Beauty & Wellness Briefing: L’Oréal Group unveils new in-store skin diagnostic tool as competition for personalized recommendations heats up

L’Oréal Group unveiled its latest tech investment in January: a tabletop hardware device called Cell BioPrint that provides personalized skin analysis and product recommendations to in-store shoppers in under five minutes. 

The new device was revealed at Las Vegas tech conference CES in January by Guive Balooch, L’Oréal Groupe’s global head of augmented beauty and open innovation. It comes from a partnership with Korean startup NanoEnTek, known for its “lab-on-a-chip” science that packs dynamic tech into tiny, portable packages. It has been in the works for seven years, Balooch told Glossy. 

“We’re at a stage where 90% of people are frustrated with their skin-care routine,” Balooch said. “And it’s odd, because when you go to any store, there are so many choices. The frustration doesn’t come from lack of products or innovations, it comes from a lack of understanding of our particular skin and how that relates to what we really need.” 

Cell BioPrint is likely to roll out in August in the Asia market for beta testing through one of L’Oréal’s brands. The team believes it will be best utilized at a cosmetics counter or in a single-brand boutique. The tech is designed to be used by a sales associate or brand rep. The consumer journey is under five minutes.

To start, a brand rep uses a small tape-like face strip to collect cells from the consumer by pressing it into their complexion several times. The face strip is then placed into a buffer solution and inserted into the machine. While processing, the brand rep collects close-up photos of the consumer’s skin and administers a short questionnaire. 

The science revolves around the measurement of protein biomarkers, or “molecules underneath the skin packed with information about skin health,” according to L’Oréal Group. The conglomerate’s advanced research team has been studying biomarkers found in skin cells for decades to better understand how skin responds to ingredients. The tech then uses NanoEnTek’s science, which is powered by more than 100 patents, to measure the presence of specific protein biomarkers. 

Within five minutes, the consumer is presented with several data points. This includes the skin’s “biological age,” which could be much older or younger than one’s actual age. It also reveals the skin’s “ingredient responsiveness,” or how well certain active ingredients like retinol work for the consumer. The device also predicts issues the consumer is likely to experience later in life, like dark spots or enlarged pores. Finally, the device makes product recommendations to combat the findings. 

“[This technology] will be able to tell you if retinol is really working for your skin biology [by determining if] your skin responds well to retinol [molecules],” he said. “Sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes the answer is no and we will guide you to another product. It’s all about removing the guessing game.”

Skin analysis and product recommendations delivered to a consumer through a specialized camera, which can detect unseen sun damage or scalp issues, isn’t new. However, measuring one’s biological age delivers a fresh perspective to L’Oréal’s tech. 

For example, using health data to measure the “biological age” of an individual’s organs is a growing trend in the field of longevity. Unlike chronological age, which is counted each birthday, “biological age” uses health data points to estimate the speed of the individual’s aging process.

Tech entrepreneur-turned-longevity influencer Bryan Johnston has pushed the concept into the mainstream through an evocative Netflix documentary called “Don’t Die” and the 1.45 million YouTube subscribers who watch his multi-million-dollar mission to age backward. 

Unlike chronological age, biological age better accounts for lifestyle choices, like smoking or using sunscreen. While there are skeptics of this newly popular science, most feedback from the scientific and medical community is positive. According to the Mayo Clinic, understanding one’s “biological age” is a valuable tool in living a longer, healthier life.

The growth of the longevity marketplace is partially powered by consumer desire to collect one’s own health data points, which can be stored and analyzed year over year. This growth can be seen in the expansion of wearables, like the Oura ring, and in full-body imaging services, like Ezra or Prenuvo, as previously reported by Glossy. In December, Prenuvo announced it had completed more than 100,000 whole-body MRIs as it continues to expand stateside. 

Balooch hopes that consumers will revisit a Cell BioPrint station every few months to monitor skin changes. L’Oréal collects and stores this data for consumers, as well as for its own interests as data becomes increasingly more valuable for targeted marketing and regional product personalization. As reported earlier this year, tech juggernaut IBM is managing some of this data. This is a free service. At launch, consumers will only have access to their results in-person, but results could be emailed in the future.

But Cell BioPrint is just one player in an expanding industry. For example, Danish scalp and hair health clinic Hårklinikken partnered with celebrity facialist Joanna Czech earlier this year to bring its scalp diagnostic tools into her three U.S. spas. This includes selling Hårklinikken’s suite of hair and scalp products.

Meanwhile, at-home or on-phone testing continues. For example, Estée Lauder Companies-owned Clinique expanded the functionality of its Clinical Reality virtual skin diagnostic tool in 2022, and Eurazeo Brands-owned Beekman 1802 launched a similar tool the same year. Galderma-owned Cetaphil also has an app-based analysis tool called MySkin. L’Oréal Group invested in Galderma in 2024 as its push toward dermatological beauty continues. 

Perfect Corp, which was launched in 2015 by Taiwan-based tech exec Alice Chang, provides competition in this arena with its suite of AR- and AI-powered self-assessment tools. Shiseido invested in the company in 2022. 

Another competitor in the space is EveLab Insights, a Singapore-based skin analysis company that counts Dior, Clarins, Sisley and Drunk Elephant as its clients. The company partnered with Dr. Shereene Idriss, MD, a NYC-based board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Idriss Skincare, on a multi-city tour this year. 

Dr. Idriss is well known on social media as the “pillow talk derm” and boasts 1.3 million followers on Instagram. Dr. Idriss Skincare launched in Sephora in late 2024. 

