L'Oreal and Social Selling Platform

 A Social Selling Platform: Replika

L’Oreal Invests in Social Selling Platform as Part of E-Com Strategy    By CGT Staff 

As part of its acceleration strategy in e-commerce, L’Oreal announced a minority investment in US-American social selling platform Replika Software, Inc., made through its corporate venture capital fund BOLD Business Opportunities for L’Oreal Development.

As a turnkey social selling platform, Replika Software enables brands to activate at scale their network of social sellers to sell online, inspire on social media and connect with consumers anytime, anywhere. Founded in 2016 by Kareen Mallet, former fashion director at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, and Corey Gottlieb, advertising, marketing and tech entrepreneur, the company is based in New York and has offices in Paris.   ... ' 

Influencers and Beauty Marketing

Beauty Marketing taken over by influencers

Lipstick Tips: How Influencers Are Making Over Beauty Marketing   by Dina Gerdeman in HBS

Influencer marketing has quickly become the best way to reach beauty consumers, proving more effective than celebrity endorsements and company ads, according to research by Alessia Vettese.

British makeup guru Katie Jane Hughes posts close-up photos of her face on Instagram almost daily for her 336,000 followers: shimmery gold eyelids; glossy pink lips that complement her auburn hair; eyebrows tinted with tiny brushstrokes of brown gel to fix her mistake in overplucking as a teenager.

And, in a video tutorial on YouTube, in which Hughes starts with a scrubbed-clean face (revealing some of the same splotchy spots many of us worry about), she demonstrates how she applies layer after layer of creams and cosmetics to achieve a glamorous look.

“This tingles a little bit when you put it on, but that’s normal because it’s got glycolic in it,” Hughes says, glancing between the camera and a mirror as she massages a moisturizer into her skin. “I don’t really quite understand how glycolic face creams work. All’s I can tell you is, my skin has been amazing ever since I started using this product.”

During the video’s 12-plus minutes of step-by-step instructions, Hughes holds up product after product close to the camera so viewers can get a good look at each brand name. Because, after all, Hughes isn’t merely sharing beauty tips. She’s also selling makeup.

While Hughes is not your typical celebrity cover girl, her social media posts compel thousands of customers to purchase the products she recommends. ...... " 

L'Oreal Digital Marketing

A view into what L'Oreal is doing at the link.   Has always been impressive at tech and integrated marketing.  See much more here at the tag below.

Marketing 3.0: How L’Oréal is embracing new marketing codes
De-siloing, in-sourcing, “mutual upskilling”: L’Oréal’s digital chief on how the beauty giant is reacting to market disruption.

By Ellen Hammett, 8 Jul 2019 in MarketingWeek

L’Oréal is entering a new period of transformation it calls ‘marketing 3.0’; something the 110-year-old beauty giant hopes will help it to stay relevant and keep pace in a fast-growing market and create a more trustworthy digital economy for both brands and consumers.

“We have pretty much changed everything in terms of the way that we are organised as marketing teams: we call it marketing 3.0,” L’Oréal’s chief digital officer, Lubomira Rochet, told Marketing Week at Cannes Lions. .... " 

Amazon Private Label: Skincare

Another interesting attempt at private label.   Marketing? How will consumers react? 

Amazon creates its own skincare line called Belei
Don't expect to see Amazon's name plastered over it, though. .... "

By Jon Fingas, in Engadget

Future of Beauty shown at CES

The Future of Beauty Was on Display at CES
in CNN   By   Ahiza Garcia; Kaya Yurieff

Last week's CES 2019 showcased tech beauty products from Procter & Gamble (P&G), L'Oreal, and Neutrogena. P&G announced Olay Future You Simulation, an addition to its online Olay Skin Advisor tool that uses an algorithm to show users what their skin and face will look like in the future under different conditions. L'Oreal unveiled a wearable adhesive skin sensor that tracks skin pH in real time, to help people with conditions like eczema and acne test and monitor those conditions. The sensor can reportedly furnish an accurate pH reading within15 minutes, using micro-channels to capture trace amounts of perspiration. Neutrogena's MaskiD app measures the size of a user's face and generates a custom mask with color patterns adjusted for the user’s skin needs, along with personalized treatments. Said Forrester Research retail analyst Sucharita Kodali, "People want products that are going to work for them. I don't think that they care whether or not it's personalized." ... " 

P&G Launching 6 Connected Products At CES

Good to see interesting moves here.

P&G Launching 6 Connected Products At CES by Chuck Martin  AI & IOT DAILY

Procter and Gamble is launching six new connected products at CES, the first time P&G is exhibiting at the annual tech confab.

