Beauty In The Algorithm - Lakmé's AI-Powered Evolution And The Future Landscape Of Cosmetic Innovation
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Category: Property & Real Estate
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BEAUTY IN THE ALGORITHM: LAKMÉ'S AI-POWERED
EVOLUTION AND THE FUTURE LANDSCAPE OF
COSMETIC INNOVATION
Khadija Mansuri, K.C. Law College, Churchgate, Mumbai.
ABSTRACT
The paper sets out to study the interplay between Artificial Intelligence and Cosmetics, with special focus on Lakmé. Lakmé has made a significant impact in the Indian Cosmetic arena for 71 years, the paper traces the growth of Lakmé from its roots, and where the brand stands today vis-à-vis AI. The paper also covers how AI has been a game changer in the Industry at an international scale as well.
METHODOLOGY
This paper was written with the aid of primary as well as secondary research methods. The primary data which was used included the exploration of various virtual try-on tools across websites and apps, as well as the products received and their comparisons with the try on. The secondary data covered literature and statistics accessed which have been cited and referred to in the bibliography.
INTRODUCTION
As someone who spends a good chunk of her day browsing through products in the beauty care space you learn a lot about the brands and start realizing the subtleties between them and what sets them apart. One brand which has never left the spotlight is Lakmé, as it consistently adorns the homepage on various beauty retail apps (Nykaa, Tira) as well as the offline beauty retail stores. Artificial Intelligence is lucidly described as “a discipline of computer science that is aimed at developing machines and systems that can carry out tasks considered to require human
intelligence” 1. The aim of this case study is to uncover how Lakmé has utilized artificial intelligence to its advantage, and to explore the assimilation of AI in the beauty industry.
BACKGROUND
Before diving straight in as to where Lakmé stands today it is necessary to have an understanding of its genesis and how it eventually became a force to be reckoned with in the Indian market. Lakmé derives its name from the French derivative of the word Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Beauty. Lakmé was a super hit opera play by the celebrated Leo Delibes which hit the French Cinema in the year 1883 and had an immaculate 18 year run. Post India gaining her independence, there was a huge lacuna in the Indian cosmetic market, which was quickly getting filled with foreign brands and had a considerable impact on the young and not yet stabilized Indian economy, therefore the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru urged Industrialist J. R. D Tata to venture in this arena and develop an indigenous cosmetic brand.
The company was started as a subsidiary of TOMCO (Tata Oil Mills Company) with collaboration from two French Firms- Robert Piguet and Renoir, who ultimately suggested Lakmé as the name of the brand which inspired from the celebrated French Opera, and thus Lakmé was born. From thereon, Lakmé has consistently performed well in the Indian cosmetic market and that could be accorded to various reasons, however its Parent Corporation that is Unilever is the primary raison d’etre. Unilever is a British owned multinational conglomerate, which has its presence in India, US, UK, Indonesia, Turkey, etc. Unilever has operated in India through its subsidiary Hindustan Unilever limited. 2 Lakmé has always been one with the tunes of trends, using superstars of the bygone eras such as Shyamoli Verma, Rekha, and currently Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ananya Pandey, etc.
However, it is not just leveraging beauty ambassadors that has helped Lakmé stay relevant after
71 years running in the business; it is the R&D which goes behind the product development,
the assimilation of AI in particular has aided brands in keeping up with the ever increasing global competition, which exists in the Indian cosmetic industry. In January 2022, Lakmé launched its AI Powered- Skin Pro, a tool which takes a selfie and the
1 WIPO, Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property, available at:
https://www.wipo.int/aboutip/en/artificial_intelligence/ 2 History of Hindustan Unilever Limited, available at : https://www.hul.co.in/our-company/hul-history/
analyzes the same within 10 seconds and then displays its results which summarizes your skin age, your concerns and accords scores accordingly, the tool then recommends products which would help address your skin concerns, this in turn has helped Lakmé to extend into the skincare market and leave its comfortable makeup shell. 3 What is interesting to note is that for the average consumer, the analysis is rather apt if not spot on, which is more than enough, as the brand psychology of trusting an already trustworthy brand comes into the picture. Knowing Lakmé has delivered great beauty products one is inclined to believe that their skincare range would also be great and therefore, the consumer isn’t reserved about making new purchases.
Moreover, Lakmé has a Virtual Try On tool, the purpose of which is to enable a consumer to view how the products would look on them, from the comfort of their home and without the hassle of in-person trials. This however, is not a novel feature, as most brand websites offer this facility. With that being said, what makes the Lakmé try on unique is the accuracy. Any consumer who has ever used a virtual try-on can safely testify that it is incredibly difficult to adjudge the product via it, because it is difficult to mirror the colours as shown on the screen in real life. How a particular product looks depends on various factors such as their saturations, their pigmentation, the skin tone of a particular individual, etc. , which is quite a herculean feat to mimic virtually. Indian beauty Giant- Nykaa, too has relied upon the nuances of this technology.
