Beauty consumers today crave deeper knowledge and predictive insight on skin care needs and expect effective tools and products with a proactive approach, says Guive Balooch, L'Oréal's Head of Open Innovation.

Earlier this month, French beauty titan L'Oréal Group unveiled a flurry of tech innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show [CES] in Las Vegas, including its Cell BioPrint—a tabletop hardware device providing personalized skin analysis in minutes, including skin's biological age and ingredient responsiveness. The tech, which analyses skin through advanced proteomics—the study of how protein composition in the human body effects skin aging—was unveiled under an exclusive partnership with Korean microfluidics start-up NanoEnTek. Cell BioPrint will pilot under a L'Oréal brand in Asia later this year.

Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of research, innovation, and technology at L'Oréal Groupe, says the device offers consumers the ability to “proactively address the beauty and longevity of their skin.” And this, according to Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director for Augmented Beauty and Open Innovation at L'Oréal Groupe, is an opportune area for beauty in 2025.

"People Want to Take the Guesswork out of Skincare" 

“We're seeing many beauty tech trends emerge and sustain,” Balooch tells Beauty Matter. “The shift from reactive to proactive treatments is a big one. AI algorithms will analyze biological data, predict the effectiveness of products, and provide personalized insights into skin health.”

This move towards proactive treatments, he says, is a “paradigm shift” in beauty, and one set to significantly shape the future of industry.

“People want to take the guesswork out of skincare; they want more effective products and a deeper understanding of how skincare and haircare interact with individual biology,” he says—enter beauty personalization in 2025.

Today, however, skincare, largely remains “a guessing game” with 80% of consumers relying on trial and error of products or surface-level skin assessments via various existing tools, Balooch says. And despite the plethora of good products on the market, he says there remains a “lack of guidance” on product choice.

Plugging a "Fundamental Problem" in Skincare

“We recognized a fundamental problem in skincare: choosing the right product,” the exec says. And this is what L'Oréal's Cell BioPrint technology aims to put right—providing a deep dive into individual skin biology, predicting future skin health and guiding product selection based on what's happening beneath the surface, he says.

The device measures specific protein biomarkers to predict risk levels for various skin concerns, using a tape strip to collect skin cells that are then mixed with a solution and analyzed by the device. Images and questionnaire responses are also used. L'Oréal's proprietary algorithm then links a person's specific skincare profile with the most effective formulas across the brand's portfolio. “This allows for preventative and proactive care, not just reactive treatments,” he explains. 

“...The lasting impact I envision is a future where skincare is truly personalized and effective for everyone,” he says. “I hope it empowers consumers to take control of their skin health, making informed choices based on scientific insights rather than marketing claims.”

Haircare Innovations and the Wellness Blur

As beauty morphs, Balooch says opportunities stretch beyond just skin-care. “Skincare is big, but we're incredibly enthusiastic about innovation across haircare too.”

The hair dryer category, for example, has been lacking in innovation for years, he says; something L'Oréal wants to change with its AirLight Pro, launched last year, which uses infrared light to dry hair quicker and minimize heat damage.

Another haircare category in need of an innovation boost, he says, is at-home hair color, where traditional methods remain “difficult to use, messy, wasteful, and often result in uneven coverage.” L'Oréal's Colorsonic device, launched at CES this year, “simplifies the process,” he says. The wand-shaped device, similar to a smart hair brush, automatically mixes colorant and developer and distributes color via smart bristles, parting the hair while saturating every strand during use.

Beyond haircare, Balooch says there will also be significant tech opportunities as beauty and wellness continue to collide, particularly when considering how to “bridge the gap” between what consumers desire to achieve and what they can achieve. The move towards “looking beautiful and feeling good” simultaneously is certainly a space L'Oréal will be following closely, he adds.

However, these opportunities will not come without challenges, Balooch warns.

Sustainability, Individualism, and Accessibilty

“We have a few big challenges today that we face as a company,” he says. The first one is sustainability, he says—delivering products with performance that consumers expect while reducing impact on the planet. And this, he adds, is much more than a technology challenge; it's a challenge for the entire company across water use, packaging, ingredients, formulation, and more.

The insatiable consumer appetite for individualism,that presents so many tech opportunities, will also provide challenges, Balooch says, as needs and expectations rise and product offerings are expected to evolve and adapt over time according to individualized data sets.

Accessibility, he says, will also become increasingly important and therefore complex. “Developing tools and devices that are easier to use, cater to a wider range of skin tones and gender expressions, and assist individuals with limited mobility will be a key focus.”

In the future, Balooch predicts more beauty tools will resemble “miniaturized devices powered by AI,” achieving things hands and fingers cannot, and there will be more highly precise, biology-led information on haircare, skincare, cosmetics, and hair color.

“Beauty is a dynamic industry where people always want innovation,” he says.