After an entirely virtual edition in 2021, the CES 2022 was held in a hybrid format on January 5 to 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While futuristic beauty devices still had a big presence at the event this year, virtual beauty continued to take off, especially when it came to the metaverse.
Originally expecting more than 2,200 exhibitors, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show has been muted by pandemic-driven cancelations. Despite these challenging conditions, the event has been once again home to much that is cutting-edge in the cosmetic industry.
New electronic devices
This year, global beauty giant L’Oréal revealed an at-home hair dye device dubbed Colorsonic and an AI-connected system for salon stylists called Coloright, while Slovenian start-up Ninu introduced a handheld device that can create a personalised fragrance when connected to a smartphone app.
After teasing the concept last year, Ninu showcased the final version of its app-controlled “smart perfume” that features 100 fragrances in one bottle. The device connects via Bluetooth to an Android or iOS smartphone. Using an app, the user can choose from a set of pre-defined scents created by master perfumers, or can enlist the help of the AI to select a fragrance based on time of day, mood, and weather.
For their part, IFF and SleepScore Labs introduced a new scent-based solution to improve sleep quality.
Metaverse experiences
But above all, it was the expansion of virtual beauty that stood out this year, especially when linked with the much-hyped idea of the metaverse.
Procter and Gamble, for instance, opted for fully virtual experience. The company hosted a virtual booth dubbed LifeLab, allowing attendees to virtually walk up to representatives from brands such as Gillette and Oral-B to chat with them.
Furthermore, P&G Beauty launched its BeautySPHERE metaverse experience in partnership with London’s Royal Botanic Gardens. A first step into the metaverse, it allowed visitors to virtually interact with the group’s portfolio of brands through live and simulated content. Easily accessed from home or anywhere with a desktop computer at: BeautySPHERE.com, the immersive 3D interactive experience doesn’t end with CES but is the group’s first step in offering education and engaging brand experiences.
Similarly, Taiwan’s provider of AI- and AR-powered digital experiences Perfect Corp. has scaled back its presence at the Las Vegas show and has chosen to offer access to its most innovative technologies through a metaverse virtual experience on their website. The aim was to provide a first look at the beauty and fashion tech innovations that are set to enrich customer experiences and prepare brands for the forthcoming metaverse.
Perfect Corp’s new virtual try-on tools highlighted include a new foundation-matching tool, video chat AR makeup application and jewellery try-on. In addition, Perfect Corp. also aims to democratize access to beauty and fashion virtual assets by bringing digital products from the metaverse world to all camera-enabled devices, as well as creating beauty and fashion NFTs and enabling fully immersive eCommerce virtual try-on experiences in the metaverse.
A much quieter CES than usual, but one which allowed us to take a fascinating look at the new horizons of beauty tech!
