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We may conclude that all three trends are on the rise, and that the future of the beauty and fashion industries will be more technological and inclusive. All of the abovementioned trends will be influenced by the metaverse in the future, and hyper-personalization will be an important instrument in the growth of businesses and their relationships with customers.

Most beauty and fashion firms will embrace artificial intelligence and augmented reality in the near future to deliver a distinct and personalized client experience.

Innovation will remain at the forefront of both industries, and the rate at which trends emerge and develop will become increasingly rapid.

Customer expectations will rise as well, and firms will have to adapt and satisfy them at the same rate.

The fashion and beauty industries are always evolving, and the ever-expanding digital world presents them with a limitless number of new unexplored opportunities that will emerge over time.

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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1g6q6fsTrnnROrU0bXl5XAa9Z2bKNTDdLZSfic5nMIGo/edit#responses

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With which gender do you identify yourself?

In which age group do you find yourself?

Do you know what virtual influencers are?

Do you consider that virtual influencers are an interesting concept?

Would you buy something promoted by virtual influencers?

Do you think virtual influencers are the future of influencer marketing?

Which of the following virtual influencers have you heard of?

Do you follow any of them on Instagram?

Do you know what artificial intelligence and augmented reality is?

During quarantine, did you see any beauty brands using AI or AR to sell their products?

Do you find it interesting that AI and AR are integrated in the beauty industry?

Are you interested in the metaverse?

Would you buy beauty products through the metaverse?

Do you think there are enough adaptive clothing brands today?

Do you know any brand that has created adaptive clothing collections?

Why do you think that adaptive clothing is not given importance?

There are not many people with disabilities

Brands don't care about all of their customers needs

Brands would not make enough money out of it

People with disabilities are left aside

Do you know someone who has a disability and has trouble finding adaptive clothing?

Do you think that in the future all brands will have adaptive clothing collections?

Never submit passwords through Google Forms.

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Since the industrial revolution transformed the way people lived, fashion became conventional and not particularly inclusive. People were forced to adapt their bodies to the clothes rather than the garments conforming to the wearer's body, which resulted in different-abled bodies being ignored or overlooked. The few garments designed for individuals with disabilities were functional but unstylish, frequently resembling hospital gowns. (Butler, 2022)

The inclusive fashion movement grew over time, but understanding remained limited. It extended to race, gender, sexual orientation, size, and even religion, yet the mainstream fashion business continued to overlook disabled people. (Farra, 2021)

It wasn't until 2014 when model and psychologist Danielle Sheypuk made history by being the first woman in a wheelchair to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week. The public's awareness of the adaptive fashion increased dramatically after that moment. Danielle was able to give voice to a group that numbers over one billion individuals and accounts for 15% of the world's population, according to the World Bank Group. (O'Connor, 2019)

During the same year, designer Mindy Scheier founded Runway of Dreams, a non-profit that encourages inclusive apparel design.

Furthermore, a slew of actors began to open up about their disabilities, like Selma Blair, who boldly declared her MS diagnosis. The actress also made a Red-Carpet debut with a walking cane at a Vanity Fair Oscar Party, and added that she would love to collaborate with someone like Christian Siriano on an adaptable clothing line that is functional yet chic. (Kim, 2019)

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As the world's population grows, so does the number of individuals with disabilities and the demand for special-needs adaptive clothes. The answer might be as simple as integrating magnetic buttons and other sorts of easy-access fixtures, but the category can also go into more difficult ground, such as completely reworking designs to be wheelchair accessible.

According to Coresight Research, a retail data insights business, the worldwide adaptive fashion industry is estimated to reach $349.9 billion by 2023. Since the disabled population has incredible brand loyalty, it is a one-of-a-kind and smart opportunity for marketers.

Ariella Barker, a disability campaigner who uses a wheelchair and has spinal muscular atrophy, stated: “The moment that we find a store or designer that works for us, we don't shop anywhere else because we are hyper-sensitive to companies that take us into consideration.” (Liever, 2019)

For reasons like this, famous companies like Tommy Hilfiger are jumping on board. The brand owned by PVH Corp’s created an adaptive adult apparel line in 2017 with adjustable seams and openings that enable caregivers to dress the person. Magnetic closures were also included in the collection to allow for one-handed dressing. (Bloomberg, 2017)

Nike also announced two years later that it was investing in Utah-based Handsfree Labs Inc., a business that specialized in step-in shoes, which are laceless and easy to put on and take off. In recent years, the firm has prioritized developing goods for a broader range of athletes and removing obstacles to make sport more accessible to more people. (Bloomberg, 2019)

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https://www.lbbonline.com/news/the-beauty-industrys-transformation-to-beauty-tech

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Covid-19 has changed lots of things we took for granted. Hugging. Taking a sip of our friend's cocktail. Visiting a makeup counter and trying on foundation from a tester pot - now that feels like something from a prehistoric era. According to recent research by McKinsey, prestige cosmetic and fragrance brands saw a massive decline in purchasing in 2020, ranging from 55% to 75%. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed a huge weakness in the (pre-pandemic) $532bn beauty industry: its absolute reliance on human interaction and in-store purchasing. In addition to shop closures and a work-from-home lifestyle, applying a full face of makeup - let alone buying new products - felt redundant when half your visage was covered by a mask. However, the crisis also kickstarted a new era of digital transformation, enabling the beauty industry to embrace the change and become the beauty-tech industry.