The new products include Olay’s Skin Advisor platform, which uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized skincare analysis and recommendations by analyzing selfies along with a consumer questionnaire.

P&G is also introducing SK-II Future X Smart Store, using facial recognition and gesture-driven experiences for beauty retail shopping. .... "

Neutrogena scans Faces, Builds Masks

Clever idea,  using smartphone as a sensor, other applications?

Neutrogena app 3D scans your face to create perfect-fit sheet masks
Because there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to faces.

By Rachel England, @rachel_england in Engadget

At CES last year, Neutrogena unveiled an iPhone attachment that lets you examine the condition of your skin in excruciating detail -- pores, moisture levels, wrinkles you didn't even know were there, the lot. Now, branching off the Skin 360 tool, the company has unveiled an app that accurately measures your face to ensure a good fit for the sheet masks designed to counteract these skin woes.

The iOS app, called MaskiD, uses the TrueDepth camera in the iPhone X, XS and XR to capture a 3D image of your face, and create a sheet mask that fits it perfectly. The app doesn't have to be used in conjunction with the 360 Skin Tool, but pairing them up will help the app determine the best combination of ingredients for your skin's needs. The system uses five ingredients -- ranging from smoothing hyaluronic acid to exfoliating stabilized glucosamine -- that are 3D printed onto the mask in the exact places (forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, and so on) that need them.  ... "

L'Oreal Launches AR for Make Up

Again an area we experimented with for years, its seems to now be expanding.  Impressive and interesting details.  Makes a point that no App is required. This topic has been often mentioned here, tag below.  Lot of images at the

L’Oréal Paris Launches New AR Tool For Trying Out Make Up  in VRFocus
L'Oréal Paris and Modiface lets customers test make-up looks in AR with no additional apps required.

A number of companies and brands have begun using augmented reality to allow consumers to try out products and see how they might look in the home or about your person. There have even been a number of make up brands which have launched virtual try-on apps for testing out new looks, however most of them need the user to download a separate app. The new tool from L’Oréal Paris eliminates this requirement.

L’Oréal Paris have used facial recognition technology from ModiFace along with AR product simulation to allow users to discover and experiment with different make up and beauty products using only a web browser. ... " 

L'Oreal and Augmented Reality

We worked on beauty applications that used aspects of augmented reality to market.   Had not heard of Facebook Camera Products.   Note L'Oreal's acquisition of Modiface.

L’Oreal Teams with Facebook on AR Initiative  By CGT 

L’Oréal has partnered with Facebook to develop augmented reality experiences through Facebook Camera products. The effort will be driven by ModiFace, the beauty AR specialist that L’Oréal acquired in March.

Through direct, seamless connections between the two platforms, ModiFace and Facebook will let worldwide consumers “try on” cosmetics from L’Oréal brands including Maybelline, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Urban Decay and Shu Uemura. The first experience will be launched by the NYX Professional brand at the end of August.

“Facebook and L’Oréal share the vision that AR is becoming key for product and brand discovery and purchase,” said Lubomira Rochet, chief digital officer at L’Oréal.“We’re at that magical moment when technologies have matured enough and consumer appetite is growing. One fascinating aspect of this partnership is that it keeps us innovating the beauty user experience. After having adapted our creatives and contents to a mobile-first world, it will be interesting to see how AR is going to change the creative playbook of our industry." .... " 

Shiseido: Predicting Intent, Driving Beauty Growth

In Think with Google,  predicting future behavior.

How one beauty brand is predicting intent to drive growth

Alessio Rossi, global chief digital officer at Shiseido, says that to truly grow, brands must stop reacting to customer intent and start anticipating it.

Beauty shoppers today are passionate and curious. They spend hours researching product benefits and reading reviews before deciding what to buy. Even product aspects that were once low consideration, such as ingredients, now generate hours of research time.

Given how research-obsessed people are, we, as marketers, can’t afford to just react to in-the-moment behaviors. That would leave us one step behind. We have to anticipate what people might need and deliver it to them in meaningful ways.

At Shiseido, we’ve built our business around anticipating our customers’ needs, because it’s the best way to deliver strong results. Here’s what we’ve learned along the way  . .... 

We realized that we also needed to predict what other kinds of products might excite them. People can’t tell you exactly what they might want next, so we take cues from past actions to predict future intentions. We call it showing people “the right amount of wrong.” We may not always get it right, but we will continue to learn and provide value as we nurture these relationships.

