L’Oréal has announced a collaboration with IBM on the development of a custom AI foundation model, that will enable its L’Oréal Research & Innovation teams to achieve ‘extra performance and consumer satisfaction in every cosmetic category and every region of the world’, and boost its sustainability commitments.
The partnership will see L’Oréal utilise IBM’s Gen AI technology to formulate new products, reformulate existing ranges, and scale up its production processes, supporting L’Oréal’s team of 4,000 researchers worldwide.
‘Rethink and redesign’
It will call on a myriad of formulations and component data points to ‘accelerate multiple tasks performed by L’Oréal‘, the company said, as well as enabling the French firm to ‘rethink and redesign’ its formulation discovery process.
“This collaboration is a truly impactful application of generative AI, leveraging the power of technology and expertise for the good of the planet”, commented Alessandro Curioni, vice president, IBM Europe and Africa, and director, IBM Research Zurich.
“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.”
L’Oréal for the Future
As L’Oréal noted, the collaboration will also enable it to achieve the targets set out in its ‘L’Oréal for the Future’ programme, including sourcing most of its product formulas based on bio-sourced materials and/or the circular economy by 2030.
“This partnership will extend the speed and scale of our innovation and reformulation pipeline, with products always reaching higher standards of inclusivity, sustainability, and personalisation,” added Stéphane Ortiz of L’Oréal’s research and innovation department.
Foundation models are a type of AI technology trained on large datasets, allowing them to perform various tasks and transfer knowledge across domains. In this case, the partnership aims to combine AI-driven insights with scientific expertise to innovate in cosmetic formulation while maintaining a focus on ecological responsibility.
Read more here. Further comment from Alessandro Curioni can be found below.