Central to this transformation is the use of AI (artificial intelligence) and AR (augmented reality) powered beauty solutions, which are set to revolutionise the way we buy cosmetics. Although many of these innovations predated the pandemic, the coronavirus crisis has accelerated consumer uptake of virtual try-on technology. In fact, a Digital Consumer Survey by Euromonitor revealed around 20.1% of consumers had used AR or VR on their mobile or laptop to test out makeup in 2020 - and it's a trend that looks set to grow even once bricks-and-mortar stores reopen, with continued concerns around safety and hygiene for in-person product testing and consultations.

As a cutting-edge, cost efficient and safer experience, try-on tech represents the future of the beauty industry. In combination with the power of data, brands can offer customers highly personalised personalised solutions with scope to extend beyond cosmetics to hair accessories or even luxury jewellery, catering to overseas consumers who aren't able or willing to travel and shop in-person. So how might the technology evolve - and what is the role of brands and agencies in this new, highly technical industry?

L'Oréal, which acquired augmented reality pioneer ModiFace in 2019 is already reaping the rewards of being an early adopter. The beauty conglomerate has rolled out virtual try-on across its own stable of brands including Lancôme and YSL. Other giants, such as Estée Lauder-owned Mac and Benefit, have partnered with Perfect Corp, the company behind the popular YouCam Makeup tool, to provide the AR try-on function on their ecommerce sites and social platforms.

Though the technology is still in its infancy - particularly on websites, compared to apps or social platforms - it's set to evolve into a much more realistic experience as brands invest heavily in research and development. From a commercial perspective, AR is a proven sales drive: a 2021 report by Snap and Deloitte found that interacting with products that have AR experiences leads to a 94% higher conversion rate. With additional benefits ranging from increased accessibility to cost savings on expensive in-store tester products, investing in this new tech feels increasingly like a necessity, not a 'nice-to-have', for brands.

Data can be collected to create new products and better define the customers in real time: if a brand already knows the client's skin issues, for example, and what solutions they are looking for, it can tailor suggestions accordingly. This goes hand in hand with upselling and cross-selling: if I already have a lipstick, the AR try-on tool can find and suggest a more premium alternative, or a complementary eyeshadow, base or bronzer. Plus, the technology can be seamlessly linked to social media, allowing customers to unlock discounts and other offers.

The benefits for the customer are equally numerous, starting with speed and comfort. Why trek to your nearest department store to try out a new lipstick when you can do it from the comfort of your own home? Customisation is also a big draw, allowing people to create their own make-up shades and colours for a perfectly personalised look.

It's not only make-up that's being revolutionised, but skincare in general. The global men's skincare market is already projected to reach $18.92 billion by 2027, and the rise of virtual consultations may encourage men who have traditionally been less comfortable with IRL settings to engage with skincare products. Perfect Corp's AI diagnostics tool can already detect over a dozen skin concerns, and in time, the technology could be used to treat dermatological issues such as acne or scarring, and even diagnose more serious medical conditions, such as common skin cancers.

Is this the end of traditional in-store buying for beauty brands? As previously mentioned, the technology is still evolving, but over the coming years it's likely to become quicker and easier, and with each generation the idea of virtual try-on will become more normalised. Ultimately, we will probably see a hybrid model emerge, which blends try-on tech in a real-life setting. A case in point is Amazon's new London hair salon, where customers can use AR to experiment with different hair colours and test other new technologies.

So, how can agencies and production companies add value in a world that is predominantly driven by sales, rather than a creative experience? Firstly, this is a highly technical arena, so agencies and production companies with expertise are well-placed to offer brands guidance in choosing the right AR or AI technology product for their offering. They can also help brands with using AR in marketing strategies: to acquire new customers, say, or using AR to educate existing clients about virtual beauty tools. Ultimately, though, however innovative these tools become, technology alone won't help a brand stand out in a crowded market. Leveraging a brand's social platforms or creating an innovative digital campaign around a new product launch are still critical for cutting through the noise.

With research by Snap and Deloitte predicting that nearly 75% of the global population and almost all smartphone users will be frequent AR users by 2025, the next few years undoubtedly represent an exciting opportunity for beauty brands and their creative partners. The beauty industry is dead: long live the beauty tech industry!

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the beauty industry’s transformation to beauty-tech

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The Beauty Industry's Transformation to Beauty-Tech | LBBOnline

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Covid-19 has changed lots of things we took for granted. Hugging. Taking a sip of our friend's cocktail. Visiting a makeup counter and trying on foundation from a tester pot - now that feels like something from a prehistoric era.