Give value to get value

Our customers are willing to provide information about their preferences because we give them value in return. And the more information we have about our customers, the better we can infer their needs. As soon as we stop providing that value, we lose their trust. So we take this relationship seriously.  ... "

Beauty Marketing

Its about the dimensions of digital, and the better ability to manipulate those dimensions.  Digital and thus numerical, can be sliced, attached, personalized, measured and valued.

Via Think with Google:

A century-old brand shows how innovation comes from embracing the future rather than fighting it.

The new face of beauty marketing

L’Oréal is one of the oldest brands in the beauty category. It’s also developed a reputation as one of the most innovative, forward-thinking beauty companies in the world. And that reputation applies to its marketing as well.

The company hasn’t viewed the changes to the marketing landscape as simply a challenge, but rather an opportunity. Digital is viewed as the future, something that’s changing the industry for the better. Or, as L’Oreal Global Chief Digital Officer Lubomira Rochet says, digital “brings new dimensions to things that were limited before.”

That approach stems from one of L’Oreal’s key values: “Saisir ce qui commence,” or “Seize what’s starting.” .... " 

L'Oreal on Advanced Digital Experience

Much more at the link regarding what they are thinking of.   Note the mention of the use of voice assistants.

 In Think with Google:

“New technologies, such as voice, AI, AR, VR, are reshaping the way our consumers discover, try, experience, and buy our products. The game won’t be the same when you simply ask your voice assistant to buy the best mascara on the market for you. … Or if you are able to watch a makeup tutorial directly on your face with a virtual try-on. The brands that master these experiences will be the ones people choose.” .... ' 

— Lubomira Rochet, global chief digital officer, L’Oréal.

L'Oreal UV Sense

How L’Oréal designed the UV Sense to fit on your fingernail  in DigitalTrends

Beauty tech is still in its infancy, but lifestyle brands are slowly warming up to the idea of incorporating technology to improve user experience and sometimes, the product itself. We’ve seen a smart hairbrush that can determine the quality of your hair, a smart mirror that can identify the health of your skin, and now there’s nail art that can track exposure to ultraviolet radiation when you’re out and about.

The UV Sense is a battery-free wearable electric sensor you stick onto your fingernail. It can measure UV exposure, which you can track via a companion app on your smartphone. It’s from L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator, which has created products such as the Makeup Genius app, where people can try different looks using a smartphone camera, and Le Teint Particulier an in-store device that scans your skin to create custom foundation for you.

The tricky part about the UV Sense is that if people are supposed to wear it 24/7, it has to look good and feel comfortable. We spoke to the team behind this micro wearable to see how they managed the feat. .... "   (pictures and more details) ... 

Press Release on Olay Skin Care Advisor

More on Olay Skin Advisor:

Olay Unveils Global Skin Analysis Platform Olay Skin Advisor – The First-Of-Its-Kind Application of Deep Learning in the Beauty Industry

Olay’s New Mobile Platform Utilizes AI to Help Women Better Understand Their Skin

"Shopping for skincare has never been more overwhelming, as women are faced with thousands of products and promises"

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, global skincare brand Olay celebrated its Mobile World Congress debut with the global launch of Olay Skin Advisor, a new platform designed to help women better understand their skin and find the products best-suited to their personal skincare needs. Rooted in a suite of artificial intelligence technologies, Olay Skin Advisor marks the first application of deep learning in the beauty industry, arming women with the knowledge they need to care for their skin and better navigate the often-confusing beauty aisle.

“Shopping for skincare has never been more overwhelming, as women are faced with thousands of products and promises,” said Dr. Frauke Neuser, Principal Scientist for Olay. “Olay’s research shows that browsing the shelf is the #1 purchase influencer for women, yet 1/3 of women do not find what they are looking for. We saw an opportunity to help women understand their skin better than ever, before they even step foot in the store. Our solution is Olay Skin Advisor, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver a smart skin analysis and personalized product recommendation, taking the mystery out of shopping for skincare products.”

- See more at: http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/olay-unveils-global-skin-analysis-platform-olay-skin-adviso#sthash.qQRASriP.dpuf

Selfie Skin Analysis by Olay

An interesting advisor approach done by my former employer using advanced deep learning machine learning techniques.

" ... Procter & Gamble Co. today revealed the launch of a global web platform called the Olay Skin Advisor, which enables a woman to have a selfie analyzed via smartphone to determine the P&G products best suited to care for her face.

The Cincinnati-based consumer goods company (NYSE: PG) said the new Olay Skin Advisor platform, which has been piloted in the United States in beta form, is powered by artificial intelligence technologies.

