Becoming TECHnically Beautiful
How Technological Innovations Are Changing The Face Of The Cosmetics Industry
Tech For The ‘Rest of Us’
This week the Consumer Technology Association is hosting what can best be described as the Superbowl for technology enthusiasts and vendors alike. Las Vegas, Nevada is the host city for CES 2020, a trade-show/super-convention that’s been highlighting cutting edge in computer hardware, smart gadgets, hi-def televisions, and even concept cars for half a century. What may have been a nerdy boys geek-fest in years past, has become a global phenomenon and widely streamed event; a unique space where Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and Motor-city (or wherever car factories have moved to), converge.
This year feels a little different. While you’ll still find Nikon’s highest resolution cameras or the latest gaming devices which will compete directly with Microsoft’s recently unveiled X-Box Series X or Sony’s PlayStation 5, you’ll also see a trend in new gadgets tailored for non-gamers, the technologically illiterate, or those otherwise uninterested. Multi-core processors and 8K televisions don’t excite everyone but, every human, at one time or another has sought ways to improve how the outside world perceives them or made attempts to enhance their appearance. Cosmetics brands are showcasing some hi-tech gadgets of their own they hope will attract beauty-conscious consumers looking to get more from their technology than high-scores or high resolutions.
There’s a lot excitement brewing over a printer that Proctor & Gamble is developing which promises to assist in hiding your blemishes by ‘printing’ directly over them. The Opte skin system being showcased to potential investors in Vegas promises to detect skin discoloration and apply a mineral pigment to mask it from readily being seen. It can brighten certain spots as well as darken others. According to Opte, their wand’s printable tones “cover 99% of women’s complexions.”
You can easily imagine a future where women will have a much easier time finding their exact shade of makeup when the makeup itself is given the ability to scan each spot. If you imagine the way how pointillism is used to create a scene in a Georges Seurat painting, the various tones printed from the Opte “wand” strategically on the face could theoretically blend into the skin more naturally than traditional singled-hued concealers. The device’s ability to scan each user’s face (up to 200 images per second) also ensures the resulting application is tailored to them.
While this tech won’t replace the creativity of your makeup artist at a local Sephora, it does offer users who are professionals, full-time homemakers, or otherwise pressed for time, a high quality customized solution for masking blemishes from the comfort of their own home. Other vendors are leveraging advances in the field of genetics when it comes to their beauty care products.
Biotech firm EpigenCare Inc. has introduced a novel way to match users with skincare products tailored to them by determining characteristics of user’s skin which they derive from their DNA. Their Skintelli product, according to their homepage, “measures DNA methylation” to determine which factors in a user’s environment are contributing to the expression of specific genes as it relates to their skin.
Their proprietary DNA test creates a unique profile that distinguishes individual traits in key categories including pigmentation, sun protection, anti-oxidation, moisture retention, sensitivity response, firmness & elasticity, skin rejuvenation, and aging. These “skin quality indicators” are used to generate tailored made recommendations ranging from which brands of skincare products to use to which ingredients to avoid in cosmetics altogether.
Los Angeles based skincare brand Neutrogena has launched a line of beauty masks called Mask iD. You can readily find off-the-shelf treatment masks that are supposed to cleanse the skin as well as remove blackheads and other toxins. The problem is, they can be a pain to apply evenly as everyone’s face is a different size/shape. Mask iD seeks to address this issue by offering users custom-fit 3D printed masks tailored for every curve from forehead to jawline.
From the convenience of your bathroom, you’ll be able to scan your face using Neutrogena’s Skin360 app, once the scan is uploaded, you’ll be prompted to choose from a variety of masks which target your unique problem zones. The mask itself is 3D printed and shipped directly to the you.
More Than Skin…
It’s often stated that beauty is only skin deep. Cosmetics and technology are also being married in areas outside of skincare. From brighter teeth to clearer toenails, technology firms are forming partnerships with consumer goods titans like Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Colgate-Palmolive to develop the must-have beautifying gadgets and tools that’ll become the standards of the new decade.
Colgate-Palmolive has unfurled a new ‘smart’ toothbrush which they claim can leave users with brighter teeth. Dubbed the Plaqless Pro Smart Electric Toothbrush, this futuristic dental hygiene device features sensors that can detect plaque buildup in real-time and map out how clean your mouth is with an accompanying app.
The Oral-B iO is a similar device that leverages AI for “ tracking and coaching” users in proper brushing techniques. This smart brush features a “linear magnetic drive” which can detect the force which is applied during brushing, analyze it, and provide real-time feedback.
In a future near you, there’ll be fewer emergency visits to the dentist as your toothbrush itself will be able to detect dental hygiene issues long before they become full-blown diseases. Down the line, it shouldn’t be difficult to imagine sharing a personalized status report from your smart brush's app to your dental hygienist prior to an appointment to allow them to create more individualized treatment plans ahead of time.
Pre-cog Cosmetology?
There’s even a new crop of gadgets designed to prevent the types of deterioration that create the need for concealers and wrinkle creams in the first place. French wearables firm IEVA is showcasing a timepiece that can detect harmful elements in the environment. The Time-C Smartwatch can detect both UVA and UVB rays (which have been shown to damage skin and promote wrinkles), ambient temperature, humidity, local pollution, and even the noise levels of your surroundings. In addition to the fitness tracking capabilities we’ve come to expect from these type of devices, this watch is designed to stop the environmental causes of beauty decay in their tracks.
Cosmetics giant L’Oreal has also jumped into the fray with an environmentally aware wearable of their own. Their My Skin Track/UV (coupled with a smartphone) can also monitor UV rays as it creates a profile based on tracked data to recommend safer sun exposure behaviors. The best part is, this device doesn’t require a battery to operate.
L’Oreal has also unveiled the Perso, an all-in-one makeup dispenser which uses data from it’s accompanying app to dole out custom batches of skin cream, lipstick, or foundation. According to your unique profile, it can determine whether you need a specific formulation for added UV protection or even mix the perfect shade of lipstick to go with your complexion.
What’s Next?
As CES2020 wraps in the next few days, consumers will have to wait to see which of these beautiful beautifying gadgets will make it store shelves. Many of these products are in the early stages of their development but, quite a few of these are expected to be in stores this calendar year. The verdict is still out as to how effective these items will be for real-world users but, it’s amazing how much of last decade’s technological innovations are being applied to cosmetics. Now we have another reason we won’t be able to put our phones away this decade. Which new gadgets and apps will you use to keep you beautiful in 2020?
