Middle East
VivaTech: Start-ups in the Spotlight
Europe’s biggest tech and innovation show, Viva Technology attracted some 100,500 visitors to the 2018 edition. L’Oréal took part in the show for the third consecutive year, unveiling its latest offerings in the field of connected beauty.
A beauty tech stand presenting the new beauty experience
On a 300m2 stand at the heart of the exhibition, L’Oréal invited the public and industry professionals to discover “The New Beauty Experience”, featuring the latest innovations either developed or acquired by L’Oréal. Over the three days of the show, visitors discovered a new connected mirror developed for hairdressing salons by a recently-acquired start-up, ModiFace, along with a chat-bot created by L’Oréal Professionnel. Another connected mirror, designed for use with make-up products and developed in partnership with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, was also on display. Meanwhile, the latest 3D printers and a series of L’Oréal production line cobots1 also caught the attention of the stand’s visitors.
VivaTech also provided an opportunity for senior Group executives to set out their vision of connected beauty, which brings together elements such as augmented reality for make-up and re-booting the customer experience in a retail store. During a talk about the Group’s digital transformation, L’Oréal Chairman and CEO Jean-Paul Agon announced the acquisition of Pulp Riot, a young brand that specializes in professional hair coloring in the United States. A distinguishing feature of Pulp Riot is that its success has largely been built on its Instagram presence. “L’Oréal is always looking for opportunities to buy brands that have digital technology at the heart of their activities,” explained Jean-Paul Agon.
L’Oréal sharing the stage with start-ups
During the show, thirteen start-ups from five countries and part of L’Oréal’s incubator programs were invited to pitch their projects to the Group’s country managers and a panel of expert judges. “We are genuinely honored to have had all these talented people pitching to us,” said a delighted Lubomira Rochet, L’Oréal’s Chief Digital Officer.
The date is set for the 2019 edition, but the future of beauty is already here!
1Cobots = collaborative robots