L'Oreal Taking Cosmetics Digital, Virtual

Worked with a large Cosmetics Company, so of interest

L’Oréal’s New Digital Chief Takes Cosmetics Virtual  By The Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2021

L'Oréal Group's newly appointed digital executive is exploring how online games, augmented reality and social media can help the French cosmetics company reach new demographics amid an expected increase in e-commerce sales.

"The pandemic has been a catalyst for digital adoption," and L'Oréal is "constantly reimagining" its digital strategies, said Asmita Dubey, the company's chief digital and marketing officer.

Before her appointment as digital and marketing chief, Ms. Dubey held digital and marketing management positions at L'Oréal for eight years.  Ms. Dubey succeeded former Chief Digital Officer Lubomira Rochet in April and reports to L'Oréal Group Chief Executive Nicolas Hieronimus, who took the reins in May.

L'Oréal's brands include Lancôme, Kiehl's, La Roche-Posay, Garnier and Maybelline New York. The cosmetics company has about 3,000 employees who are focused on digital initiatives. It employs about 85,400 people total.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.   ... ' 

L'Oreal Social Selling Platform

Some advances in Beauty care selling strategy.

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.

“Social commerce is an exciting new form of e-commerce that enables consumers, influencers, experts, beauty or shop assistants to sell brands and products on social platforms through formats such as live shopping or livestreaming,” said Lubomira Rochet, chief digital officer of L’Oreal. “Today, e-commerce already represents 25% of L’Oreal’s revenues. The rise of social commerce is a great opportunity for our brands to reinvent the consumer beauty experience worldwide. We are very excited to partner with Replika Software, a pioneer in the field, to create social commerce at scale. Our ambition is to crack this new channel and create a healthy and dynamic ecosystem of social sellers for the beauty category.”... '

AR Continues Struggle in Retail

An area we spent lots of early time in.  Good overview article of current work.

Despite advancements, AR struggles to take off in retail   By Anna Hensel in Modern Retail
This is the third part in a series by Modern Retail about the technologies that were going to change retail — and where they are now. See our previous stories, about the future of robotics, and the truth about RFID.

Three years ago, retailers began spending money on AR.

In 2017, Williams-Sonoma acquired Outward, an AR and 3D imaging startup for $112 million. The following year, Ulta Beauty also acquired an AR startup for an undisclosed amount, as did L’Oreal. Retailers like Walmart and Nike acquired other startups that specialized in virtual reality and computer vision, but also with the goal of using them to create experiences that incorporated some type of virtual reality component.

That ushered in a stampede of retailers eager to experiment with AR. Michael Kors and Warby Parker were some of the first companies to experiment with running AR in Facebook ads. Macy’s launched AR experiences for both furniture and beauty shoppers.

AR right now is big among two categories: beauty or furniture. Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Wayfair, Williams-Sonoma and Ikea have all launched virtual try-on experiences that use AR. Retailers in apparel have also experimented with adding these types of tools — the most recent being Asos — many of those efforts remain firmly in the experimentation phase. Because of the nature of the technology, it’s really those three industries where it can make a real difference — especially in fashion.

But even for the retailers who have invested heavily in AR by building their own virtual try on experiences, they haven’t been able to point definitively to how much their AR tools have resulted in a sales increase.

“There’s still some hyping [around AR], no doubt,” said Andrew Lispman, e-commerce analyst at eMarketer. “But I think the reality has set in when you see the initial use cases…are mostly edge cases. They may work well for their category, but it’s not a use case that extends between all or even most categories.”   ...." 

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. .... " 

Trying on Makeup Via Live with Amazon

We spent years and much effort looking at the technology options for 'Virtual Makeover'.   Calling  it 'Virtual Beauty'.  Tested it our virtual spaces, and in home settings, never flew strongly.   Always thought the selfie craze would push the uptake.    L'Oreal picked up the idea more strongly.    Here some new stuff via Amazon, likely worth a look.

Amazon's 'Live Mode' lets you try on Makeup via its app

So you know exactly how that lipstick is going to look on you before you buy it.

By Rachel England, @rachel_england in Engadget

Cosmetics giant L'Oreal announced last year that it was buying augmented reality beauty app maker ModiFace. Since then it's deployed virtual makeup try-ons across a number of its own brands, allowing shoppers to test different shades of makeup in a live video or selfie of themselves. Now, the AI-powered beauty technology is coming to Amazon.

From today, Amazon mobile users in the US and Japan will be able to try out Live Mode via the Android app, with iOS slated for launch later this year. Using the front facing camera, shoppers can digitally try on different shades of lipstick, thanks to AI-powered analysis of information provided by make-up brands, as well as images and descriptions found on social media. .... " 

Virtual Makeovers Improving

Worked this space for some time.  L'Oreal has leading the pack.

