How Automation is Transforming the Beauty Industry

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Every aspect of our human lives is slowly shifting towards automation. Using robots in manufacturing has proved to be cost-effective and productive, and this is pushing industries toward automating their manufacturing. It started with the automotive industries years ago, and it has slowly spread to other sectors, and now, even the beauty industry is embracing robots.

The following are ways through which automation, especially AI, has transformed the way the beauty industry operates.

Product Personalization

Artificial Intelligence has spelled the death of “big-beauty,” a term that refers to the process of creating products that are for everyone to increase sales. With AI, beauty products manufacturers are now able to tailor-make products to an individual’s tastes and needs. Product personalization has put an end to the large scale production of generic products that usually end up not getting bought. Not only has this technology saved beauty brands a lot of money, but their customers are better served now than ever before.

Manufacturing

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Most of the manufacturing process is now in the hands of the machines with very little input from human hands besides handling controls. Productivity has doubled for many companies that have passed out human labor and replaced it with manufacturing robots. The robots are able to work faster for much longer and with the utmost accuracy. This has also cut down wastage as every raw material is handled with precision.

Creators of industrial robots like EVS automation are in high demand right now as orders for robots from the beauty industry keep increasing every year.

Testing and Sampling

The standard practice in the beauty industry’s always involved testing products physically on people. Once a new product has been developed, willing participants are gathered and given free samples to try out. With technological advancement in AI, the same real results can be attained through special software that mimics real-life tests. With this, the company can redirect the money spent on conducting tests to other important projects.

Skin Advisors

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Another important aspect of developing a beauty product involves assessing people’s skin in order to come up with harmless products. This role used to be undertaken by dermatologists, and they do not come cheap. This is now a thing of the past, thanks to AI. One company that has excelled on this front is Olay; they launched an AI-run program called Olay’s Skin Advisor that allows consumers to check the products that go well with their skins on a screen without having to physically apply them. 

Chatbots

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A long-running characteristic of automation is how human labor is rendered redundant by robots. Besides manufacturing, another area that is seeing an increase of robots and AI is the customer relations departments. Rather than use customer care representatives, many beauty brands are turning to highly refined chatbots that are able to handle inquiries and concerns from customers. One advantage that chatbots have over human beings is that they do not need to work in shifts. They are always available to help.

Product Development

What used to take years to develop can now be attained within months, thanks to faster and more efficient ways of collecting data and conducting research. One of the biggest weapons that AI has granted companies around the world is the ability to collect and utilize data strategically to predict what customers are looking for. This has made developing a new product much easier, unlike in the past, where decisions were made based on hunches and guesswork.

Bigger brands are now able to employ algorithms to determine with precision what their clients love and what is not working for them. Avon, for instance, deployed an algorithm that helped them filter their clients’ comments to come up with a list of things that received better reviews.

Distribution

Loreal, a leading beauty giant, has invested heavily in the automation of its distribution channels to the point that it is able to deliver an order every 2 secs from its over 500,000 distribution centers located in 50 countries. This has been made possible by Industry 4.0, a cutting edge technology that was developed to boost efficiency in distribution and delivery. 

With the use of delivery drones already being tested around the world, it is only a matter of time before drones take over the delivery of beauty products.

Virtual Makeover

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Another AI-based technology that allows customers to try out different products through mobile apps before purchasing. Most of these apps require them to scan their faces, and by tapping around the buttons, they can see how each product looks on them. This eliminates the need for testers, which saves the brands money. On the other end, the customer is able to narrow down on the right product without having to go through several trials and eros that may damage their skin.

Conclusion

It is easy to predict where manufacturing is headed in the future. Automation is the only option left, and for the industries that are still undecided on whether to fully automate or not, it is only a matter of time before they find themselves outpaced by the rest. Reducing costs and maximizing production is the backbone of any successful enterprise, and fortunately for many, technology has ensured that the playing field has been leveled.