Procter & Gamble shut down hybrid beauty tech brand Opté, an inkjet wand launched in 2019 that customized makeup application while targeting hyperpigmentation.
WHO: P&G Ventures, the start-up studio within Procter & Gamble, launched Opté Precision Skincare System (Opté) at CES 2019 after more than a decade of development and over 40 patents. It was one of the first brands to emerge from P&G Ventures, which partners with start-ups, entrepreneurs, and innovators to create new businesses. With a price tag of $599 for the device and $99 for the refill kit, it was the most premium beauty offering in the company's portfolio.
The Opté Wand scanned the skin with an enhanced digital camera that instantly analyzed each image using a proprietary algorithm to detect tonal imperfections not visible to the human eye. Using input from the algorithm, Opté precisely printed via a custom thermal inkjet printer and cartridge picolitre droplets of Spot Optimizing Serum on target areas until achieving a perfect color match with the surrounding skin tone, correcting in real time sun damage and hyperpigmentation, and fading the appearance of spots over time. The proprietary technology allowed it to treat only the small areas that need correction without covering the skin that doesn't, resulting in a natural, flawless look that makeup and professional treatments cannot achieve.
WHY: The company said Ventures is focused on its products already in the market, including eczema and psoriasis skincare brand Bodewell and pest-control line Zevo.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: P&G Ventures is “intended to operate on a fast learning cycle, much like a startup,” P&G spokeswoman Erica Noble told Bloomberg. The division regularly chooses where to “make the biggest impact to solve unmet consumer needs.”
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