Project:Sandbox

Guive Balooch

Guive Balooch is a scientist who brings technology to the beauty industry. As the head of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator, Balooch helped L’Oréal evolve to a technology player through personalized products in individual beauty and wellness.

Early life and education

Balooch grew up in Berkeley, California. He received his B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and Ph.D. in Biomaterials from University of California, San Francisco. Following a post-doc at Stanford University in cell biomechanics, Balooch began his tenure in the pharmaceutical industry researching new antibodies for bone-related diseases.

Career

In 2008, he joined L’Oréal’s Research and Innovation team where he was responsible for building research collaborations with startups and universities. After drawing inspiration from the agile startup models that surrounded him, he entered a unique new role that would grant him exposure to the consumer and the business while remaining on the R&I team at the number one beauty company in the world. Currently, he is the Head of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator. In this role, Balooch oversees the Incubator and its sister labs in New York City (10 Hudson Yards), San Francisco, Tokyo and Paris.

L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator

Designed as a startup within the Research & Innovation division, L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator develops and launches new beauty technologies. Launched in 2012, the Technology Incubator team is located in New York, New Jersey, California, France, China, and Japan. The team includes physicists, engineers, UX specialists, hardware designers and data scientists, and partners with universities, startups, and experts in a diverse range of fields to develop new innovations at L’Oréal. Projects which launched to market include Makeup Genius by L’Oréal Paris, My UV Patch by La Roche-Posay, Le Teint Particulier by Lancôme, My Skin Track UV by La Roche-Posay, SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E, and Color & Co.

Makeup Genius

This world’s first-ever virtual mirror app, launched by L’Oréal Paris, paved the way for industry adoption of augmented reality and artificial intelligence technologies. Launched in 2014, Makeup Genius converts the smartphone’s camera into a mirror and uses innovative technology to allow users to try L’Oréal’s product virtually, share them on social networks and buy them conveniently. [1] Makeup Genius was developed with Image Metrics, a leading augmented reality company known for its facial analysis technology and detection research.[2]

My UV Patch

My UV Patch by La Roche-Posay is a flexible, lightweight wearable that uses photo-sensitive dyes to track UV exposure. My UV Patch draws from research L'Oréal conducted in conjunction with Professor John Rogers from Northwestern University.[3] The companion app offers users recommendations on what lifestyle changes they can make as well as what L’Oréal products they can purchase that will help them protect their skin.[4]

Le Teint Particulier

Introduced in 2015, Lancôme’s Le Teint Particulier is a customized foundation blended at the point of sale using a color-matching algorithm that sorts through 22,000 skin tones and has the ability to customize coverage and level of hydration.[5]

Custom D.O.S.E

SkinCeuticals Custom D.O.S.E is a professional service that combines high-potency ingredients with professional expertise to recommend a personalized corrective serum. The highly concentrated serum includes up to 24 ingredients, which are formulated at different percentages to perfectly address each client’s skin concerns, including discoloration and wrinkles. [6]

My Skin Track UV

Launched globally in 2019, My Skin Track UV by La Roche-Posay and its corresponding app were designed to make wearers aware of their levels of UV exposure, as well as other skin-damaging pollutants. It also gives users individualized feedback to keep their exposure at a healthy level.[7] Designed in collaboration with designer Yves Behar, the wearable sensor is 12mm wide and 6mm high. The technology and research behind My Skin Track UV and My UV Patch was also in conjunction with Professor John Rogers from Northwestern University.

Color & Co

Color&Co is a direct-to-consumer brand specializing in personalized hair color. The brand uses technology to connect hair colorists to clients via video chat. During a 10-minute conversation, users will build a custom, personalized, at-home hair color, which is then delivered to the door. [9]

Reference

1.      Forbes, Why Is L'Oréal Increasing Its Focus On Augmented Reality?

2.      L’Oréal, L’Oréal Signs New Exclusive License Agreement with Image Metrics for New Makeup Services

3.      L’Oréal Finance, L'Oréal advances its commitment to promoting sun safety with La Roche-Posay UV Sense, the first battery-free wearable electronic UV sensor

4.      Mobile Health News, L’Oréal shares more details about its smartphone-connected UV patch

5.      New York Times, L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator: Creating the Future of Beauty

6.      Forbes, Best Customizable Brands

7.      Wired, L’oréal’s New Clip-On Sensor Tracks Your Exposure To UV Rays

8.      L’Oréal Finance, L'Oréal launches La Roche-Posay MY SKIN TRACK UV, the first battery-free wearable sun safety sensor, in the US

9.      Allure, Meet Color&Co, the L'Oréal Start-Up That Lets You Video Chat with a Hair ColoristTesting paragraph!

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