Coty Trials VR Fragrance Experience With A Retail Partner In Buenos Aires

Coty Inc. has unveiled a virtual reality fragrance experience in partnership with retailer Julieraque in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The store’s visitors are invited to don a VR headset to virtually “pick up” seven scented stones, each of which activates a short video on a fragrance concept associated with the scent. The VR experience is just one of a number of digital innovations Coty is introducing, including a voice assistant tool for Clairol and stations at Covergirl’s New York flagship store powered by augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Other premium fragrance brands are also trying out technology as a way to address a slowing market: the premium fragrance category is expected to grow 13 percent in the 2017-22 period, down from 16 percent in the 2012-17 period, according to Euromonitor International forecasts. Coty plans to take the VR experience to other markets and to customize it for specific brands.

"Coty Inc. launches VR experience for its perfume portfolio", Glossy.co, December 18, 2018

Coty Builds On Its Digital Push With An AR Mirror For Wella Salons

Beauty company Coty, Inc. has launched an augmented reality mirror for its Wella Professionals salons, allowing customers to “try on” various hair colors and shades. A facial recognition feature enables the consultant to retrieve images of how the customer previously looked. The innovation builds on the company’s drive in digital technology, which includes a virtual reality experience for its fragrances, an AR partnership between Clairol and Snapchat, VR applications for CoverGirl, and a blended reality mirror for its Bourjois boutique in Paris. The new Wella mirror was developed alongside CareOS, a tech company in the health and beauty space. The mirror can capture a 360-degree video for the customer to see the look from all angles. The company plans to develop a version for phones and tablets, for salons without the space or funds for the mirror.

"Coty launches AR smart mirror for hair color", Glossy, January 07, 2019

Facebook Tries To Counter Claims That Brands Are Moving Away To Other Ad Platforms

Facebook is fighting claims that brands are tiring of the social media platform. It commissioned an Ipsos study that describes how “digitally native vertical brands” and direct-to-consumer brands are using Facebook to engage with consumers and grow sales. The survey found that three in four US businesses that use Facebook posted higher sales growth than non-DNVBs, and also that over two-thirds reported “rapid or consistent revenue growth.” Despite such evidence, some commentators expect brands to distance themselves from Facebook and Instagram because investment in these platforms is inefficient. Some brands are now allocating a greater share of their budgets to programmatic, Snapchat and YouTube. Nik Sharma, head of DTC at VaynerMedia, says that direct-response marketing by D2C and DNVB marketers relies on being able to tell the best story.

"Facebook Commissions Study to Say Facebook Is a Great Tool for Challenger Brands", Adweek, January 09, 2019

Olay Presents A Range Of Beauty Tech At CES 2019

Procter & Gamble’s Olay brand has unveiled a range of innovations at CES 2019, including three updates to its Olay Skin Advisor platform. It is also debuting Olay Labs, a service for personalized software and beauty regimens, and the Olay FaceNavi Smart Wand for diagnostic skin applications. The three Skin Advisor updates, currently rolling out in the US, are: Olay Future You Simulation, for visualizing how the user’s skin and face might look in the future under different assumptions; Olay Whips Simulator, to virtually try on products from the Whips line; and Skin Decoder, a camera attachment for a phone that provides a high-resolution image for diagnosing and tracking skin over time. Olay Labs combines machine learning and human expertise to develop a four-week regime, and the Smart Wand uses electromagnetic technology to send data on the skin to an app, which assesses appropriate ingredients to use on the user’s skin.

"Olay launches series of personalized beauty tech innovations at CES 2019", The Current Daily, January 09, 2019

La Roche-Posay Showcases Its Skin pH Wearable Sensor

L’Oréal is showcasing the prototype of its new skin innovation, My Skin Track pH by La Roche-Posay, at CES 2019. It is a wearable sensor, with a companion app, which measures the skin’s pH levels to generate personalized product regimens. It received a CES 2019 Innovation Award in the Wearable Technology Products category. The skin’s pH balance can lead to skin inflammation and can cause conditions like eczema and atopic dermatitis. The sensor captures trace volumes of sweat from the pores and can generate an accurate reading within a quarter of an hour. It was developed in partnership with Epicore Biosystems. The technology continues the work of L’Oréal and La Roche-Posay in developing tech for skin health, following the personal UV sensor, My Skin Track UV by La Roche-Posay. My Skin Track pH will be launched this year via select La Roche-Posay dermatologists in the US, but the plan is to market the product direct-to-consumer.

"L’Oréal unveils prototype of first-ever wearable microfluidic sensor to measure skin pH levels", L’Oréal, January 25, 2019