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Connected beauty : L’Oréal launches an AI diagnostic application for skin healthcare

Connected beauty : L’Oréal launches an AI diagnostic application for skin healthcare

High-tech is taking the lion’s share in a field that is very profitable for beauty companies. Giants like l’Oréal have already been able to prove it for connected beauty.

Beauty is an area that has only known a few revolutions over the years. We are talking mainly about the composition of products, a war between organic and non-organic, but nothing that can completely change things. With new technologies, the relationship to our body and to beauty itself is completely upset. Connected objects are shaking up the world of beauty and our everyday life. Discover these new products and how they are very profitable for companies.

What is connected beauty?

Connected beauty has arrived unsurprisingly in the lives of many people. At first, it is through mobile applications that the rocker was made. For many users, this has allowed them to benefit from beauty advice very easily or to choose the best product for their skin. Of course, many brands have their own services, so there is a bias that can be dangerous.

L’Oréal launches a diagnostic application for skin care based on AI

Nearly a year after its acquisition of ModiFace, a Canadian nugget specializing in artificial intelligence and augmented reality, L’Oréal Group announces a new automated diagnostic service for skin care. It was developed in collaboration with ModiFace teams and part of the group’s research and innovation division.

The first brand to benefit from this technology is Vichy. The mobile application “SkinConsult AI by Vichy”, which was presented to journalists on February 19, has been available in Canada since January 2019 and will be gradually extended to the rest of the world during the year. The launch in China will take place in March, while France will be served in September. Other European markets will follow later. The goal for L’Oréal is to automate (and thus democratize) the personalization of care, because many women do not necessarily know what are their real skin problems, according to the group.

L’ORÉAL PROMOTES ITS DECADES OF RESEARCH

The system works using neural networks. L’Oréal has been systematically working on the cataloging of skin problems for 15 years as part of the clinical tests used to validate the performance of its products. In particular, it constituted a database of 6000 images identifying the clinical signs of aging of the skin. They come from studies carried out on 4000 women and men aged 20 to 80, who were conducted in France, China, Japan, India and the United States.

These images were used to train three models by deep learning. Three models for three types of skin: Asian, white and black, each type has its own characteristics and signs of aging. The models have also been trained to stay accurate in four different lighting conditions.

Diagram of the neural networks used by ModiFace Connected beauty

They were then tested on 4500 selfies. According to L’Oréal, the results are exceptional. In 95% of cases, the system gives the same diagnosis “at first glance” as a group of 12 dermatologists. And it is even more accurate than an individual dermatologist in the majority of cases (the accuracy of the diagnosis being controlled by a clinical examination).

AN EVALUATION ACCORDING TO SEVEN CRITERIA

The SkinConsult AI app works quite simply. The user takes a selfie and then agrees that it will be sent to the cloud for processing. L’Oréal is working so that in the future the calculation can be done directly on the smartphone, without data transfer.

The system analyzes the skin and evaluates it according to seven criteria: visibility of deep wrinkles, visibility of fine lines, intensity of the tasks, lack of radiance, dark circles, lack of firmness, visibility of the pores. He then asks the user to indicate his age and the level of dryness of his skin. Then a map is drawn: it indicates both the “strength” of the skin of the user and its weaknesses. She therefore recommends one or more routines to follow with the products that are going well. The app also allows you to compare your skin to that of other people of the same age.

THE MANAGEMENT OF ACNE IS IN THE INTEGRATION PROCESS, AS WELL AS THAT OF MALE SKIN

Obviously, this system, as effective as it is, does not intend to replace the work of a dermatologist. L’Oréal explicitly mentions it in Vichy’s SkinConsult application, and Jacques Playe, director of the group’s research and innovation laboratory, recalled that the group’s expertise is in beauty, the system is not designed to detect pathological signs of the skin. However, in terms of beauty, L’Oréal has told L’Usine Digitale that it is not excluded that a declination of the system is developed as a tool to help professionals.

The system will also evolve over time to take into account more parameters, such as the pigmentary aspects specific to Asian skin. One of the priorities is the integration of acne. But by the way, what about men?

It is possible to receive the diagnosis by email if desired, after which the data is erased from the server. L’Oréal did not wish to run any risk from the point of view of compliance with the GDPR, even though this limits the possibility of providing regular monitoring, for example.