“My Minimal Makeup” by JillWillRun is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The beauty and cosmetics industries are large and popular industries that have been around for a very long span of time, dating back far into history. Introducing the use of artificial intelligence is redefining the way cosmetic brands operate and tend to its customers specific needs. The use of digital technology in this industry makes it easier than ever to develop products that customers actually want based on the collection of user data and making the consumers definite expectations and standards for beauty products in easier reach. Artificial intelligence gives the beauty industry the ability to technologically advance different aspects in order to better satisfy customers, create custom fitting products, provide personal tools and recommendations, and heighten the cosmetic industry.
In order to fully understand its effects on the industry, it is important to have background knowledge on what “artificial intelligence” actually means. As defined by John McCarthy,
“Artificial intelligence is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but artificial intelligence does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”
(What Is)
The ultimate goal and task in the use of artificial intelligence is to imitate that of a humans’ own behavior through advancing technology. Since artificial intelligence heavily relies on technology and the use of highly sophisticated computer programs, algorithms are a large part of its development. Algorithms are an essential part in providing instructions for artificial intelligence in order to perform specific functions. Artificial intelligence is used in a broad spectrum of industries today and is applied to many different aspects in everyday life. With the use of artificial intelligence in the cosmetics and beauty industry, there is an overall more beneficial production of improved customer-centered products. With the heavy use of technology in today’s society, brands have found more ways than ever to get their customers engaged in and connected to their products from places like home. Through the use of machines, technology, and artificial intelligence, brand names in the beauty and makeup industry have begun creating more and more products specific to each individual, making a very large industry even larger.
Customer service and a better customer experience today relies on the use of artificial intelligence. The beauty and cosmetics industry along with its many brands, as well as other retail businesses, are beginning to use factors of artificial intelligence to improve customer experience in a variety of ways. Artificial intelligence in addition to customer feedback allows companies to discover insightful information from results in an effort to provide a more specific target, which adds to a pleasurable customer experience (Gilliam). Using this technology provides an individually designed experience and shapes content based on the individual’s actual needs and wants. Receiving meaningful feedback and providing resolutions based on data gathered from specific groups of people helps to divide consumers into groups. Customers that respond in similar ways get put into groups alike that help companies respond to their specific needs and wants effectively. The idea behind this is known as market segmentation, with the ultimate goal being able to make personable connections within the customers.
“Market segmentation refers to the process of dividing a consumer market of existing and/or potential customers into groups (or segments) based on shared attributes, interests, and behaviors.”
(Usai)
Dividing the consumer market even further, they can be split into specific age groups, as well as taking into consideration other demographics and psychographics of the customer.
“Segmentation can be enriched by overlaying information such as a customers’ demographics (age, race, religion, gender, family size, ethnicity, income, education level), geography (where they live and work), and psychographic (social class, lifestyle and personality characteristics).”
(Usai)
This is really helpful in recognizing patterns among the consumers of the products, determining prices, and tailoring marketing to the right groups of people.
Analyzing social media and the use of artificial intelligence, it is easy for customers to express their thoughts, reviews, feelings, and promote beauty brands to a broad spectrum of people online this way. Social media also allows consumers to freely express their needs and wants when it comes to any aspect of beauty products. This gives customers a chance to have their voices heard and creates ideas for companies to elaborate on based directly off of their demands. The beauty industry also applies advertisements to social media pages across different platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
“Artificial Intelligence-based systems are helping marketers to optimize their content. This means, understanding the interests of the audience, the strengths, and weaknesses of other marketers and the various trends on social media.”
(Ava)
In listening to their customers feedback from these online advertisements helps to decide which ads they should display to its different demographics in order to attract the right clients to specific products. A large part of social media is its famous influencers, or people of a high social status that have the ability to influence people from all over. Usually, businesses choose influencers that they believe will help advertise their products in the best way and make people want to purchase products from their company in comparison to others.
“Marketers rely on artificial intelligence to choose the right influencers to promote their products as there are many influencers on the social media network. Hence, choosing the right influencer who is ideal for advertising the brand is necessary and machine intelligence helps in doing so.”
(Ava)
Some famous influencers that have advertised for beauty and makeup product companies include Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, James Charles, Rihanna, Beyonce Knowles, and Julia Roberts. Popular makeup brands select well-known celebrities and influencers such as these for the face of their products because they are able to reach a wider audience in a short amount of time, making businesses sell products more efficiently.
“Artificial Intelligence is used to return quantifiable results, so it makes influencer marketing programs highly effective. True artificial intelligence platforms move beyond image processing and analyze years of influencer content in order to determine the topics and brands that influencers are talking about, audience sentiment, aesthetic style and, most importantly, how effective their content is at driving traffic, engagement and product sales.”
(Ravindra)
One widely recognized area of the cosmetology industry is skincare and its large variety of skincare products. Skin and skincare is an important part of cosmetology, along with hair and nail care, but a large number of people have the most amount of insecurities with their skin type and desire a change in their skin’s appearance. Artificial intelligence has changed the cosmetic industry for the better as it allows for completely customizable skincare products specific to each individual’s skin type. Curology, a widely known customizable skincare brand, uses artificial intelligence, algorithms, and machine learning in order to create custom fitted products for each customer.
