Three years ago, L’Oréal announced its ambition of becoming the champion of Beauty Tech. Since then, we have embarked on a worldwide, profound transformation of our IT added major investments in new technologies, and set up accelerators to place artificial intelligence at the heart of our Group and its business.

IT at the heart of L’Oréal’s Beauty Tech ambition: an evolution or a revolution?

To become the Beauty Tech leader, the first milestone was a total metamorphosis of our IT infrastructure, systems and organisation. We have undertaken a massive modernisation of our existing systems, with a platform-based approach. We migrated our IT infrastructure to the cloud , and reinvented our entire IT organisation as a connected, global network, based on Agile methodology.

Our teams have been engaged in an extremely ambitious upskilling programme on new technologies, incorporating new skills around data. Finally, we partnered with the biggest names in tech and a full ecosystem of the most innovative startups to co-create tools. That's why I don't consider it an IT "evolution", but rather a true IT “revolution”. In three years, IT has risen from an important support function to become a strategic business partner, at the heart of our Group’s future.

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How did L’Oréal leverage its data assets?

We have the largest and richest data repository in the beauty industry, with a 110-year heritage solely dedicated to analysing, measuring and magnifying the beauty needs and desires of consumers around the world. Our absolute priority has been to structure this data, strengthen it with algorithms, and augment it with the help of artificial intelligence, while ensuring connectivity to external ecosystems.

The whole company was mobilised: on the one hand, each function has structured its data assets (Research, Marketing, Markets, Finance); on the other, IT and Tech teams have implemented technological platforms to ensure this data flows seamlessly across the company, in real time. Finally, within our Tech Accelerators, and with the support of data scientists, joint business and Tech teams have developed algorithms and artificial intelligence solutions to achieve new levels of agility and efficiency, and power our decisions and interactions with markets and consumers, as well as our capabilities in e commerce and Research.

How are you integrating artificial intelligence into the business?

In a pragmatic, ethical way, and in line with real needs. Artificial Intelligence is integrated by identifying our Group’s cross-functional priorities, at the highest level, through our global network of Tech Accelerators based in Paris, Shanghai and New York, which brings together more than 90 data scientists and engineers. These accelerators harness the power of data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and augmented reality—for our employees, to enhance their everyday work and make it more relevant; and for our consumers, to deliver unsurpassed beauty experiences, both physically and virtually. With Beauty Tech, we are opening up a new field of possibilities, offered by new technologies, to each consumer and each employee.

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Which forces will shape the future of beauty?

Behind our ambition to become the leader in Beauty Tech, there is a deep conviction: it is the intersection of the powerful forces of science and technology that will allow us to invent this beauty of the future. Beauty that is more inclusive, more responsible, more transparent and more performant than ever.