Digital beauty, new era for cosmetics, dream or reality?

Interconnection between universes is a reality, thanks to similar manufacturing techniques (food, chemistry, cosmetics, pharmacy) and a lead number of innovations for the full benefit of all the users. But what are the users? Definitely, the digital is arriving in our daily life and can be seen as a game changer for all universes. After the Z generation in the 2020’s, the first fully digital native (born with the internet) is the ALPHA generation, the Millennials’ children considered as the most infused with technology who have grown up with ‘Siri’ and interact naturally with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Now, born in 2025, it’s the BETA generation with AI fully integrated in daily life, where technology will be a central and inseparable element. It represents the beginning of a new era where digital technology will no longer be a tool but an essential living environment (autonomous vehicles, virtual worlds becoming commonplace everyday realities).

Looking to the global cosmetic market, good health is observed with more than 340 US $ billion for a general market focusing on skincare (39%), hair (21%), make-up (17%), fragrance (13%) and hygiene (10%). The luxury beauty market showed a great progression of +5% by 2027 per year. Thanks to multiple exchanges (largely increased with the digital), the new cosmetics consumers look for products with subtle cultural references that integrate a larger part of genderless and high-tech formulations. Asia‘s influence has been undiminished for over fifteen years and promotes numerous success stories from alphabet creams to chameleons’ formulas, hybrid make-up, multi-masking or cushion systems. It definitely established itself as a ‘must have’ partner for formulations leading to the progression and the integration of a complete beauty routine.

The digital can be described as game changer for the cosmetic sector as it modifies the uses and offers new ideas for beauty systems. Correlated to the mobiles and tablets, the exponential world of Apps changes all the cosmetic market as it is fully integrated for different systems. Testing products play with makeup with Apps that can integrate Augmented Reality (AR) and allow fun and new virtual seduction on uses. Choosing and discovering new beauty proposals is also largely correlated with social networks that are emerging as new and powerful marketing channels for the cosmetics industry and that should not be underestimated by brands. Numerous apps can also provide safety or reassurance on the composition of cosmetic products or guidance on how to avoid any counterfeiting.

Packaging is fully established as a partner for the cosmetic world, going beyond protection and containment; it can provide safety in use, seduction for purchase, and lots of functionalities for applying, dosing and using a beauty product. Digital can also be integrated into packaging for enhancing formulation, or for manufacturing new packaging or short series easily. For example the 3D printing has been used by a luxury brand for manufacturing specific mascara brushes with adapted shapes that in a second step can be personalized to users’ eyes. This idea of personalized tools or beauty formulas has been developed thanks to digital and led to a new world of cosmetics definitely adapted to one’s skin (scan the face and choose your cream or foundation). Numerous beauty devices allow one to create one’s own make-up, printing nails or colouring hair and can also be adapted to disabilities. The digital world can also be seen as an inclusive one! 3D printing can also be correlated to bioprinting and new possibilities for testing products without any animal use.

Connected tools have also exploded in the cosmetic world and definitely technology is transforming the beauty landscape and is expanding consumer awareness and appetite for increasingly sophisticated, tailored beauty routines. Beauty tools reinvent the consumer journey with new touch points. From connected mirror to connected brush or mask there is a growing use of these new beauty products that transform experience and wellness. In any case while digital can be seen in early days as a constraint or an enslavement to screens, it is now a more mature market and it takes care of users, immersive wellness appears as an important element, in relation to neurosciences. AI is also largely leveraged to create new formulas or perfumes. At least, the metaverse is also another system that appears in the beauty world correlated to immersive experiences as well as marketing options for luxury brands to promote new beauty products.

Maintaining the beauty capital is fundamental in our world of image and represents a daily challenge largely driven by the digital which is now part of our daily life. It induces new consumers’ behavior including trend-setting tutorials as effective players in cosmetic marketing and full partners of brands in a beauty niche that is so desirable on a daily basis. More than a trend, digital is now established as a driver of changing the experiences, with a renewal of beauty uses; it is definitely a fascinating story to follow…