“Initially, I was hesitant about the device, but after experiencing it firsthand, I was truly blown away,” said Dr. Idriss. “I instantly knew it would be a game-changer for our [skin-care] nerds who are passionate about taking their routines to the next level.” 

The customized Dr. Idriss EveV device scans a consumer’s skin for pigmentary spots, pores, redness and radiance before providing individualized product recommendations from the Dr. Idriss product line based on each individual’s skin needs, Dr. Idriss said. It takes under five minutes. 

“We’ve found it incredibly successful in building awareness for our new Dr. Idriss Skincare line,” she said. “So far, we’ve introduced the device at Sephora pop-ups in New York City and Puerto Rico, and we’re excited to take it even further.” 

The brand has seven events scheduled for March in New York City at Soho and Union Square Sephora locations. 

The dermatology diagnostic market, which includes imaging devices used in-office, was valued at $4.1 billion in 2023, according to Allied Market Research. And it could reach $8.6 billion by 2033, thanks to a compound annual growth rate of 7.6%. Meanwhile, the overall skin analysis market could reach $275 million by 2030, according to market research company IDTechEx.

According to Mintel market research, younger consumers are more likely to respond to these innovations. In a 2024 survey, the group found that 22% of consumers aged 18-24 have used an at-home test to diagnose a skin condition. That percentage falls to 20% for those 25-34, 17% for those 35-44, 13% for those 45-54, and 6% for those 55-64. Only 1% of consumers above 65 or older had reported trying one. 

Executive moves:

• Ali Goldstein has been appointed the new president and head of acquisitions for L’Oréal USA. Goldstein is set to replace Carol Hamilton who will retire effective May 1 after four decades with the conglomerate. Goldstein previously served as L’Oréal USA president and oversaw programs such as Women of Worth.
  
• Christina (Tina) Fair is the new president of L’Oréal Group’s North America consumer products division. She previously served as president of L’Oréal’s dermatological beauty division. She replaces Nathalie Gerschtein in her new role.
  
• Willem Uijen is Unilever’s new chief supply chain officer. He will oversee the supply chain operations for the conglomerate’s 400 brands. Uijen has been with Unilever for more than two decades and previously served as chief procurement officer.
  
• Jo Dancey is the new global brand president of Jo Malone London as well as other Estée Lauder-owned brands Kilian Paris and Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. She joined ELC in 2020 and most recently served as svp global general manager of Jo Malone London.

News to know:

• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was sworn in as health secretary on Thursday after a close Senate vote. As previously reported by Glossy, Kennedy will oversee the world’s largest public health agency and its $1.7 trillion budget. This includes the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the beauty industry.
  
• South Korea’s leading beauty retailer Olive Young — often called Korea’s version of Sephora — has plans to expand to the U.S. marketplace. The company recently opened a Los Angeles-based subsidiary called CJ Olive Young USA, according to Retail Asia, with plans to open a fulfillment center and retail stores stateside soon. Olive Young operates 1,338 stores in South Korea.
  
• Unilever reported its full-year 2024 results on Thursday, which included an overall 4.2% company sales growth. The conglomerate’s Beauty and Wellbeing department grew its sales by 6.5% thanks to “strong performances from its power brands” Sunsilk, Dove, Vaseline, Pond’s, Liquid I.V. and Nutrafol. The conglomerate’s Beauty and Wellbeing category grew 5.2% with 3.9% volume in the fourth quarter.
  
• Japanese cosmetics conglomerate Shiseido reported a 73% drop in profits during its annual financial report last Monday. As reported by Reuters, its operating profit dropped to $49.9 million in 2024 compared to $184 million in 2023. Shiseido owns beauty brands like Drunk Elephant and Nars. The company attributed the slowdown to ongoing sluggish sales in China. “We think things will bottom out this year and that we will be able to achieve mature growth from then on,” Shiseido President Kentaro Fujiwara said during the call. 

• Adore Beauty, a popular Australian beauty e-tailer, plans to open 25 brick-and-mortar stores in Australia over the next three years. This will provide regional competition to Mecca Beauty’s 108 stores and Sephora’s 32 stores in Australia. 

• Unilever is on a mission to reduce its plastic consumption. The conglomerate could soon announce its purchase of Wild, a refillable personal care brand that makes deodorant, lip balm, body wash and other products, according to Sky News. The conglomerate has reportedly agreed to a $290 million purchase price for the U.K.-based company, which was launched in 2019 by two childhood friends. This comes on the heels of Unilever’s announcement about a new global refill pilot program that seeks to reduce sachet usage in countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through product refill stations located in retail settings. 

Stat of the week:

U.S. prestige beauty industry dollar sales grew by 7% year-over-year to reach $33.9 billion in 2024, according to a report released on Wednesday from Circana market research company. The mass beauty category also saw growth in 2024 with a 3% increase in sales year-over-year. Fragrance maintained its role as the fastest-growing category in 2024 based on both dollar sales and units sold. 

In the headlines:

Skin-care company Stratia opens contract manufacturer Sespia to serve small beauty brands. Rihanna signs GloRilla as the first face of Fenty Beauty and lingerie empire. Sephora debuts “Faces of Music” documentary on Hulu, featuring Becky G, Victoria Monét and Chappell Roan. Former StiVectin exec emphasizes transparency and clinical results at new skin longevity brand Parëva. Nameless CPG snaps up Wander Beauty. 

Listen in:

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