Beauty for All: Using AI Technology to Promote Inclusivity in the Beauty Industry
Written by: Lily Donabella
Current Situation
Not long ago, beauty consumers would visit their local department store or drug store to shop for products. To buy prestige, luxury, or high-end brands like Estee Lauder, Chanel, and Dior, department stores dedicated a large portion of front-end space to house beauty counters that were organized by the brand. Beauty advisors, who jointly worked for the department store and the beauty brand they represented, were on hand to provide expertise and guidance through product demonstrations; all of this was aimed at building personalized experiences that ultimately lead to selling products. According to Beauty Review, department store beauty counters began at the turn of the twentieth century. “Everything changed in 1909 when Gordon Selfridge opened Selfridges & Co on Oxford Street in London. One year into trading, he took the bold step to not only openly sell cosmetics — but to display them and encourage women to test and enjoy shopping for them. And we all know what happened next: the beauty counter was embraced and expanded into a place for women to enjoy (publicly) and experience cosmetics before committing to buy.”
At the traditional department store in the United States and beyond, products were kept behind the counter and were accessed only by the beauty representative/advisor. The department store beauty counter was a successful model for many years as women flocked to them for a few minutes of self-care. They built a relationship with their beauty advisor and in turn, the advisor would keep them updated on new products and promotions. The beauty advisor behind the counter held the power to sell the products, but also to turn away those potential customers she did not feel were in keeping with the brand’s image: that meant ignoring or shunning women of color, anyone who did not fit the traditional definition of beauty at the time, those with disabilities, and perhaps, even men.
This exclusivity went beyond the beauty advisor as it also affected the products that were offered. Historically, years before Fenty Beauty was created, most of the brands were geared toward white, abled women, with an occasional beauty counter dedicated to Fashion Fair, a niche brand marketed mainly to black women. Fenty (created by singer, Rihanna) has only been in existence for about six years, so previously, women of color had to rely on other cosmetics brands hoping they had shades that matched their darker skin tones. Further, women of color, or for that matter, any person who did not fit the traditional target market of white, middle to high-income women, suffered various forms of bias. In one 2020 study commissioned by beauty retailer, Sephora (see CBC News Article), consumers expressed feelings of exclusion even before stepping into the store because brands failed to include wider ranges of skin colors, body types, and hair textures. Three in five beauty consumers stated they had faced some sort of discriminatory behavior at a beauty counter.
Let’s face it: the in-person experience comes with human biases. Whether it is conscious or unconscious bias, the beauty advisor may prefer to deal with a customer who looks like and is like themselves. Worse, imagine having a beauty advisor who is reluctant to touch your face because of your skin tone, facial blemish, or disability. As part of the Sephora survey results, individuals mentioned experiences with slower service, being degraded, and being questioned about their ability to afford the products. So, a beauty buying experience that was supposed to provide the consumer with a few moments of self-care and confidence-boosting just became an excruciating, humiliating experience.
Even with those potential biases, the beauty industry has evolved over the years and it continues to be an economic powerhouse bringing in $579 billion worldwide, with the United States spending the highest amount (according to Oberlo). Even in difficult economic times, the beauty industry tends to be immune to the negative effects of a recession. It is called the “lipstick effect.” According to Investopedia, consumers still spend money on little luxuries like lipstick as a way to treat themselves during difficult times.
The in-person beauty counter experience continues to exist today, mostly in larger retail markets, but as beauty companies like Sephora and Ulta came onto the scene, the beauty counter experience has evolved. Both have in-person and online experiences; however, products are no longer hidden behind the counter, and more brands are easily accessible for instant testing and ultimately for purchasing.
If we examine this using the C-Scape model, let us first look at our beauty consumers. Beauty consumers are widely diverse: they include women, men, non-binary, all income levels, sizes, disabilities, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. They wield the ultimate power, and they influence how brands change and grow. First, consumers still want a personalized hands-on experience. In fact, Forbes showed that 84% of sales still occur in traditional brick-and-mortar stores, and 48% of consumers prefer to shop in-store. In addition, the Black Lives Matter movement brought diversity and inclusion to the forefront. We are seeing a lot more representation in advertising. In the non-beauty market, we see Aunt Jemima being abandoned in favor of Pearl Milling Company as a branding strategy to address the negative slavery connotations. In the beauty business, we are also seeing more representation of people of color, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities in advertising for Sephora and Ulta, as companies are beginning to change their marketing strategies because of consumer demands. The current holiday ad for Sephora includes two non-binary individuals applying makeup on each other.
