AI’s impact on beauty consumers’ experience

Many of us are talking about how technology and AI are transforming the advertising industry, they’re also having an impact in the beauty world. 60% of those who tried makeup on virtually said that it influenced their decision to buy. L’Oreal has used AR tech so that shoppers can virtually try on products with photorealistic accuracy. Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty, Clarins, Beiersdorf and Unilever are among the first adopters of a generative AI-powered platform for businesses. Called Skin GPT, it analyses facial photos to predict future aging and simulate the effects of skincare products and treatments. While skin analysis is nothing new, it’s seen a renewed interest as brands seek out ways to tap into AI mania and make use of recent progress in the field. However, nearly 50% of Gen Z and Millennials aren’t aware that brands are offering ways to try on makeup virtually, so these services must be communicated more effectively to have a real impact.

Diversity in the beauty industry has become crucial. Arbelle’s State of Inclusivity in Beauty report tells us that the industry is being reshaped by consumers demanding diversity across gender, age, ethnicity and skin tone. Brands like Fenty Beauty are offering a wide range of shade offerings and a great thing about this is that other companies are following suite including big players like L’Oreal and Mac. So much so that it’s been named the Fenty effect. It’s not just about skin colour, but age and gender: 56% of men now have a skincare routine and companies are now using older models as brand ambassadors, think Helen Mirren and Jessica Lange.

For me, I had been using a French skincare company for ages, since I was in my twenties. In later years I’ve needed a restorative cream, but the brand became more expensive with the product costing £90. During Covid, when I was furloughed, I decided that this was too expensive and made a change to Nivea Age Spot. It’s probably a third of the price and unbelievably brilliant. This one product introduced me to Nivea as an affordable brand which means that I now use the night cream, serum and day cream.