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https://kodytechnolab.com/blog/technology-trends-in-beauty-industry/

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How is beauty tech redefining the beauty industry in 2022?

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Which tech trends are giving the beauty industry a much-needed facelift? Here is the list of Top Tech Trends Reshaping The Beauty Industry

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https://www.loreal.com/en/group/about-loreal/our-purpose/beauty-tech/

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L'Oréal Beauty Tech: the future of beauty reinvented by science and technology

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We create products and services that cater to your expectations, evolve to meet your needs, and adjust to suit your creativity and lifestyle.

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https://money.cnn.com/2018/03/16/technology/loreal-modiface-technology-ai-artificial-intelligence/index.html

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The worlds of makeup and artificial intelligence came together on Friday.

L'Oreal , one of the world's biggest cosmetics companies, has purchased ModiFace, a Canadian firm that specializes in artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology.

It's the first tech acquisition in L'Oreal's 109-year history. The French company is hoping it will bolster its previous work on virtual beauty products.

Lubomira Rochet, the chief digital officer at L'Oreal, said that ModiFace's engineers, researchers and scientists would help it develop apps and in-store services.

The two companies are working on technology that can scan a human face and provide suggestions for skin-care products based on facial wrinkles, pores, hydration levels and pigmentation.

"We really want to invent the future of the beauty experience to help our consumers discover, try and buy... the best products and brands for them," Rochet told CNN.

Related: This futuristic salon lets you preview hair colors virtually

L'Oreal, which owns brands including Kiehl's, Maybelline and Garnier, is an industry leader when it comes to technology. It made waves in 2014 when it launched a virtual makeup app that has been downloaded over 20 million times.

In January, it updated an app developed with ModiFace that allows users to scan their face with their phone and try out different hair colors.

L'Oreal has long worked to develop its online presence, said Pinar Ergun, an analyst at UBS. It has increased its advertising on digital platforms like Facebook , and paid social media "influencers" to feature its products.

The efforts have paid off, with 8% of revenue now coming from e-commerce channels.

"They have been investing quite a bit in digital," said Ergun. "If you're not online, you're definitely falling behind."

Anubhav Malhotra, an analyst at the investment bank Liberum, said the purchase would also deprive rivals of ModiFace's services.

ModiFace had worked with the cosmetics brand Benefit, which is owned by LVMH , on an app that allows customers to virtually "try on" eyebrow styles.

CNNMoney (London) First published March 16, 2018: 10:53 AM ET

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Why is L'Oreal buying a technology company?

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L'Oreal , one of the world's biggest cosmetics companies, has purchased ModiFace, a Canadian firm that specializes in artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology. It's the first tech acquisition in L'Oreal's 109-year history. The French company is hoping it will bolster its previous work on virtual beauty products.

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https://www.voguebusiness.com/beauty/beauty-in-the-metaverse-where-its-heading

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To become a Vogue Business Member and receive the Technology Edit newsletter, .

Beauty lends itself well to virtual experiences thanks to the inherent experimentation and sense of play in cosmetics. However, it's less collectible than fashion and less enmeshed with current gamer habits, experts say.

Beauty brands wishing to make their mark in the metaverse need to be tailored in their marketing, flexible with expectations and willing to take a grassroots approach.

"The metaverse is starting to be adopted by beauty consumers, but this adoption may be as small as using an AR filter. At the other end of the spectrum, they might be ready to buy an NFT from a beauty brand," says Abi Buller, foresight writer at The Future Laboratory, a strategic foresight consultancy based in London.

The opportunity may be more significant. "Gaming is far more mainstream than many people realise, especially among women," explains Lisa Hau, COO at Bidstack, a gaming advertising technology company. She notes that it's a misconception that only teenagers and young men play video games, referencing research from the Global World Index seen by Vogue Business showing that in 2021, 53 per cent of beauty fans played or downloaded a free-to-play game. Reaching beauty shoppers authentically and offering them real value is the next step.

Many beauty brands are taking a hybrid approach. Crossovers with gaming and esports communities include Charlotte Tilbury sponsoring the Girl Gamer Festival in 2021; L'Oréal-owned YSL Beauté partnership with streamer Talia Mar for a sponsored stream promoting the Black Opium Fragrance; and Estée Lauder's microsite Anrcade, where users play arcade-style minigames and learn about the brand's Advanced Night Repair serum. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have proven popular: Clinique, Elf Cosmetics and Nars are among the first brands to market them in the beauty space.

Positioning before product sales

Expectations must be more marketing-led, says Dina Fierro, vice president of global digital strategy at Nars, which partnered with Nintendo's Animal Crossing game. "We're not necessarily looking to these partnerships to drive product sales. Realistically, what's more important to us is the positioning of the brand and the sentiment around these activations. As an artistry-led brand with strong connections to the fashion world, our NFTs made complete sense."

