L’Oréal has taken a big step forward by deepening its partnership with IBM to dive into cosmetics formulation using generative artificial intelligence, or GenAI. The aim? To discover new ways to make their products more sustainable. L’Oréal is not just ticking boxes; they’re aiming for a significant shift with their “L’Oréal for the Future” program, which targets sourcing most of its ingredients from renewable materials by 2030.
This collaboration builds on a relationship that’s been growing over the past few years. L’Oréal is on a digital transformation journey into Industry 4.0, leveraging IBM’s Watson IoT platform to enhance decision-making. The two companies are exploring various technologies, including IoT and AI, to create smarter factories for L’Oréal.
In 2018, L’Oréal acquired ModiFace, paving the way for augmented reality in beauty. This technology allows customers to try different lipstick shades using their phone’s camera in real-time, making shopping more interactive and personalized.
The latest GenAI initiative could significantly boost L’Oréal’s innovative capabilities in creating cosmetic formulations. By analyzing vast amounts of formulation and component data, the AI model aims to speed up developing new products, reformulating existing ones, and optimizing production processes. This supports L’Oréal’s team of 4,000 researchers globally.
IBM Consulting is helping L’Oréal reshape how they create products. By understanding how renewable ingredients work in formulations, L’Oréal aims to enhance sustainability and offer more personalized options for consumers everywhere.
Matthieu Cassier, L’Oréal’s chief transformation and digital officer, highlighted that this partnership with IBM could usher in a new era for innovation in beauty science. IBM called this approach “augmented research,” blending deep AI expertise with cosmetics to revolutionize how products are formulated. Guilhaume Leroy-Méline from IBM emphasized that this initiative captures the essence of AI-augmented research, focusing on sustainability and diversity.