Content is also changing. Influencers continuously push changes with their virtually instantaneous and continuous presence on social media. As a result, consumers are seeing more choices. Companies like Fenty have provided a wider range of colors that appeal to a larger, more diverse audience. Rare Beauty, owned by celebrity Selena Gomez, has created packaging that is more accessible to those with disabilities. Gomez, who herself suffers from lupus, has received praise for her packaging from people with disabilities because of its unique design and its ease of use specifically for people with mobility issues. Even Rare Beauty’s lipstick comes in a square container, so it is less likely to fall off a counter. While Rare Beauty can be used by almost all consumers, it has been curated specifically for people with disabilities. The Rare Beauty website states, “Rare Beauty is breaking down unrealistic standards of perfection. This is makeup made to feel good in, without hiding what makes you unique — because Rare Beauty is not about being someone else, but being who you are.” Sites like Rare Beauty, Sephora, and Ulta use a variety of formats to reach their audience. From a convergence perspective, these brands use in-person experiences at their stores, websites, video tutorials, and even scheduled Zoom sessions to reach a larger, more inclusive audience. We are no longer in a one-size-fits-all beauty world and technology has played a major role in those changes.
Prediction of New Trend: A High-Tech High-Touch Approach
Technology is already becoming integrated into the beauty business. In keeping with the Six Super Trends, we see that there have been several technological advancements in the world of beauty. While these advancements do not necessarily equate to improved health or have an effect on population growth, the technology we are seeing continues to have an impact on the beauty consumer’s self-care, and perhaps, on their emotional well-being.
Perfectcorp.com states that today’s tech innovations are making beauty more inclusive. It’s called Beauty Tech. It is the intersection of beauty and technology, with its goal being to make product selection a more personalized experience. From skincare to haircare, to selecting the right foundation color, Beauty Tech uses AI to personalize the beauty experience for each consumer — all on their smartphones, and in seconds.
AI technology can also be used to enhance a person’s appearance virtually. Earlier this year, Bold Glamour launched on social media, and it created quite a buzz. Bold Glamour is machine learning technology that can edit a user’s facial features in photos and videos. It can smooth and brighten skin, sculpt cheekbones, and create the “perfect” user. CNN recently reported on Bold Glamour and described how some were impressed with the technology while others were concerned about how it creates unrealistic beauty expectations. Log into any influencer’s social media, and chances are you will notice a perfected version of their appearance. While it allows users to experiment with their looks, makeup colors, and styles, it could be setting a dangerous precedent where what you see is not real. AI technology such as Bold Glamour may be perpetuating unattainable beauty standards.
Bold Glamour aside, AI can make the beauty experience much more inclusive. Some consumers are not able to travel to a traditional brick-and-mortar store for consultation. Others prefer the privacy of their own space to select products. Simi Lindgren is the founder and CEO of Yuty, a platform that makes it easier to shop for beauty products using AI for “hyper-personalization.” Lindgren said that finding the right beauty products can be challenging, particularly for consumers from underrepresented demographics. “From mismatched shades to a lack of product availability, underrepresented beauty consumers face difficulty with searching for compatible products. Personalization, enabled by AI, can restore social equity for the beauty industry.” In an industry that has traditionally been known for its exclusivity, new AI technology such as Yuty may bring more equity and accessibility to the beauty world.
Marrying AI technology with a vision toward inclusion could bring beauty to those who have traditionally been excluded and could also bring potential economic growth for the beauty industry: our second Super Trend. As new technologies are created, it may potentially bring about more growth and prosperity since it could increase consumers’ buying. AI mirrors, apps, and other technology already exist in the beauty business, however, let us consider taking it to another level.
As Kramer emphasizes in C-Scape, “Every business must become a media business.” So, with that in mind, businesses like Sephora must follow suit and continue to push toward more AI technology. Granted, Sephora already uses a multi-media approach both in stores and online using SMS, tracking purchases, video tutorials, and all forms of social media and influencers. Nonetheless, how do they address the need to give consumers the inclusive in-person experience they still demand in a high-tech AI world?
Taking Yuty’s innovation to another level, it would be interesting for a company like Sephora to create an application where consumers may complete a profile of their own needs, and then be able to log in to have a personal analysis with their own AI beauty advisor. There would be an AI questionnaire and facial recognition software based on buying habits, social media usage, and personal preferences. Their own AI beauty advisor would then be created and available for them on-demand. Their AI beauty advisor could look like them if preferred, provide advice and guidance on makeup and skincare application, and can provide “live” tutorials. The interactions can occur in the consumer’s own home or in a retail space, depending on the consumer’s wants and needs. In some ways, it is like a beauty AI best friend, and the consumer controls the “friendship.” Their new AI beaty advisor would then recommend products that the consumer could purchase and have delivered to their home.