Drest, a mobile gaming app in which users complete styling challenges, launched a Beauty Mode addition this year, featuring both Gucci Beauty and Nars. According to CEO Lucy Yeomans, their users see themselves as creators. "I see a demand from the next-generation customer to actually be part of a kind of creative experience," she says. "The experimentation and discovery are incredibly important, because it's so immersive." Branded challenges offered on Drest are most popular, with the highest engagement, she adds.

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Beauty in the metaverse: Where it's heading

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To become a Vogue Business Member and receive the Technology Edit newsletter, . Beauty lends itself well to virtual experiences thanks to the inherent experimentation and sense of play in cosmetics. However, it's less collectible than fashion and less enmeshed with current gamer habits, experts say.

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https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Article/2022/05/19/Metaverse-future-in-beauty-brings-community-and-creativity-promise-say-Estee-Lauder-L-Oreal-and-Coty

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Talk about the metaverse - anticipated to become a single, universal and immersive virtual world - had truly taken off this year, capturing the minds of industry and consumers alike with its tantalising aesthetics potential, far-reaching community appeal and tech-forward innovation. But as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and a host of tech like virtual try-ons, avatars and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) collided, what exactly did the future of the metaverse look like? And what sort of opportunities did this world hold for beauty?

Speaking at last month's Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna event in Italy, a panel of leading beauty experts discussed this, and more, with the senior VP and creative director of insights and trend specialist Beautystreams Michael Nolte, during a Cosmotalks conference session.

'Metaverse living', Nolte said, was one of five themes set to rise in importance over the next five years​, creating "endless opportunities of expansion" ​ for the beauty sector. Turning to his panellists, he asked for their insight on what the metaverse could bring for beauty.

Understanding consumer engagement will be key​

Barbara Doussard, prospective director for L'Oréal Group, said it was a deep question because the metaverse largely remained "a mindset".​ And whilst it was proving to be a "very mesmerising" ​space today, there remained much to learn, particularly around consumer engagement and interest in this world.

"At the beginning, we thought maybe it was an opportunity for Generation Z and Generation Alpha to take over the world and take the power back from the older generation. But the question we have today is: do they really want it?" ​

Whilst these generations were heavily engaging with the entertainment side of the metaverse, attending the likes of virtual concerts and events, she said it remained uncertain how much they would engage with other facets of the metaverse on a regular basis.

"We don't know yet. Let's watch the game," ​she said.

Creative space for a 'joyful revolution' ​

Sarah Léa Chicheportiche, global prospective and global insights at Coty, said that the creative side of the metaverse was the most interesting angle for beauty today, particularly how it enabled and empowered users, particularly consumers, to get creative.

"We can talk about NFTs and crypto but what's interesting is being creators,"​ she said. "We can recreate ourselves avatars and that's interesting and positive in the ideal metaverse." ​

This ability to build "infinite identities",​ she said, was great because it was a "happy disturbance"​ and "joyful revolution". ​

Sam Cheow, SVP and global head of makeup innovation, portfolio and product development at The Estée Lauder Companies, agreed and said this creative opportunity was also there for industry, though less of a newer concept for brands and manufacturers.

"In the beauty industry, everyone (...) creates. We create the digital persona, makeup look, and mindset we are in. And that's why a certain shade of lipstick always does really well, because it gives us confidence. We have been living in the metaverse already, it's just the marketing people that have created the definition for us." ​

Building a 'virtual community' without discrimination​

What would be "really interesting"​ to track moving forward, he said, as the metaverse evolved, was how consumers and industry managed "the collision of online and offline" ​and valued the "sense of synchronicity" ​ between both worlds.

In addition, he said it would be important to carefully consider how beauty could play in the metaverse in a way that created joy but also educated and democratised the category by creating a sense of community.

"If it brings together a virtual community where there is no discrimination, I think that's something really wonderful about the metaverse," ​Cheow said.

Nolte agreed: "There are predictions that the metaverse will exponentially grow, but circling back to the philanthropic way, it's important to not use it as a way to just get into our consumers' pockets." ​

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Community, mindset and creativity: Estée Lauder, L'Oréal and Coty discuss future of the metaverse

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Talk about the metaverse - anticipated to become a single, universal and immersive virtual world - had truly taken off this year, capturing the minds of industry and consumers alike with its tantalising aesthetics potential, far-reaching community appeal and tech-forward innovation.

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https://thestack.world/news/beauty/culture/the-phygital-future-of-the-beauty-industry-1642629815187

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Beauty Expands Into The Metaverse

Brands are starting to step into the metaverse and explore partnerships with gaming, esports creators and influencers. P&G unveiled an immersive virtual world titled BeautySphere, which allows consumers to interact with the company's portfolio of brands through live and simulated content focused on sustainability, inclusion and safety.

As the metaverse starts to open up to consumers, it’s likely that it will become more available to startups and mid-sized beauty brands who are looking to capitalise on new opportunities to connect with their audience. This is a huge extension of the AR and VR-enabled brand experiences we saw at the height of the pandemic.

