes. Each of these individuals has over 10 million subscribers on YouTube (Star has 14 million, Charles has 16 million). With such a huge following, these influencers provide insight into what’s currently “trending” and also help individuals know what products work best for certain skin types. Everyone enjoys these videos – on average in 2018, one million beauty videos are watched on YouTube per day!
Social media influencers also feel more “real” in comparison to celebrities who endorse products. The importance of beauty influencers is that they help to build a community – which their fans enjoy.
Apps
In 2014, L’Oréal Paris launched the “Makeup Genius” app that uses facial mapping technology that turns your front-camera into a virtual mirror! This allows users to virtually try on L’Oréal makeup products to see how different shades and products look. I thought this was super cool because it allows people to test out products better than they can in a store!
Estée Lauder has also launched itself into the market. They launched its “Nighttime Expert” app, which is a collaboration between Google and Estée Lauder. This application enables a chat for users in which they can get personalized skincare recommendations after the evaluation of skin quality through a series of questions.
Makeup Lamps
Disney is also keeping up with the makeup technology trend. Disney Research has discovered Makeup Lamps, which are special lights that project the “illusion of makeup” on an individual’s face. The technology can analyze facial expressions and projects responsive pixels incredibly fast.
Another cool new product is LED light therapy. This is used to soothe inflammation through red light, reduce the frequency and severity of acne through blue light, and brightens skin. This is usually administered by pros, but there are new ways to DIY this from home.
Poshly
Moreover, as a result of technology, there has been increased access to customer data. Companies, large or small, use this data to help improve their businesses regularly. Poshly is an American data company that helps beauty brands gather customer data that offers opportunities for customers to win beauty products if they answer questionnaires. Poshly then anonymises the data before sharing it with partners! This helps beauty companies make decisions about their brands, products, and more.
3D Printing
There’s also new avenues in terms of personalising cosmetics. As a result of 3D printers that can print makeup, users can shade and print literally any colour! That’s incredible!