AmorePacific, a leading South Korean cosmetics company, has launched a cutting-edge AI beauty lab where robots custom-mix face products and advanced technology recommends optimal lipstick colors. This initiative caters to the unique skin tones of customers, addressing a common issue of limited over-the-counter options.
“Everyone has their specific skin tone, but typically they buy the most common colors available,” said Kwon You-jin, a 32-year-old customer at the lab. She appreciated the personalized experience after receiving an AI-generated skin report and seeing the results firsthand, with a robot creating a foundation perfectly matched to her skin tone.
The use of AI in cosmetics is gaining traction, with global brands like L’Oréal and LVMH-owned Sephora adopting similar technologies to personalize products for customers. The beauty industry, which reached $625.6 billion in sales in 2023, has seen steady growth since a dip in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Statista Market Insights.
AmorePacific‘s AI system offers personalized recommendations from 205 different foundations and 366 lip product colors. “We employed deep learning and machine learning techniques to automate the expert evaluation process,” explained Lee Young-jin, an engineer and adviser for AmorePacific’s custom beauty business.
Analysts highlight the efficiency of AI over human consultants, noting that AI can expedite product development and minimize variability. “Human evaluations can vary significantly, and consistently consulting a large number of experts is impractical,” said Yang Yong Suk, principal researcher at South Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).
The AI beauty and cosmetics market is projected to grow from $3.27 billion in 2023 to $8.1 billion in 2028, driven by advancements in personalized beauty recommendations, skin analysis, and virtual makeup artists, according to Business Research Company.
Photo credit: AmorePacific