Simi Lindgren - founder of Yuty, which connects consumers with their ideal, sustainable beauty routine based on AI, says: “As brands and retailers look to continue to connect with consumers in meaningful ways, I believe that there will be an evolution of 'phygital' and beauty in the Metaverse. We have seen the beginnings of this with strategic partnerships between gaming and beauty, and there is certainly more to come.”

Scannable Beauty

Whilst QR codes are nothing new, they’ve had a resurgence over the last couple of years, thanks to the pandemic. Consumers are now used to scanning and creating codes when it comes to their health and wellbeing. This is moving to the beauty industry with scannable QR codes and barcodes to re-order, pick up product instructions and get product recommendations. Apps like MyFitnessPal already have in-built barcode scanners to auto track calories and macros, but beauty is heading this way too. In 2022, you’ll have the ability to scan your beauty products in-store to check out whether the ingredients are as natural as they claim to be or if they’ll work for your skin. This tech is growing globally in the beauty industry and seems set to put even more information into consumers’ hands.

Beauty And The NFT

NARS, Tatcha, Clinique, e.l.f. and Givenchy have made moves into NFTs, exploring digital creativity and allowing their customers, fans and followers to explore another way to connect with their brand. It gives the customer an opportunity to ‘buy in’ to the beauty industry, and build their community in a time when many feel disconnected - according to industry research, 90% of shoppers have shown interest in purchasing an NFT in 2022.

Kim Oguilve from digital health, beauty and wellness platform Revieve says: “The metaverse and NFTs are putting the power in consumers' hands driving beauty brands to reformulate what data, loyalty, and community means to their customers. Today's consumers, especially Gen Z, are craving unique experiences in the digital world. Only time will tell what all the possibilities are, but we know they could be endless.”

In-Salon Robots

We’re already starting to see robots enter the salon space to automate precision tasks, making them quicker and more precise. While it’s cute to imagine Wall-E painting your nails, the reality is still looking a little more conceptual. Oakland-based lash extension robot LUUM takes a full lash appointment from 2-3 hours to around 30 minutes using barcodes, AI and computer vision to apply lashes. A trained lash artist oversees and provides the finishing touches.

It’s a similar story with in-salon nail treatments too. Nail painting robots like Clockwork, Coral and Nimble all use computer vision, AI and robotics to take custom nail painting down to just 10 minutes. However, the robot tech can’t do a full-service manicure or pedicure (yet). This type of automation is looking completely possible in 2022.

Personalised Beauty Continues To Grow

The days of one-size-fits all beauty is over as more consumers look for beauty brands that are curated, customised and individual to their needs. AI tech is filling the space that’s traditionally been focused on a set of beauty standards that don’t fit, and this will continue in 2022.

Claire Triantis, from AI-led custom beauty brand DCYPHER says: “We wanted to ensure that everyone is represented and can access made-to-order makeup products that work for them. There are 8 billion faces in the world, and around 40 shades in standard foundation ranges - a one-size-fits-all model isn’t good enough for consumers. We predict even more growth to come in beauty personalisation.”

At-Home Devices

At-home skin care devices aren’t new - especially over the last few years when the pandemic has meant salon doors stayed closed - but the tech behind them is. Skincare systems like Opte use precision cameras to detect variations in tone and apply targeted skincare and makeup to treat and conceal.

At-home microcurrent skin care devices, like ZIIP, NuFace and FOREO, are gathering pace in 2022 too. These devices use microcurrents of electricity to lift and sculpt the face with toning, rejuvenating and skin benefits. Although the devices themselves are expensive, they do provide effective at-home alternatives to people who aren’t able to access these treatments with a specialist.

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The “Phygital” Future Of The Beauty Industry

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From nail painting robots and AI-curated beauty routines, to scannable ingredient lists and NFTs, these are the companies at the forefront of beauty’s shift to tech…

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https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/a40046366/beauty-metaverse/

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It seems somewhat crazy that an industry like beauty - rooted in sensory experiences where personal touch and physical treatments are king - is being transformed and re-invented for a virtual world where you can't feel, smell or literally touch what's in front of you. But, it's happening, and brands are quickly having to adapt and learn how to establish themselves in the digital realm.

Charlotte Tilbury, Lottie London, YSL, Estée Lauder, Gucci and Nars are already fully immersed and, in February this year, L'Oréal reportedly filed 17 trademark applications relating to the metaverse - linked to NFTs (more on those later), virtual perfume, cosmetics and styling for avatars. Rhianna has also just applied for a Fenty trademark for her Savage X Fenty and Fenty Beauty brands. Recognised for their inclusive shade ranges, they're laying down the gauntlet for other inclusive brands to join them in the virtual world - because what it seems to lack in touch it makes up for in creativity and freedom of expression.

"The metaverse is essentially limitless in terms of how one can express themselves through things like their avatars and it's this that will unlock more surreal beauty looks, new areas of inclusivity and abstract self-expression," says Jon Roman, SVP, global consumer marketing and online at Estée Lauder. Put simply, it's a place where you can be anything you want to be and look however you want to look, without any restraints or restrictions you might encounter in real life.

