Bespoke tailoring, the future of cosmetics?
- Ismaël Manaï
- 2 nov. 2019
- 3 min de lecture
Dernière mise à jour : 30 nov. 2019
Hi guys!
This week I wanted to share some exciting information regarding the cosmetics market. Imagine that having the same moisturizing cream or the same shower gel than everyone will soon be old-fashioned, and that the new norm is tailor-made cosmetics? If you think that this is a very futuristic possibility, well you are wrong...!
One of the emerging trends that Cosmetic 360 – a big Parisian meeting on innovation and new solutions for the cosmetic market – has showcased during its last edition on mid-October 2019 is customization. This trend is actually completely aligned with the increasing willingness of consumers to express their individuality.
If we consider that a personalized offer is like the “haute couture” of the beauty industry, it is however a luxury that is democratizing itself, with more and more brands that are developing nearly custom-made products and looking for a bigger market share.
According to Marc-Antoine Jamet (LVMH Group general secretary and President of the competitivity division of Cosmetic Valley, which organizes the show), “nowadays, it is clear that individualization and do it yourself approaches are very strong topics among customers and thus also among startups and SMEs.” Not only there is a large demand, but also, thanks to technological innovations, a whole new market creation.
To illustrate how brands articulates their offers around tailoring and what cosmetic products can potentially be concerned by this trend, I present to you Function of Beauty:
This American firm is the world’s first fully customizable hair care brand that allows you to create shampoos, conditioners, and styling products based on the hair types, goals, and aesthetic preferences. After taking a little quiz on their website aimed to build your “hair profile”, you select up to 5 goals for your hair (hydrate, nourish, shine...). You even get to choose the flagrance, as well as the name, color and size of the bottles. And know that you can’t do more unique than this, because there are indeed 54 trillion possible formulations! What a perfect way to own your one and only unique blend of natural ingredients.
As you can imagine, many other firms took advantage of this opportunity and offer customization services. And as we are very generous within BeautyLab, I have selected for you 3 other innovative and creative ones:
The young French company Odyha has created a shampoo that can adapt to all types of hair. Shortly available on the market, their product offers to the consumer the choice among 11 different serums corresponding to their hair type or color. So, for our curly blonde-haired lady readers, instead of buying one shampoo for curly hair and another one for blonde hair, you will be able to mix the 2 different neutral-based serums to have a final product that matches exactly your needs.
Another French brand named Codage Paris has put customization in its core offer. The company vision here is to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness by providing an exclusive service in laboratory to offer an adapted care. After a full diagnostic of the skin, an expert designs with the customer a formula that satisfies her/his need (texture, ingredients, concentration, etc.) to come up with a smart, efficient and all-in-one product.
Let's change continent with Toon28’s, whose concept is a bit different. The Korean SME manufactures products according to the weather and skin type of the clients. They use an algorithm to know how much of each ingredient has to be use for each person, depending on the skin and living location. After a skin examination, the consumer receives a new product each month in small doses, just like a subscription.
I think you have now a clearer idea of what is happening in the global cosmetic market. Companies are beginning to take customization into their own hands by creating makeup that is right for your skin tone or hair style. As I mentioned above, these companies that specialized into this game changer for the industry rest heavily on technology to offer personalized products, and are mostly established online. This business model provides a more intuitive and interactive service, and gives the customers an easier navigation for a more personal experience.
In the end, we can really wonder if customization can be the future of beauty industry. Now, many startups are taking the lead and choose to focus on this trend, but we can easily expect that cosmetics giants find ways for their customers to create their ideal product as well, which will definitely shake up the cosmetic market as we know it.
Ismaël M.
Sources:
Comments