The Skin Advisor provides a woman with precise, personalized skin education and product recommendations on any smartphone or tablet based on the photo submitted.

The goal is to help women better navigate what P&G described as the often-confusing beauty aisle at groceries or other stores. Buying decisions can be complicated because there are so many products from which to choose.  ... " 

We called this general idea 'virtual beauty'.  See tag below for previous work on that.

And more technical technical AI detail in this piece.

Site of Olay Skin Advisor.

More work on the concept of virtual beauty.

Smart Skin Mirror

Links to some of our smart mirror and virtual beauty innovation efforts, but emphasizes skin.  Useful calibration?   In Engadget: 

The first smart mirror you can actually buy focuses on your flaws   
By Cherlynn Low  @cherlynnlow 

Daily photos of your face are meant to flag problems with your skin.

Staring lovingly at your reflection in the mirror gets old, especially if it's not a magical one that tells you you're the fairest of them all. But what if all that time you already spend in front of a mirror could actually make you the most beautiful person in the land? Many smart mirrors already make this promise, but HiMirror is the first one you can actually buy, and it costs $189. The secret sauce comes in the form of a camera that captures your au naturel visage to analyze your complexion, before offering you tips on how to get better skin. I tried it out recently and was impressed by how many things it could do.

The 5.5-pound mirror is more cutesy than the futuristic thanks to its pink accents. It houses a 14-inch LCD screen and has a camera sitting in the middle of a ring flash, which helps light your face for better images. HiMirror snaps a picture of your face every day to analyze your wrinkles, dark spots, dark circles, red spots and pores. The idea is to track how your skin changes over time, and flag your so-called problems so you can take "early measures to improve upon your skin and achieve your beauty goals."     ... ' 

L'Oreal Virtual Reality

We also tried lots of virtual reality in beauty ... but it was never very successful.  Will better quality result in better results?

L'Oreal tries virtual reality.

" ... Animators spent decades trying to make hair look fully realistic, until Pixar created the software used in such movies as Monsters Inc. and Brave. Now that same problem has to be solved in virtual reality.

"From our perspective, hair is the hardest possible problem," explains 8i's Linc Gasking. 8i specializes in modeling fine human details like eyes and fingers, but its team found hair to be particularly challenging, especially the frizzy kind.

Gasking was finally able to crack the hair problem, thanks to a partnership with L'Oréal that's resulted in a new training program for salon stylists affiliated with its professional hair care brand, Matrix. "We're not talking about computer-generated hair," he says. "It’s photo-realistic hair that you can see from any angle."

The project, unveiled today at the Fast Company Innovation Festival by L'Oréal's vice president of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Rachel Weiss, will roll out to stylists through L'Oréal's "Matrix Academy," an educational program affiliated with its Matrix beauty brand. Instead of traveling across the country for trainings (which are highly costly), or watching two-dimensional YouTube videos, stylists will have the option to learn new styling techniques with a VR headset. ... " 

Consumer Brands Using Chatbots

I have in the talked some of our efforts about using chatbots for consumer brands.  FastCompany more generally has an examination of current brands that use chatbots, including Sephora.  Good general design ideas and cautions.

Very Human Lessons From Three Brands That Use Chatbots To Talk To Customers ... Seamless interactions make for happier and more engaged users who want to keep coming back. ... " 

Supply Chain Metrics in Household and Beauty

Good report out of SupplyChainInsights.

Supply Chain Metrics That Matter: A Focus on Household Products, and Beauty Companies – 2016
" ... Report Details: This report is based on analysis of financial balance sheet and income statement data within Household Products and Beauty industries, for the period of 2006-2015. The data is collected from YCharts. ,,,, 

Objective: To use financial balance sheet and income statement data to better understand the state of Household Products, and Beauty supply chains and to determine which companies’ supply chains did the best on the delivery of a portfolio of metrics over the last decade.

Highlight: Within the Household Products, and Beauty industries companies are stuck on the critical metrics that drive value. Most regressed in delivering improvement on the Supply Chain Metrics That Matter. This analysis highlights the performance of new supply chain leaders. Clorox and L’Oréal are winners of the Supply Chains to Admire analysis for 2016, with Estée Lauder posting results as a strong finalist. .... " 

Create a Trusted Hub to Engage

Not unknown.  Have to do it well.  In Adage:  " ...  L'Oreal Creates Unbranded Content Hub to Woo Beauty Fans ... Beauty Site Called Fab Even Covers Rival Brands ... ".