Beauty has been built on commodification; now it's about more immersive experiences and education

Alex Box, make-up artist and identity designer, is in agreement and has embraced the virtual possibilities. "Beauty has been built on commodification; now it's about more immersive experiences and education - adding to the touch element rather than replacing it. As the technology and insights evolve, so will the sophistication of the experience."

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It's already appealing to the digitally savvy demographic, especially female gamers which account for a bigger audience than you might think. In fact, a report by We Are Social found that 80 per cent of female internet users aged 16-44 play video games, while another survey from the Global World Index discovered that, last year, 53 per cent of beauty fans played or downloaded a free-to-play game. It's no wonder Charlotte Tilbury took a calculated decision to sponsor the Girl Gamer Festival. In April the brand launched its first virtual store - Pillow Talk Party Virtual Beauty Wonderland - where guests are greeted by a 3D volumetric avatar of Charlotte, immediately etching brand awareness into gamers' memories. To enter Charlotte's world you don't need to log in to a specific metaverse; you can access her magic portal via your web browser or mobile. Simply scan a QR code and she will magically appear in front of you, alongside 3D products that float and spin, doors that open up to masterclasses with the global pro artists, and the opportunity for you to 'shop with friends'.

Entering the virtual space via Drest, the digital fashion app, Gucci Beauty was the first brand to launch the app's beauty mode, allowing users to experiment with 29 of its virtual beauty products. Soon after, Nars and Drest unveiled a nine-day beauty campaign where looks could be customised on avatar models using 30 of their products. Consumers could then save the looks and products on personalised mood boards.

When it comes to specific 'metaverses', there's more than one digital playground to choose from - although for beauty, it's Decantraland that seems to be the favoured space with its real focus on freedom and expression. It's also where consumers can access NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and collect wearable POAPs (proof of attendance protocol). Originally used for the art world, NFTs are digital collectables that can be traced back to a blockchain (a system of recording information that can't be changed or hacked). Working a bit like an original piece of artwork, they last forever and can't be replicated, while POAPs are similar to a ticket, programme or t-shirt that verifies you were present at an event.

"We dipped our toe into this digital space last year when we launched our first ever NFTs with Ciate London and the response was overwhelming, selling out within 24 hours," explains Nora Zukauskaite, global marketing director at Lottie London. Hosting an event in the Vegas City District of Decantraland with LA's celebrity nail artist, Chaun Legend, it seemed the perfect place to preview Lottie London's new collection and announce they would be re-entering the nail category for the first time in six years.

"In real life we would be super limited to one location, time zone and be stagnant in our placement, but here we could showcase our brand and products in a new way and to a large audience," continues Nora. "It's unlocked a huge amount of potential and we're just about to host the first ever Decantraland prom party. It's in an exclusive venue where we'll also have 1000 unique POAPs with Lottie London bestseller glowing make-up enhancements, a prom crown and corsage."

Estée Lauder also entered Decantraland recently and was the exclusive beauty brand to partner with Metaverse Fashion Week in March. Inviting users to step inside the iconic Advanced Night Repair 'little brown bottle' in doing so, they unlocked an exclusive POAP and one NFT wearable that gave their avatars a glowing radiant aura that lasts as long as the user wishes. A cult product for die-hard beauty fans, entering the metaverse meant they could tap into a new audience not already familiar with Estée Lauder. "It's not specific to age; it's about attracting and engaging with new communities of consumers who are already immersed in the metaverse and interested in connecting with beauty and fashion brands virtually," explains Roman.

While currently the main metaverse demographic does sit with Gen Z and millennials, anyone with internet access can get involved and WGSN has predicted that by 2024 there will be a new beauty persona for brands to target - the Beautyversals. An audience that puts digital products on a par with their physical counterparts, they will also prefer to interact with virtual ambassadors than IRL experts.

Dermalogica is already testing the waters in-house and rather than focusing on brand-to-consumer activity they have created the first in-house digital ambassador - Natalia - who trains therapists on new treatments, products and protocols. Opening up a whole new dimension, her avatar can show skin ageing that one would never be able to experience in real time.

Reality as we know it will change and for those born now the metaverse is their future

Emma Chiu, global director at Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, believes that this blurring of the two worlds will become the new reality. "Digital touchpoints are by no means a replacement for in-person activities but the metaverse is offering another experience that is more sophisticated than what we have been experiencing. There are times when it makes sense to dip into the metaverse and times to turn to real-world activities. Reality as we know it will change and, while it may be an adjustment for older generations, for those born now, the metaverse is their future."

Giving brands an opportunity to add a layer of 'deep service' to their offerings and consumers a new way to experiment, enjoy and play with beauty products, expect more brands to start opening their doors to virtual stores and enticing you with NFTs from here on in.

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How beauty is entering the metaverse, from NFTs to virtual cosmetics

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It seems somewhat crazy that an industry like beauty - rooted in sensory experiences where personal touch and physical treatments are king - is being transformed and re-invented for a virtual world where you can't feel, smell or literally touch what's in front of you.

