A selection of 30 companies at the forefront of digital innovation are presenting the latest in beauty tech at Beauty Tech Live taking place this week.
Innovations seen in show
Italian company Antares Vision specializes in product traceability, bridging the physical and digital world. It enables products to feature a unique QR code that allows brands to trace a product’s entire cycle. The feature gives brands control over the production process and knowledge of a product’s location in each step of the production process. Antares Vision’s AI-powered real-time analytics and smart data management can also help maximize yields and optimize operations, from KPIs to efficiency monitoring to vision inspection technologies. Additionally, a product’s quality control and inspection during the production process is all saved in one location. The QR code also allows a brand to calculate its carbon footprint. Antares Vision Business Development Manager Monica Coffano notes that this helps brands in sustainability goals and in communicating eco-friendly commitments.
Beauty brands are beginning to use the technology to gather information about customers and personalize communications accordingly, whether it be for sharing promotions or suggesting products based on past purchase history, Coffano says. Brands can also use the technology to communicate with customers. For example, some brands use the information collected by Antares Vision to communicate aspects of its sustainability agenda, whether it be how a product’s ingredients are sourced, a product’s carbon footprint or how and where a product was manufactured.
However, with luxury beauty brands, the company’s traceability technology is still primarily used to fight counterfeits and maintain quality control. The technology also responds to the increase in product safety in regulation. For example, Coffano notes that, since 2020, fragrances that are shipped into Russia must have a cryptocode printed on each product.
Travel-retail advertising solutions company Epteca is highlighting its Epteca Marketplace Ecosystem. By using big data and smart algorithms like AI to match customer context and intent, the Epteca platform can accurately anticipate what customers will likely want, need or do during their trip. This allows the ecosystem to reach consumers with what the company calls “smart-marketing” to increase results and engage consumers. The ecosystem targets consumers “just in time” at various touchpoints throughout their journey, such as two to three weeks before the trip, two to three days before the trip, at the airport, on the flight, at the destination and just before returning from the trip. The platform uses personalized online ads with more than 20 segmentation parameters. The ads come from a traveler’s trusted travel supplier and are available on any device.
Retail solutions company Kendu provides brands with a full 360° experience thanks to a personalized approach specializing in digital and retail solutions. The company’s design team works one-on-one with both small and big brands to create in-store campaigns and product activations. The company is highlighting its dynamic lightbox for retail Flowbox at Beauty Tech Live. Over the last five years, high-quality images in stores have gained steam and the Flowbox takes it to a new level, claims Kendu Chief Strategy Officer Simon Bentley. While consumers tend to see a lot of LED installations in retail, Bentley says the Flowbox allows brands to position a campaign in a new, dynamic way. Kendu works with brands to create a Flowbox according to needs and campaign strategy. The lightbox can be customized to be interactive. For example, Kendu has worked with L’Oréal and Estée Lauder on interactive shelves in which the Flowbox shows different content onscreen according to what products customers pick up on the shelves. Additionally, a digital product selector allows brands to translate a fragrance’s scent onscreen. When a shopper picks up a fragrance, the screen then displays information about the fragrance, such as its ingredients. The company also offers campaign management services. For example, when working with Dublin-based Primark, which has 280 stores worldwide, Kendu provided the retailer with in-store campaign management to ensure the campaign content was consistent across all locations.
South Korea-based iM1NE is highlighting its innovations in skincare . The Cleansing Balm in what it calls a no-mess tube features a new feature, which sees the product transform from a gel to oil to milk texture. The transparent jelly formula features a Water Friendly Formula (W.F.F.) system in which the product reacts quickly with water and results in a fine formula that hydrates skin. The balm is described as a multitasking that is suitable for any packaging design. IM1NE is also highlighting the Layering Shake-It Ampoule. The product contains a nourishing oil and a water-based element that, when mixed, transforms the oil formulation and splits the product into a double layer. The product can be customized with two to three layers. The company is also showcasing eco-friendly options. The Smart Green Jelly Biodegradable Mask delivers moisture for 120 hours using plant ingredients from the Smart Farm. The Smart Farm is the result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that iM1NE signed with Farm 8 to provide raw materials that it claims is different from what other companies offer. The Smart Farm grows plants with an automated control system in a plant factory. The vegan sheet mask is made from an eco-friendly fabric made by combining vegetable material lyocell with bamboo sheet.