L'Oréal unveils new haircare innovations as consumer electronics trade show CES starts

L'Oréal has unveiled its newest beauty tech innovations ahead of the consumer electronic trade show CES, which kicked off today.

The beauty conglomerate has unveiled two devices, one of which caters to the increasing number of customers who try to recreate the salon experience at home, which grew by 6% during the pandemic and another to be used by salon stylists.

"During this time, consumers experienced the challenges of an at-home hair colouring process that has remained virtually unchanged for decades, namely the messiness of hair dye and the difficulty of applying hair colour to hard-to-reach places," the brand said.

The first device, called Coloursonic, caters to customers at home and spent five years in development. It is described as a lightweight, handheld tool that mixes hair colour using a custom mixing mechanism that combines precise amounts of formula to create a specific hair colour. It then applies the colour evenly using an oscillating nozzle of bristles, which move in a zigzag pattern.

The Coloursonic device is a 2022 CES Innovation Awards Honoree and is expected to reach consumers in the U.S. in early 2023.

The second device, called Colouright, is an AI-connected hair colour system for salon stylists that uses virtual try-on to project desired shades and an algorithm that allows customers to create a customised hair colour from more than 1,500 shade possibilities.

To facilitate the try-on experience the machine uses a reader, which analyses the client’s hair.  This measures factors that influence colour’s effectiveness, including hair colour, gray percentage, length and density.

To create the personalised hair colour, the device features individual components that are dispensed, including dry beads consisting of hair dye, accompanied by cartridges of base creams, developers and diluters.

Barbara Lavernos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, in Charge of Research, Innovation and Technology said: “Our century-long, deep experience and leadership in haircolouration has allowed our researchers, data scientists and Tech engineers to completely revisit and reinvent the haircolouring experience for both: at home with Coloursonic, a unique user-designed re-usable device allowing a precise vibrant result of haircolouration, and for hair stylists with Colouright, the most personalised and advanced experience in hair salons to achieve desired haircolour results anywhere in the world.

"L’Oréal’s BeautyTech leadership allows us to push the boundaries of tech multiplied by science for breakthroughs in more personalised, inclusive and sustainable beauty experiences.”

Guive Balooch, Global Head of Research and Innovation’s Tech Incubator at L’Oréal added: “After years of research and development, we are thrilled to unveil technologies ahead of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show that modernise the experience for millions of people worldwide who colour their hair at home and in the salon.

"We aim to leverage science and technology to solve age-old problems for consumers, and Coloursonic is a great example of the power of innovating for consumers by innovating with consumers.”