For Guive Balooch, the Global Head of Research and Innovation at L’Oréal’s Tech Incubator, people and their needs sit at the heart of tech breakthroughs in beauty.
Speaking during the 2023 edition of the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – which ran 5-8 January and saw the launch of innovations like flying cars, floating cars and an exercise bike that charges your laptop as you pedal – Balooch said the event was L’Oréal’s most successful to date.
“It sounds clichéd to say, but I think it's our best year that we’ve had in eight years.”
This, he suggested, was due to both the company’s two newly-unveiled launches being rooted in consumer needs and solving challenges, rather than being “technology for the sake of technology”.
“We realised that we have to start with consumer needs that are deep and then backfill them with technology to solve them.
“And I think that we're trying to – and I feel this year is one of those years that we've done it – transform from a tech innovation group to more of a group that solves big consumer tensions through technology.
“That's why I think the stories this year resonate very strongly with people.
“Also, I've been around a long time now! I’ve been with L’Oréal for 16 years and spent 12 years running a tech team, so I've also been able to bring together – and my team has brought together – a lot of different technology assets that help us create projects that work really well.”
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