Virtual Makeovers Are Better Than Ever. Beauty Companies Are Trying to Cash In   By Rachel Metz

Augmented reality (AR) is being pushed to the mainstream by apps in the beauty industry that serve as a consumer tool for trying on makeup. One example is an iPhone app from Ulta Beauty subsidiary GlamST, aided by innovations in underlying technology such as facial-feature and finger tracking. More powerful front-facing cameras on modern smartphones also have helped boost AR's appeal to beauty companies. AR companies said virtual makeup makes sense, given the deeply entrenched consumer mindset of trying on products before purchase. Advocates like L'Oréal chief digital officer Lubomira Rochet said AR is improving sales, with shoppers typically spending more time on an app or website that has AR makeup or skin-care features; Rochet also saw a 10% greater likelihood that those who virtually try on products will buy them, compared to those who do   ... "

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." .... " 

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) ... 

Augmented Beauty by Modiface at L'Oreal

An area we did lots of research and development on.  Now based on this piece, it seems that the tech has finally caught up to the needs.   But will it practically work as a marketing, sales and operational tool?  Remains to be seen.   See images at the link.

L’Oreal acquires Modiface, a major AR beauty company
By Ashley Carman @ashleyrcarman  in TheVerge

L’Oreal announced today that it has acquired Modiface, a company that’s had a hand in the creation of many custom augmented reality beauty apps, including those from Sephora and Estée Lauder. L’Oreal didn’t disclose the amount spent, but it did tell Reuters that it now owns Modiface’s numerous patents that help users visualize makeup and hairstyles on themselves. The partnership makes sense in that Modiface has already worked with L’Oreal multiple times, including on the launch of its Style My Hair mobile app, which lets users try on different hairstyles. For that app, Modiface manually annotated 22,000 facial images to create the experience.  ... "

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. ... " 

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 ... ". 

L'Oreal and Programmatic Digital Advertising

We did early work in this area.  By analytically matching advertising to predicted outcomes based on costs.   Essentially a big data optimization problem.   This worked for about a decade, but eventually the idea was outsourced.   We are now in different times, especially with regard to the amount of data we have.   In Adage:

L'Oreal USA Looks to Bring Programmatic Trading In-House
Beauty Giant Would Follow P&G and Others Amid Industry Concerns

L'Oreal USA looks to be the latest big marketer set to bring programmatic digital trading in house, soon after concluding its North American media review.

The company has posted a job listing for an assistant VP of Precision Advertising Information Technology with experience overseeing data management platforms and demand-side platforms used to build in-house trading desks. The person is to work with the company's chief marketing officer team and brand media leaders to identify "which platforms will be trialed and then scaled for broad use to achieve precision buying and tracking of media buys." .... ' 

See the programmatic ad buying tag below for much more.

Beauty Talent for Supply Chain

In CGT: 
" .... Attracting, building and developing a talented, entrepreneurial supply chain planning team is a challenge. Add in the pressure of making significant improvements in forecast accuracy, inventory and service, while becoming a strategic partner within your organization, and describing it as daunting becomes an understatement. In June this year, CGT received a nomination for a visionary individual: Andrea Atwell, vice president U.S. Supply Chain, L’Oréal USA, Luxe Division — from a L’Oréal competitor! Atwell’s stance on building supply chain talent has been impressionable to say the least, and through this exclusive interview she reveals her recipe for success in this dynamic and quickly evolving marketplace.  ... " 

Eyeliner Connecting to the Internet

In SiliconAngle:  "  ... When eyeliner connects to the Internet: L’Oreal hints at IoT plans  ... "    An unusual connection to the Internet of Things.  How broadly will we see commonly used products being connected?   How will this influence how products are purchased or used?

L'Oreal 3D Printing Skin

In BBC Tech:

French cosmetics firm L'Oreal is teaming up with bio-engineering start-up Organovo to 3D-print human skin. ... It said the printed skin would be used in product tests. ... Organovo has already made headlines with claims that it can 3D-print a human liver but this is its first tie-up with the cosmetics industry.

L'Oreal currently grows skin samples from tissues donated by plastic surgery patients. It produces more than 100,000, 0.5 sq cm skin samples per year and grows nine varieties across all ages and ethnicities. ... " 

Making All Ads Shoppable

In Adage: L'Oreal USA Moves to Make All Types of Ads -- Online and Off -- 'Shoppable' ... Deal with Powa Could Allow Direct-Response Tags on All Ads, Promotions .. ".  Have followed L'Oreal for years as a technical innovator, click tag below.