[update] Everything You Need to Know About Beauty 3.0

At the recent Connected Consumer Conference, hosted by Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), Perfect Corp. founder and CEO Alice Chang took the opportunity to introduce the future of digital beauty or as she called it "Beauty 3.0."

According to Chang, the Beauty 3.0 concept combines unprecedented artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, augmented reality (AR) and human touch learnings, for a completely personalized, proactive and wildly accurate virtual try-on experience that rivals, and surpasses, the once traditional physical ones.

Chang stated, "We introduced the concept of Beauty 2.0 (AR) back in 2015 and in less than three years, we have seen unstoppable momentum in how the industry has upgraded and embraced digital technology as a new way of consumer engagement. Now, we are excited to lead the beauty transformation in its new era, 'Beauty 3.0', shifting from reactive experiences to personalized, proactive ones. By introducing personalized, on-demand services like in-app live Beauty Advisor consultations, as well as instant product recommendations based on skin tone, face shape, and beauty preferences, we are able to deliver the next generation smart beauty experience designed just for you."

Update: Held at the New York Marriott Marquis, the event welcomed 700 executives from beauty and related industries, immersive themselves in the high-tech trends influencing today’s beauty consumers.

“Our first Connected Consumer event last year was received well by our members, who indicated a need for educational resources in the digital space,” said Carlotta Jacobson, president, CEW. “We knew immediately that this was a conference that needed to be reprised and we are proud to have assembled an outstanding list of speakers, both inside and outside of the beauty industry, to share their expertise in this rapidly evolving arena.”

Topics and speakers included:

• Christine Barton, senior partner and managing director, and Mario Simon, executive principal, New York, The Boston Consulting Group, Inc., shared a proprietary report on how prestige beauty shopping habits are impacting retail across demographics.
• Angelica Munson, global president, Shiseido’s Digital Center of Excellence, Shiseido Americas, and Scott Rosenfield, Site Director, Wired, discussed how to leverage “content, care and commerce” to drive customer acquisition and engagement.
• Marc Dispensa, co-founder and CTO, Equals 3, provided insights into how artificial intelligence technology is posed to shake up the beauty industry.
• Brian McDevitt, managing director, Home & Personal Care, Google, shared behind-the-scenes insights into how video content for beauty has evolved.
• Bryan Gildenberg, chief knowledge officer Kantar Consulting, provided insights into beauty shopping in a voice-enabled age.
• Paul Vigna, Co-author, The Truth Machine, and an expert in crypto-currency, explained how decentralized databases will impact everything from online currencies to tracking the supply chain of ingredients.
• Paula Pontes, SVP & global general manager, GlamGlow, discussed how creating a scientifically driven formula for success on social media doesn’t have to look and feel clinical.
• Rob Garf, VP of industry strategy and insights, Salesforce, shared how leading brands are translating intelligence into personalized experiences.
• Fred Gerantabee, global VP of digital innovation, Coty; Francisco Gimenez, founder and CEO, eSalon; Jennifer Goldfarb, co-founder and president, Ipsy; and Karen Moon, CEO and co-founder, Trendalytics shared how they are setting a new standard for personalization by engaging the consumer at multiple touch points - from product co-creation to marketing to customer in-store experiences.
• Alice Chang, founder and CEO, and Wayne Liu, GM and vice president of business development, Perfect Corp., creators of the YouCam Makeup app, demonstrated their virtual, on-demand Beauty Advisor that allows users to experience a real-time custom beauty consultation through guided augmented reality.
• Guive Balooch, global VP of technology incubator, L’Oréal, and Lucie Greene, JWT Intelligence, shared their perspectives on the breakthrough developments that are re-shaping beauty, how new tech can inform and improve product design and the role that technology will play in transforming the consumer experience.
• Bridget Dolan, SVP of omni experience and innovation, Sephora, discussed how the retailer blends emotional connection, digital experiences and physical assets to create experiences that resonate with today’s consumer.

Additionally, La Roche-Posay unveiled My Skin Track UV, a battery-free wearable electronic which measures UV exposure, at the event. Available now at apple.com and select U.S. Apple stores for $59.95, the technology was developed by L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator. Activated by the sun, My Skin Track UV relays stored data to its accompanying app through a single-touch function: users simply tap My Skin Track UV against their smartphone to update the app. In addition to extensive UV data, the app provides insights into humidity, pollen, and pollution levels. It provides instant updates, and stores up to three months’ worth of data.

“Our research has long indicated the need for better consumer understanding of personal UV exposure,” said Balooch. “We created this battery-free sensor to seamlessly integrate into the lives, and daily routines, of those using it. We hope the launch of this problem-solving technology makes it easier for people to make smart, sun-safe choices.”