IBM and L’Oréal are collaborating to leverage IBM’s generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology to uncover new insights in cosmetic formulation data, facilitating L’Oréal’s use of sustainable raw materials, for energy and material waste reductions.
The project aims to develop a custom AI foundation model engineered to significantly increase the ability of L’Oréal Research & Innovation teams to reach extra performance and consumer satisfaction in every cosmetic category and every region of the world.
The formulation foundation model is believed to be a first-of-its-kind in the industry, redefining AI innovation at the intersection of beauty, chemistry and technology.
The collaboration combines L’Oréal’s expertise in cosmetic science with IBM’s artificial intelligence technologies for scientific discoveries, to unlock a future where science and technology can inform or help prioritise solutions that are both ecologically responsible and innovative.
To preserve Earth’s natural resources, it is critical to explore renewable, sustainably sourced raw materials when developing consumer products. This effort will contribute to helping L’Oréal meet its L’Oréal for the Future’s target of sourcing most of its product formulas based on bio-sourced materials and/or the circular economy by 2030.
“As part of our Digital Transformation Program, this partnership will extend the speed and scale of our innovation and reformulation pipeline, with products always reaching higher standards of inclusivity, sustainability, and personalization”, declares Stéphane Ortiz, head of innovation métiers and product development at L’Oréal Research & Innovation.
“Building on years of unique Beauty science expertise and of data structuring, this major alliance with IBM is opening a new exciting era for our innovation and development process”, says Matthieu Cassier, chief transformation and digital Officer at L’Oréal Research & Innovation.
“This collaboration is a truly impactful application of generative AI, leveraging the power of technology and expertise for the good of the planet”, says Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow, vice-president Europe and Africa, and director IBM Research Zurich. “At IBM, we believe in the power of purpose-built, customized AI to help transform businesses. Using IBM’s latest AI technology, L’Oréal will be able to derive meaningful insights from their rich formula and product data to create a tailored AI model to help achieve their operational goals and continue creating high quality and sustainable products.”
Guilhaume Leroy-Méline, IBM distinguished engineer and business transformation services chief technology officer at IBM Consulting France, says: “This alliance between highly specialized expertise in artificial intelligence and cosmetics seeks to revolutionise cosmetic formulation. It embodies the spirit of AI-augmented research, emphasizing sustainability and diversity.”
The creation of the AI model will use a large number of formulations and component data points to accelerate multiple tasks to be performed by L’Oréal, including the formulation of new products, reformulation of existing cosmetics and optimisation for scale-up production – tools that will better equip L’Oréal’s 4 000 researchers worldwide over the next several years.
In addition, IBM Consulting will support L’Oréal in its aim to rethink and redesign the formulation discovery process. Understanding the behaviors of renewable ingredients in cosmetic formulas will help L’Oréal build out more sustainable product lines with greater inclusivity and personalisation for its consumers around the world.
Foundation models are a type of AI model trained on a broad set of unlabeled data, capable of performing various tasks and applying information from one situation to another.