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https://aithority.com/vision/face-recognition/5-digital-trends-that-will-define-the-beauty-store-of-the-future/

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During the pandemic, the retail landscape experienced a digital transformation. With brick-and-mortar stores closed, consumers turned their attention to digital channels, and as the beauty industry shifted to a digital-first mindset, consumer expectations evolved. Now more than ever before, brands must deliver best-in-class shopping experiences across the omnichannel customer journey, from in-store to online, and through social shopping platforms. These experiences must also be personalized, seamless and catered to individual shopper needs.

As consumer shopping preferences evolve and stores begin to reopen, brands will need to adapt the traditional in-store experience to meet the needs of this new, digitally savvy consumer. The answer to this lies in digital-first strategies that engage and excite consumers. Here are 5 digital trends that will be integral for creating a successful beauty store and shopping experience in the future.

AI and AR-Powered Virtual Try-On Technology

Pre-pandemic, customers that were interested in buying a beauty product would have visited a store, taken a product tester and tried it on their skin to find their ideal shade. With growing concerns over hygiene, and the increasing demand for personalized product recommendations, this is no longer a viable option in 2021. Forward-thinking brands have therefore adopted beauty tech, such as AR and AI-powered virtual try-on tools to help customers test products in a safe way, with true-to-life results.

We use innovative AI and AR technology to allow consumers to receive instant product recommendations that are personalized to their individual needs.

Through AI and AR technology, customers can instantly have their facial features analyzed, and receive customized product recommendations within seconds. From skin tone to face shape, there are so many unique characteristics that define beauty consumers. For skincare brands, AI-powered skin tech can help diagnose customer skin concerns and in turn recommend the most effective product regimen. Beauty is not one-dimensional, and technology is essential to provide customers with the perfect shade and product match.

AR and AI-powered virtual try-on technology is the future of an enhanced beauty experience and has the potential to increase purchasing confidence by allowing customers to know with complete confidence that a product is right for their needs. This technology can also easily be implemented across the omnichannel shopper journey. Virtual try-on can be implemented in-store to encourage product discovery and across digital channels to inspire consumers as they browse. It can also be utilized as part of digital beauty consultations in-app and online to replicate the personalized in-store experience.

Social Commerce

The beauty industry relies on social media platforms to help drive awareness for new products. These platforms also allow brands to engage with consumers and learn more about their needs. Last year, Facebook was responsible for 40% of social media visits to e-commerce websites, while YouTube was responsible for 35%.

In order to provide the best experiences to consumers, brands need to provide a frictionless omnichannel shopping experience across all touchpoints from in-store, to online, and across social commerce channels. One of the most impactful ways for brands to engage consumers is with a strong social commerce strategy. Brands can provide personalized experiences to consumers through their social commerce strategy and one of the most effective ways to do this is with AR shoppable posts .

With AR-powered shoppable posts, customers can virtually try-on products as they interact with brand content on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. This experience is highly interactive and inspires consumers to continue exploring the brand online as well as in-store.

QR Code Integrations

Data from Insider Intelligence reveals that mobile commerce is set to hit $488 billion , or 44% of total e-commerce, by 2024. With more reliance on mobile phones since the pandemic, the use of QR codes has also skyrocketed .

QR codes have emerged as a useful way to access information and shop for products in a society that is quickly becoming touchless. As a result, consumers have become comfortable with QR codes and expect these experiences when engaging with their favorite brands.

Beauty brands can integrate mobile/QR code touchpoints in-store to drive consumer engagement. QR codes will be an integral part of shoppable beauty experiences and can be included on shelves in-store as a way for users to scan and learn more about a product, opt into a newsletter, leave a review or unlock product deals. Brands can also use QR codes to drive traffic to virtual try-on experiences that allow customers to try on the products they are browsing in-store.

Experiential Retail

Online shopping is easier than ever today and many customers like to shop across multiple platforms, from a brand's website to pop-up stores and social commerce channels. This means that the beauty store of the future needs to include experiences that engage customers and increase brand favourability. It is therefore vital that brands seek to create "shoppertainment" moments to excite and inspire customers in-store.

There are various ways to engage with customers through experiential retail, from photo opportunities that inspire social sharing and brand love, to exclusive events that educate and inspire. Estee Lauder recently implemented virtual try-on technology across store locations to engage customers while they shop and help each consumer find their perfect shade. This is yet another way that AR and AI technology is driving retail forward and creating valuable "shoppertainment" moments that engage consumers while reinforcing brand loyalty.

Sustainability

Consumers today want to engage with brands that adhere to sustainable business practices and align with their values. This will continue to be important to consumers as we look to the future of beauty retail.

One of the biggest sustainability challenges for the beauty industry today is plastic waste , and the use of AR and AI-powered virtual try-on technology is an effective way to address this challenge. Virtual try-on reimagines product testing in a digital setting, thereby eliminating product waste and ensuring an eco-friendly in-store space.

