Since I was young, getting my hair done and shopping for makeup has been more of a ritual to me than anything else – and I’m sure it’s a universal experience for everyone. It’s a time to reconnect with ourselves and feel better than ever before. After years of cultivating my relationship with cosmetics, embracing the transformative power of makeup and the confidence that comes with it, I found myself presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: an invitation to immerse myself in the world of beauty at the recent L’Oréal Singapore Showcase. The last thing I expected to do on a Friday morning was rubbing shoulders with some of the most influential people behind the L’Oréal brand that we all know and adore—but that was exactly how it went.
Throughout the event, we were given a peek behind the allusive powerhouse that is L’Oréal. The more I heard, the deeper I fell in love with the brand. Allow me to drag you down the rabbit hole with me and shed some light on some of the cutting-edge technology L’Oréal has introduced that will revolutionise how we approach beauty.
Beauty Tech
What is Beauty Tech? Simply put, Beauty Tech is the incorporation of artificial intelligence into our beauty routines. And L’Oréal has been championing some of the most iconic and helpful Beauty Tech products to make consumers’ lives easier! I was a non-believer until I saw some of the life-changing technology L’Oréal has introduced; honestly, I can’t see life without it! Let’s go through some of the Beauty Tech that L’Oréal has introduced, as well as some sneak peeks into new technology that has yet to be released!
Rouge sur Mesure
I’m sure you’ve seen this device on your social media before! It’s none other than Yves Saint Laurent Beauté Rouge sur Mesure. It has taken over the world with how creative and innovative it is. If you’ve never heard of this device before, let me rock your world. Think of the Rouge sur Mesure as a printer of sorts – instead of ink, this device can aid you in creating thousands of lipstick colours, no matter your mood!
You also get to choose which cartridge trio you would like to buy. Of course, each cartridge trio will supply you with an array of shades from your chosen colour family – which ranges from oranges to reds to pinks and nudes! After that, all you need to do is download the app, pair the device, and you’re all set!
I’ve always been afraid to venture out of the pink shades of lipstick I’ve come to love. But thanks to the YSL’s shade styling, I could play around with a world of colours. All I had to do was stand in front of an iPad, and suddenly, I had the power to play around in hundreds of shades. That’s not even the best part! YSL’s style shading even gave suggestions on what lipstick shades would look good on me – which has saved me from wasting a ton of money on lipsticks that may not do me any justice!
After the device has “printed” out your chosen lip shade, you can pop the top off and carry it around as a compact mirror for any midday touch-ups! I know; it’s just as cool as it sounds. Why settle for just one lipstick shade when you can have the freedom of choice with the Rouge sur Mesure? You have to check out the official YSL Beauty website for more information on this groundbreaking new device, so just make sure you keep your wallet nearby!
Virtual Makeup Try-On
I don’t know about you, but I have never shopped for makeup online. The risk you take is enormous. What happens if the shade of foundation is too light or the shade of the concealer you thought matched your skin tone online actually accentuates your dark circles instead of concealing them? All that money, wasted. But thanks to Maybelline’s Virtual Makeup Try-On, those dark days are over.
Maybelline is offering you a way to try out that eyeshadow palette or new eyeliner colour before you buy it, all in the comfort of your own home – how great is that? And it’s incredibly simple. All you have to do is go to the official Maybelline website and go crazy!
I may enjoy shopping for makeup, but I’m a tad bit ashamed to admit that I have yet to venture beyond my comfort zone. I’ve never played around with blue eyeshadow or white eyeliner – just the simple shimmer on my eyelids and plain ol’ brown eyeliner (when I feel adventurous enough). It is why I loved the Virtual Makeup Try-On! Because of it, I had the chance to paint my face with colours I would’ve otherwise never dared to try! I was absolutely drunk on power.
Gone are the days of shopping for makeup online just to be disappointed by the results when they finally appear at your doorstep. The only party this will not benefit is my bank account after I’ve started my shopping spree on the Maybelline website – but I’m not complaining!
iNOA [iD]
![L'Oréal Singapore Showcase: AI Innovations in Everyday Beauty Tech to Sustainability Realised: iNOA [iD]](https://danamic-media.danamic.org/danamic-production/2024/05/07140321/BT-LOreal-Groupes-Singapore-Showcase-013-1024x682.jpg)
This next one is similar to the virtual makeup try-on that Maybelline has adopted, but instead of makeup, you can go wild with your hair! Dyeing your hair has always been the biggest wildcard when it comes to beauty. You have no idea whether the colour you’ve chosen will actually complement you or make you look sunken. With the iNOA [iD] by L’Oréal Professionnel, you can kiss that problem goodbye!
Just like the virtual makeup try-on, you can now use the iNOA [iD] to test 65 different shades (and possibly more in the future) of hair colours before settling on a new colour. The device was designed for both professional and at-home use. Initially, I was sceptical about this because my closest experience with something like this was a lazy TikTok filter that overlaid the colour onto my hair.
But the iNOA [iD] blew me away. I have naturally wavy hair, which means my baby hair sticks out with no control – it’s everywhere. But somehow, the iNOA [iD] threw me for a loop when it successfully detected all my hair and gave me an accurate first look representing me with red hair! It was especially cool to see that the iNOA [iD] could even show how I would look with a balayage of my chosen colour. Safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed at all.
The iNOA [iD] will completely revolutionise how we approach hair dyeing, and I’m all for it. I mean, we can now accurately see ourselves in different coloured hair before the process actually starts. It’s a win-win situation! Go check out the full extent of this device’s power on the official L’Oréal Professionnel website now!
