L'Oréal, world leader in beauty, and Verily, an Alphabet subsidiary specializing in precision healthcare, have announced an exclusive partnership in the beauty world, designed to advance skin health. This first partnership of its kind in the cosmetics industry is expected to give rise to two programs designed to better understand and decipher the mechanisms of hair and skin aging, and to underpin L'Oréal's strategy and product development in new precision technologies for beauty. 

The first is a strategic research collaboration designed to establish a longitudinal biological, clinical and environmental vision of skin health. It combines L'Oréal's in-depth scientific knowledge of skin with Verily's comprehensive expertise in clinical research, in order to decode and discover the links between the exposome, skin ageing and the deep biology of the skin. 

The second is a partnership between Verily's R&D team and L'Oréal's Active Cosmetics division, aimed at exploring the development of new technologies and telediagnostic solutions such as sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms applied to dermatology and skin care, on the basis of which new services can be deployed. 

" We are delighted to collaborate with Verily, a world leader in precision healthcare technologies. L'Oréal's age-old commitment to spearheading innovation stems from our deep belief in the intersection of science, formulations and our unique advanced research capabilities, to decode the most revolutionary scientific discoveries and create the beauty of tomorrow.says Nicolas Hieronimus, General Manager of the L'Oréal group. Thanks to this partnership, we intend to usher in a new era in skin health, through technology and science, to enable every person, all over the world, to benefit from the most inclusive, personalized, high-performance and precise programs for their skin, at every stage of their lives." 

"Verily and L'Oréal believe in the transformative power of technology to bring precision beauty and health to life, said Stephen Gillett, President and COO of Verily. We are delighted to partner with a world leader in cosmetic science to better understand and promote skin health." 

"We see skin health as an essential need for our overall well-being, as its impact on everyday life is not just physical, but more holistic. Our joint approach should enable us to identify the right intervention, based on data from Verily's technology and clinical research capabilities, while benefiting from the expertise and links with the world of dermatology of L'Oréal, number one in the beauty industry." said Brian Otis, member and co-founder of Verily.

"This new partnership between L'Oréal and Verily promises innovation for dermatologists and consumers alike. We look forward to making new discoveries about skin through this strategic research collaboration and hope that the new tools and algorithms will improve consumers' access to personalized data enabling them to care for their skin more effectively."commented Dr Amanda Oakley, President of the International Society of Teledermatology.

Laboratoires Boiron, world specialists in homeopathy, announce their acquisition of a majority stake in Abbi, a start-up specializing in individualized cosmetic care using artificial intelligence.

Because every skin is unique, every person can benefit from an individualized daily skin care range. This is precisely what Abbi founders Joanna and Frédéric Ifergan have developed after more than three years of research and development. 

The entire manufacturing process of the Lyon-based start-up, founded in 2017, is patented. According to its directors, Abbi is thus the only company in France to produce customized cosmetic skincare, thanks to artificial intelligence and selfies. 

A simple photo is all it takes for a person to obtain, in just a few seconds, an individualized skin diagnosis and the formula that's right for them, with the active ingredients best suited to their needs.

Over 40,000 combinations

Abbi develops its formulas from six bases and 26 active ingredients. There are over 40,000 possible combinations to suit every skin type. Within 48 hours, customers receive their customized cream in a bottle engraved with their first name, a serum of their choice (collagen or hyaluronic) and an essential mist in a fabric pouch, delivered to their home today and soon to pharmacies and parapharmacies.

The company has also developed a range of 10 active ingredient boosters, which meet a specific need of the skin at a given moment.

Shared values with Laboratoires Boiron

Abbi (for A-authenticity, well-being, beauty and individuality), makes cosmetics composed of over 95 % of natural ingredients, with no polemical components and delivered in an eco-responsible manner. These individualized cosmetics can be used for all skin types and colors, young or mature, feminine or masculine, and will take care of problems such as wrinkles, sensitivity, shine, spots, pimples and radiance.

For the founders, "The skin is the largest organ in the human body, so taking care of your skin is like taking care of your health.. A principle shared by Laboratoires Boiron. The world leader in homeopathy is thus opening the doors of pharmacies and parapharmacies to Abbi, and will also contribute to its international reputation thanks to Boiron's worldwide presence.

With this acquisition of a majority shareholding, Laboratoires Boiron has returned to one of its traditional activities, producing a tailor-made product by hand, in keeping with its philosophy of "treating with the greatest respect".

Valérie Lorentz-Poinsot, General Manager of Laboratoires Boiron: "We're delighted to welcome a company like Abbi to our group. I was quickly impressed by the technology and the accuracy and speed of the diagnosis. As with homeopathy, Abbi understands that each person is unique and requires tailor-made care that is as eco-responsible and natural as possible. The links between our two companies are obvious. With the custom manufacturing capacity of our preparatory products, our sales force and our worldwide presence, we'll be able to bring Abbi closer to each and every one of our customers.

Joanna and Frédéric Ifergan, founders of Abbi : "The interest shown in us by Laboratoires Boiron, the world leader in homeopathy, is proof of the relevance of our project, and we're delighted. Joining Laboratoires Boiron is an immense opportunity to develop and share our dream of adapted, respectful cosmetics for as many people as possible. The shared values that animate our two companies give us confidence in the success of this partnership.

Croda Personal Care has launched the SenStories Selector, a new tool available on its website designed to guide users to the ideal emulsifier for their skincare formulations. 

The sensory appreciation of a formulation can be described in many different ways. This new tool bridges the gap between the consumer's descriptive language and that of the formulator to provide qualitative sensory data. It uses a reliable and reproducible methodology, according to Croda, to link consumer perception to the choice of vocabulary and the combination of ingredients and colloidal structure corresponding to a given sensory experience.  

The understanding gained from using the tool can aid predictive ingredient selection. By enabling the development of formulations with a targeted and desired sensory profile, valuable development time can be saved, giving the formulator a head start in his product development process. 

The data on which the tool is based was generated by studying how two unique groups of consumers perceive the tactile and sensory characteristics of a range of simple skincare formulas. The consumers were based in Singapore and France, providing an insight into two important but culturally opposed regions in terms of beauty routine. 

Consumer analysis tools were used to identify correlations or differences between the descriptive language used by each consumer group (sensory semantics) and the technical sensory language (sensory syntax) used by sensory evaluation professionals. The SenStories Selector tool was then developed using an algorithm to offer users a quick and easy way to discover oil-in-water emulsifier systems based on the sensoriality desired by the target consumer. 

To use the tool, formulators select the consumer target they wish to explore, then one or two of the semantic options (descriptors in consumer language) relating to their target sensory profile. Further refinement of ingredient recommendations can take into account regulatory restrictions or ingredient certifications that may be of interest.