What does this accomplish? AI could create a beauty advisor that over time, begins to know the consumer’s wants and needs and can physically look the way the consumer desires, thus, providing comfort and relatability. This is much like the beauty counter experience of the past, but this time, it is much more inclusive of more populations of consumers. The Sephora study referenced earlier in this paper also showed that more than three-quarters of shoppers surveyed said they struggle to find salespeople who look like them or are familiar with their needs. As a result, three in five shoppers said they would be unlikely to return to the specific store again, and that equates to lost revenue. While better hiring practices, training and supervision may address some of the human biases that come from in-person experiences, it is not always consistent or perfect.
The AI beauty advisor can also provide guidance that would accommodate a person’s disability if needed. Getting to a traditional brick-and-mortar store may not be practical if mobility or transportation is an issue. This “high-tech high-touch” type of AI beauty technology would also begin to address some of the concerns that traditionally underrepresented groups have raised about having negative experiences at the beauty counter. Beauty consumers still want personalized service, so this new type of AI experience could accomplish that while providing a more inclusive yet high-tech experience. The consumer could participate in a virtual cosmetic “try-on” and testing and can experiment with colors through this special AI application. The consumer is encouraged to reach out to their AI beauty advisor for additional tips and tutorials whenever needed. If the consumer has mobility issues, is visually impaired, or has auditory disabilities, the beauty AI technology can accommodate it using ADA-compliant advancements such as voice recognition, visual modifications, or other accessibility enhancements.
Prescription/Scenario of the New Trend
Beauty media companies such as Sephora and Ulta can use this new AI technology to capture markets that have traditionally felt isolated and excluded. Sephora and Ulta are already some of the first to have inclusive marketing and advertising, using a diverse population of people in their campaigns, as discussed. Adding inclusive beauty AI technology could serve to enhance their outreach. Although we will not discuss the human resources implications of AI technology, it is important to mention that the virtual AI beauty advisor could potentially be more cost-effective to an organization than traditional employees since it eliminates staffing issues, wages, and training.
Referencing back to the C-Scape model, consumers have the power and influence to demand more equity and inclusion, and new AI technology is a way to address their demands. It also elevates the traditional methods by which beauty consumers make their buying decisions, as the new AI platform brings the products and services right to the consumer, virtually cutting out any biases they experienced in the past. Better content translates to a better shopping experience. All of this could result in increased sales and better revenue for beauty brands. The new AI technology can track preferences, shopping habits and experiences, thus, providing a personalized, more curated approach to beauty buying.
Let us now look at five possible future scenarios of how this new beauty AI technology may work, as referenced in Futuring, Chapter 8:
Surprise-Free Scenario — Consumers embrace the AI technology and use it as expected. The intended audience embraces the technology and uses it to make their online beauty purchases.
Optimistic Scenario — The intended consumers embrace the technology, and the beauty business sees a higher-than-expected increase in sales, specifically from under-represented groups.
Pessimistic Scenario — While the new AI technology is used, it is not widely successful as consumers may view it as being less personalized than a traditional in-person beauty counter experience. Sales remain flat.
Disaster Scenario — The AI technology is not embraced and is viewed as an invasion of privacy. The technology is not advanced enough for facial recognition and live AI tutorials are not generating the anticipated results. The employment market also suffered as beauty AI technology replaced in-person advisors. Sales remain flat or decrease due to consumer outrage.
Transformation Scenario — The new AI technology is not only successful for underrepresented groups in the beauty industry, but it has essentially transformed the way all consumers test and ultimately purchase beauty products at Sephora. Other beauty retailers have begun to use similar types of AI technology, and it continues to be refined and improved as more consumers use the platform. Eventually, it could be used in other retail spaces such as fashion and home goods, to name a few. In-person advisors and sales representatives continue to play an integral role in traditional brick-and-mortar operations, but their jobs have transitioned to more value-added activities: this could include sales and consumer data analysis, as examples. More importantly, this new AI technology may help to disrupt biases, as more people feel included as important consumers.
Although the future is bright, there are still some concerns with using AI technology in beauty and other formats. In a recent LinkedIn article, there is a discussion that AI may cause social isolation and that the balance between human relationships and technology has the potential to shift. Social media has already created communication that is essentially impersonal and online, so, something like this beauty AI technology may have the potential to replace physical interactions. AI can be transformative and can improve areas such as education, healthcare, etc.
In the beauty AI world, we do not yet know whether the technology will be able to virtually match people’s skin tones from a mobile device. We also do not yet know if its intent of inclusivity will be achieved and if it can truly replace the in-person beauty counter experience. More importantly (and this is my personal perspective), will AI technology disrupt the typical assumptions of beauty standards? Who or what determines beauty? It is difficult to know if AI technology will be able to accomplish everything. Ideally, AI technology will help to drive our traditional notions of beauty and expand them to include all forms for all consumers.