Water Saver
This next one’s a bit more niche, but everyone loves to get their hair done, right? I’ve been going to the same hair salon for the past five years, and my favourite part is undoubtedly the hair washes. Every hairdresser has the same magic touch that puts you at ease – the way they massage our scalps and untangle the knots in our necks just makes us want to stay at the wash basin forever.
But what I failed to realise was that with every hair wash, tons of water is going to waste. According to research by Eco Hair and Beauty, washing just one customer’s hair per day uses roughly 14,222 litres of water! Unmatched comfort at the cost of our future, what a way to squander our precious resources.
Enter L’Oréal Professionnel’s Water Saver, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief at not having to say goodbye to our favourite hair washes. Swiss startup Gjosa designed the Water Saver and has completely changed the haircare experience in salons. This device is a showerhead that uses water-fragmented technology to save up to 69% of water. Since its introduction to salons in April 2024, the device has already saved more than 246 million litres of water – equivalent to 98 Olympic-sized pools!
We can now enjoy the calming hair washes that we’ve all grown to love with no guilt—everyone say thank you, L’Oréal Professionnel! If you’re interested in finding out more about this wonderful innovation, head over to the official L’Oréal Groupe website. You could even bring this up at your next hair appointment and join the fight for a greener tomorrow!
AirLight Pro
This one’s an absolute treat! Introducing the AirLight Pro, also by L’Oréal Professionnel! There has been much debate on the traditional hair dryer. Every time I go to the salon, they remind me to dry my hair to achieve that salon look, but traditional hair dryers use massive amounts of heat and energy that eventually cause hair to become frizzy and damaged. So, I’ve never been able to get that salon style on my hair at home.
But thanks to the new AirLight Pro, I can finally say goodbye to this issue. The AirLight Pro uses infrared light and wind to care for your hair. Trust me, I was just as doubtful as you are. But think of it like this: just like how the sun can dry up a lake, the AirLight Pro uses light to dry your hair!
The gist of this is: you can finally dry your hair without having the moisture sucked out of it! Leaving you with a cleaner and less frizzy look. This is the first look into the AirLight Pro. How lucky we are! Although these bad boys have yet to hit the shelves, you can learn more about them on the official L’Oréal Groupe website!
Colorsonic
I saved the best for last! Here we have the Coloursonic by L’Oréal Paris – the device that completely transforms at-home hair colouring. This is another product that has yet to be launched, so we’re letting you in on the first look at this earth-shattering device!
Over the past nine years, L’Oréal Paris has been perfecting the technology behind Coloursonic. You know how they say good things come to those who wait? Well, we’re about to experience that first-hand! Coloursonic will allow us to dye our hair at home and get salon-like results! With just a press of a button, Coloursonic will automatically mix and deposit formulas. All you have to do is run it through your hair, and you’re golden!
Everyone knows the hardships of box dyes—they always come out uneven and patchy. The Coloursonic parts your hair while applying, making sure that every strand is covered and the colour is applied evenly—even in those hard-to-reach areas. The bristles move 300 times per second, making sure to distribute colour evenly—all at the press of a button!
I’m super excited to see this device become available soon! For more information on this glorious device, head over to the official L’Oréal Groupe website!
Brand Causes
Before we even stepped into the main event, we were greeted by a walkway listing every single achievement and initiative L’Oréal has earned and embarked on—and there were many. As consumers, we always want to ensure that the morals of the brands we support align with our own. So, if issues like sustainability and female empowerment are at the forefront of your mind, L’Oréalhas not and will not let you down.
IT Confidence at Work
The one that stood out the most to me was IT Confidence at Work – an initiative by IT Cosmetics that aims to uplift and empower working women to help them find their confidence in the workplace. As women, we often feel out of place in professional settings. We constantly undermine our own abilities, overthink and come down hard on ourselves. According to IT Cosmetics, more than 57% of women believe they would go further in their careers if they just had more confidence – which is a shockingly large portion of us hindering ourselves from achieving more because of such a trivial reason.
That’s why IT Cosmetics has taken it upon itself to supply women around the world with expert education in practical tips and empowering techniques that will assist them in cultivating confidence that will launch them into a whole new stratosphere. Beyond that, the brand has also pledged to support over 125 thousand female entrepreneurs and small business owners with training and millions in funding globally by 2030! A brand for women in every sense of the word – how could you not love IT Cosmetics?
L’Oréal and NUS Joint Research Initiative
The topic of sustainability has taken centre stage in major global conversations, with people all over the world calling for more actions to safeguard our futures. I know you’re sick of hearing brands claim to be sustainable, but L’Oréal has put its money where its mouth is and has taken concrete steps towards becoming a more sustainable brand.
Their attempt at that comes in the form of L’Oréal Singapore and the National University of Singapore (NUS) launching a collaboration in green sciences! I won’t bore you with the details, but to sum it up, L’Oréal’s sustainability programme, “L’Oréal for the Future”, aims to have 95% of its ingredients bio-sourced by 2030! When you support L’Oréal brands, you can rest assured knowing you’re supporting and contributing to a better, more sustainable future.
As we wrap up our tour through the world of beauty innovation, it’s clear that L’Oréal isn’t just keeping up with the times; they’re setting the pace. With each reveal, from personalised lipstick creations to water-saving hair washes, they’re not just changing our routines; they’re changing the game. So, here’s to a future where beauty isn’t just about looking good; it’s about feeling good and doing good—for ourselves and the planet!
Photos by Brendan Tan and Pauline Caoile of the DANAMIC Team. Additional Visuals courtesy of L’Oréal.