“This brand brings together medical practitioners with app developers to provide a subscription-based service for skin advice. The basis of Curology and its products is to provide a customized online acne care solution using machine learning and artificial intelligence. The users share selfies and fill in a questionnaire in their app. They are then matched with medical professionals who design custom formulas to target individual skin care needs.”
(Priya)
The Curology company understands that not everybody has the same skin type or tone, and they have targeted this by bettering their brand to create a broader range of users. Another large way that artificial intelligence has contributed to skincare is by the creation of an artificial intelligence algorithm that detects skin cancer. With the use of technology and research this was made possible, as scientists designed a way for computers to have the ability to analyze and recognize early signs of skin cancer by scanning the face. Large companies such as Google have made technological diagnoses for skin problems through the use of artificial intelligence.
“We developed a Deep Learning System (DLS) to address the most common skin conditions seen in primary care,” wrote Google software engineer Yuan Liu and Google Health technical program manager Dr. Peggy Bui. “This study highlights the potential of the Deep Learning System to augment the ability of general practitioners who did not have additional specialty training to accurately diagnose skin conditions.”
(Borve)
Though this has been an enormous breakthrough for the industries recognition and updating, with even more advancing technology to come in the future, this will completely revamp the cosmetology industry as time goes on.
Along with personalized skincare, there are other aspects that the addition of artificial intelligence has been able to personalize. It has created the advancements for users to have the ability to virtually try on makeup and hair colors on themselves in order to predict what they would look like and if the customer would actually like it beforehand.
“Google is helping beauty aficionados try on new products virtually, all from the comfort of home. In December 2020, the company announced it was working with data partners ModiFace and Perfect Corp to help better visualize thousands of lipstick and eyeshadow shades from brands like L’Oréal, MAC Cosmetics, Black Opal, and Charlotte Tilbury. When searching for a lipstick or eyeshadow product, users can see what products look like on a range of skin tones and compare shades and textures in order to find the perfect match before buying.”
(Radin)
With the ability to virtually try on makeup, it depletes the unsanitary form of trying on already used try on products in-store that are filled with bacteria from so many people using the products. Artificial intelligence has also created the ability for the customers to get personalized talk feedback from a virtual assistant that would be able to help with aspects such as beauty product recommendations specific to their needs. Included with virtual try-ons, customers also have the option to now have a complete three-dimensional hair makeover using a hair makeover tool. Hair makeover tools allow you to try on different haircuts, new hair colors, as well as changing hair types from curled to straight and more to help customers visualize looks before actually committing to them.
Looking at the use of artificial intelligence in the beauty and cosmetics industry, it has clearly made a significant impact on areas such as customer satisfaction, customer service, skin care and the ability to detect skin cancer early on, its effect on social media and the ability to create products specially shaped to customer’s needs, the ability to make so many things happen just from a computer or smartphone, and the amount of recognition it has given the industry since the introduction of artificial intelligence. Along with the noticeable impacts that artificial intelligence makes, there are also ways that it changes everyday life without ever being able to realize. Artificial intelligence is redefining life in more areas than just the beauty and cosmetology industry, and the artificial intelligence technology that is available today is just the beginning, as its abilities will only get even more advanced as time goes on.
Bibliography
Ava, Isabella. “The Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Social Media.” The Next Scoop, 19 Jan. 2021, thenextscoop.com/effect-of-artificial-intelligence-on-social-media/.
Börve, Alexander “Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Skin Care -.” First Derm,10 Mar. 2021, www.firstderm.com/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-skin-care/.
Gilliam Haije, Erin. “Making Customer Feedback More Actionable with Artificial Intelligence (AI).” Mopinion, 16 Oct. 2018, mopinion.com/customer-feedback-artificial-intelligence-ai/.
Priya, Mallika. “Artificial Intelligence and the New Age Beauty and Cosmetics Industry – PreScouter – Custom Intelligence from a Global Network of Experts.” PreScouter, 24 Oct. 2019, www.prescouter.com/2019/06/artificial-intelligence-and-the-new-age-beauty-and-cosmetics-industry/.
Radin, Sara. “The Future of Beauty Is Powered by Artificial Intelligence-But Is That a Good Thing?” Coveteur, 2 Mar. 2021, coveteur.com/2021/01/27/beauty-ai-technology/.
Ravindra, Savaram. “How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Influencer Marketing.” Single Grain, 22 Jan. 2021, www.singlegrain.com/influencer-marketing/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-influencer-marketing/.
Usai, Diego. “A Gentle Introduction to Customer Segmentation.” Medium, Towards Data Science, 8 Nov. 2019, towardsdatascience.com/a-gentle-introduction-to-customer-segmentation-375fb4346a33.
What Is AI? / Basic Questions, Stanford Computer Science, 1 Jan. 1970, jmc.stanford.edu/artificial-intelligence/what-is-ai/index.html.