The shades shown on the virtual try on are far off from what has been the reality, Nykaa’s virtual try on suffers from a major defect as it changes the skin tone of the individual and thereby making inaccurate reflections of the product which ultimately leads in consumer dissatisfaction. Au contraire to Nykaa, Lakmé’s virtual try-on fares very well, it does not change the skin tone of the person testing it out, the saturations of the product and the skin tone are well maintained and the pigmentation which is captured is more or less spot on to the actual product. Unilever as a corporation knows that the only way it can survive in the ferocious beauty space is by developing and innovating. Unilever has claimed that Lakmé’s advanced tech is also used in product development.
The brand’s innovation teams have access to comprehensive analytics powered by AI, allowing them to track beauty trends and bring new products to the market at 3 Tool examined by the author (self) and conclusions arrived at after using it multiple time, with changes in the lighting and the subject.
a rapid pace. 4 Unilever has risen to these promises, as in the winter festive season Lakmé launched its Glitterati collection, festive seasons have a prominent demand of sparkle and pomp, therefore the launch has been rather timely and apt. During the month of December they launched Lip Mask and Lip Scrub in addition to the already fan favourite Lip Love line, which is another example of a timely launch as winters are the peak time wherein consumers shop for hydrating/nourishing skincare.
Even other brands of Unilever are aided with the help of AI, Sunsilk launched an onion and jojoba oil based shampoo as AI was able to perform a successful test of the most sought for ingredients in the Indian market 5 Unilever was heralded for developing a Red Carmine Pigment (which is a mainstay in the ever so beloved red lipsticks) for its Hourglass Zero range of Lipsticks with the aid of AI which makes the formulation completely animal friendly and vegan. This was a significant step in cruelty free manufacturing as more than 1000 insects are killed to make one pound of the pigment 6 Unilever has also made fantastic strides in the realm of skincare, it is able to test millions of ingredients formulations within seconds, which cuts down on trial and error part of the process.
They were successful in developing a combination of ingredients in their products which would enable the skin to boost production of natural ceramides (an ingredient which helps w hydration). 7
INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO
Unilever has made significant usage of AI across its brands, however it does not stand uncontested. US retail giant Sephora launched a new tool Smart Skin Scan which would analyze your skin and provide a diagnosis, online and in its retail stores. Galderma launched a skin-cosmetic consultation tool, which would analyze and project the result of cosmetic procedures with the aid of AI- thereby reshaping and enabling consumers to peek into the future before diving straight into cosmetic procedures. OLAY launched its own Skin advisor- which similar to the aforementioned tools analyzes and projects what your skin needs along with product suggestions/recommendations.
4 Plc, U. (2023, September 7). Six things to love about Lakmé – India’s biggest make-up
brand. Unilever. https://rb.gy/7yevgv
5 Kite-Powell, J. (2023, April 18). How Unilever uses AI to understand skincare and the human
microbiome. Forbes. https://rb.gy/jkpg1z
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
Not only has AI aided in consultations, it has also made marketing and research incredibly instantaneous, with the use of any AI engine, you can easily get a rundown of what is in vogue in the marketplace, what the consumer needs, what trends and ingredients are gaining popularity and traction, this saves an incredible amount of manpower which was spent on researching market trends and the same can now be allotted to achieving the goals set out by brands - this can be particularly useful for smaller brands which are just starting out in the space. AI has also proven to be a blessing in creating campaigns, imagery, and promotional articles for brands.
Not just marketing, but another significant usage of AI in this space is the reduction of animal testing, something which has been frowned upon but at the same time a necessary evil, this has now been successfully reduced and hopefully completely eradicated in the future.
CONCLUSION
Lakmé has been a forerunner in the Indian Cosmetic Industry, as many brands struggle to stay in the limelight, Lakmé through its incorporation of AI and clever strategies has managed to perform consistently. Following in its footsteps various other Indian brands are now keen on utilizing AI to achieve the same end. However, AI does come with a price tag, although it has largely been a blessing, ethical concerns vis a vis the usage of AI still loom large. Intellectual Property Rights particularly those of copyrights and authorship are constantly in a tussle with AI, as authorship by AI is still not accepted in many judicial systems. Even if they are, the ramifications of the same are still evolving and unknown. Another significant ethical concern is the fear that AI has struck in the hearts of many regarding unemployment, which plays a vital role in the unacceptability of AI.
Notwithstanding what has been discussed, what is for sure is that AI regardless of us liking it or loathing it, is here to stay. The Megalodons of the cosmetic industry cannot afford to stop experimenting with AI and advancing their positions in the extremely saturated and competitive landscape. Up and coming brands cannot be expected to survive without investing in their future and embracing the same. At the same time it cannot be expected by any stakeholder to be oblivious of the writing on the wall, no one should fall prey to the vices of AI in the name of astronomical growth, guidelines and stringent regulations are to be put in place and the same has to be adhered to down to the very T.
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