L'Oréal has revealed CUSTOM D.O.S.E, a personalised skin care service and the latest innovation from the company's Technology Incubator to meet consumers' growing demand for personalised beauty solutions.
Developed in partnership with L'Oréal-owned skin care brand SkinCeuticals, the D.O.S.E process evaluates consumers' specific skin needs to create a tailor-made serum for each individual.
Customers begin their experience with a one-on-one consultation with a skin care professional, to determine which ingredients are appropriate for their skin needs.
The professional transfers the assessment data via a tablet to the D.O.S.E machine, which then mixes a personalised serum from its range of active ingredients that target different skin ageing issues, including wrinkles, fine lines and discolouration.
The technology is said to be the first of its kind as it combines ingredients that were previously unmixable outside of a factory setting, creating a single serum that can address multiple skin concerns.
'A mini skin care laboratory'
Guive Balooch, Global Vice President of L'Oréal's Technology Incubator, said: "At L'Oréal, we are poised to leverage technology to respond to the rising wave of consumer demand for personalised products and services.
"D.O.S.E acts like a mini skin care laboratory, combining lab grade formulation and factory grade manufacturing into a machine that sits on the counter.
“As we pursue our mission of beauty for all, we are inspired by the challenge of using technology and design to create innovative beauty experiences custom made for each consumer."
L'Oréal analysed more than 250 skin types when selecting the active ingredients to include in D.O.S.E, creating dozens of unique ingredient combinations.
Scientists then spent a year determining which formulations would best suit customer needs and developing the technology to dispense the formula accurately, according to the company.
Christina Fair, General Manager of SkinCeuticals, added: "Our customers are consistently concerned with skin ageing and discolouration, among various skin conditions that require a personalised approach to address them.
"The D.O.S.E technology empowers skin care professionals to co-create personalised formulas that address patients' unique skin care needs on the spot, in minutes.”
The CUSTOM D.O.S.E service is expected to roll out into selected physician's offices across the US this summer.
It is the latest in L'Oréal's Technology Incubator innovations, following La Roche-Posay's wearable UV Sense device that fits on a consumer's thumbnail and monitors their UV exposure, which was unveiled in January.