The Group is capitalising on its digital leadership to become a Beauty Tech powerhouse. As it expands beauty’s horizons, Beauty Tech constitutes a new field of growth and innovation for L’Oréal. At the intersection of science and technology, it includes “augmented” products and increasingly connected and personalised services.
With over 1,400 services available online, L’Oréal is pioneering Beauty Tech. The Group’s experts use technology, data and artificial intelligence to develop services that deliver an unrivalled degree of personalisation. This approach is revolutionising how consumers discover, try and receive advice about products, both online and in brickandmortar points of sale.
The pandemic gave rise to new social behaviours. Consumers tend to prefer closer, more qualitative relationships – including on social networks. L’Oréal sees this shift as an opportunity to expand beauty’s horizons and create new touchpoints with consumers.
When buying products, consumers have three information-related expectations: traceability, transparency and support with tutorials and services. In response, L’Oréal has elected to include QR codes on its products, which redirect consumers to a dedicated website providing a wide range of information including a list of ingredients and their origin, manufacturing location, environmental and social performance, “diagnosis” tools, tutorials on how best to use the product, virtual try-ons and other consumer advantages.
These “augmented” products are real technological innovations that benefit consumers, as well as a significant logistical challenge for L’Oréal, which sees them as an opportunity to confirm its commitment to producing high-quality, responsible products.
L’Oréal is making its mark among major players in the tech industry. The Group attends global industry events such as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and VivaTechnology in Paris, and its Beauty Tech expertise is regularly praised. Salesforce, Microsoft and Google all put L’Oréal in the limelight at their iconic tech events in 2022. Watch the interview with Barbara Lavernos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology, and Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer.
While at most companies tech positions are still overwhelmingly held by men, L’Oréal has ramped up the feminisation of its tech workforce, where women already account for more than 30% of employees. In 2022, this acceleration was even more significant: 48% of tech vacancies were filled by women (compared with 34% in 2021), especially positions involving a high level of responsibility.
The Group encourages women in the field to promote their professions and accelerate hiring. For example, a think tank at L’Oréal USA arranged for female employees to be interviewed by specialist media outlets and hosted a mentoring event with the Chief Digital & Marketing Officer. Regardless of level of responsibility or location, every woman in tech contributes her expertise and talent to help create inclusive, diverse and universal beauty.