Looking To The Future of Beauty Store

Consumers may have grown more accustomed to shopping for beauty online, but in-store shopping will continue to be a very important touchpoint in the omnichannel customer shopping journey. As the retail landscape evolves, in-store beauty shopping experiences need to transform to accommodate shifts in consumer expectations and shopping behaviors.

Advanced technology such as AI and AR virtual try-on experiences will be a key element of this in-store transformation, helping to create a seamless omnichannel strategy that provides customers with entertaining and personalized experiences. In order to stay ahead of the curve, brands must leverage new technology and stay informed on the digital trends that excite and engage consumers. These elements will ensure a successful beauty store experience in the future.

[To share your insights with us, please write to sghosh@martechseries.com]

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5 Digital Trends That Will Define the Beauty Store of the Future

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During the pandemic, the retail landscape experienced a digital transformation. With brick-and-mortar stores closed, consumers turned their attention to digital channels, and as the beauty industry shifted to a digital-first mindset, consumer expectations evolved.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/05/17/three-ways-technology-is-driving-beauty-forward/?sh=520c9ee673ae

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Sampo Parkkinen is the CEO and Founder of , a personalized digital brand experience company in beauty, skin, health and wellness.
A few years ago, many considered new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) in beauty as nice to have. Early experiences were centered around entertainment and felt almost gimmicky. That is no longer the case. AI, in particular, has proven essential to delivering on personalization and tailored communications to meet the needs of consumers today and tomorrow.

Cosmetics and beauty technology leader L'Oreal took a bold first step by acquiring ModiFace in 2018. Since then, several beauty brands and retailers have followed suit, tapping into the digital space with the mission to reinvent their brand experience.

Moreover, health and beauty have undergone a monumental "makeover" in the past few years. The notion of beauty has expanded from pure color cosmetics to encompass a more holistic view of the consumer through the lens of skin, health, individual beauty and overall wellness. While these categories seem distinct from the outside, in the minds of the consumers, skin, health, beauty and wellness are not independent of one another. This interconnectivity of categories is evident in today's landscape as ever-increasing desires influence consumers to purchase more consciously and sustainably.
* By Delivering Zero- And First-Party Data That Drives Long-Term Strategy
Most recently, beauty brands have whetted consumer appetites for greater customization. Today, AI, AR and analytics power omnichannel diagnostic experiences and platforms to deliver service and product personalization. However, digitalization in beauty is not about deploying tech-powered experiences just because-it's about understanding how tech can solve your customer's problems and help you achieve your goals. This is how I see that technology is powering beauty innovation.

For a long time, third-party data was a top asset. Brands would monitor visitors and gather data to enhance targeted ads through the usage of cookies. However, third-party cookies are no longer valued. Thanks to advances in personalization, brands have access to zero- and first-party data.

Generally, first-party data is requested when ordering a product or service. For instance, first-party data commonly can be a customer's name, address or even information sourced from standard customer engagement, such as a purchase or details from web browsing.

In contrast, zero-party data is the data that a customer decides to share with a brand. This can happen via product or service recommenders, where users are asked in-depth questions about their preferences in return for more personalized service from the brand.

With this input, brands and retailers can predict trends and make assumptions by getting into the consumer mindset and adjusting offerings based on consumer behavior. Forrester's latest research shows that customer experience is the top priority for 49% of global B2C marketers. This priority makes the collection of zero-party and first-party data paramount to CMO success.
* By Helping Build A Cohesive And Seamless Brand Experience
But customers are worried and have distrust about giving their data. That means that transparent communications toward customers detailing the value of what you're offering in return for customer data are critical for fair value exchange.

Collecting and analyzing data allows for the level of consumer understanding required to serve the individual shopper's needs and wants effectively. Utilizing a blend of novel technologies allows beauty brands and retailers to leverage personalization and provide opportunities to understand and engage with shoppers more intimately.

AI can support brands in crafting a personalized brand experience that aligns with customers' expectations and can live anywhere the brand is. Companies understand the vital role of personalization in retaining loyal customers and brand advocates, which enables brands to create long-standing relationships with their customer base. For that reason, brands and retailers are now moving away from standalone solutions and starting to provide customers with an ecosystem of knowledge, expertise and customization powered by a suite of technologies.
* By Supporting Brands In Building More Loyal Customer Relationships
However, these technological advancements can look slightly different depending on the brand's resources. Larger organizations typically have an edge, as they can implement new technologies quickly and even build them in-house. More advanced personalization technologies can be expensive for a small beauty brand that is juggling the implementation of other tools. They risk getting left behind as more prominent companies are better resourced. What it means for a small beauty brand is that they must keep in mind the areas of the customer experience that are a must to enhance with technology.

As the methods through which you engage your audience multiply from the current channels in which you operate to the metaverse in the future, for example, the value of technology as a critical component in achieving innovation across the consumer journey will continue to increase.

When exploring the customer's perspective, it is essential to recognize their concerns surrounding AI- and AR-powered technologies. Due to a general lack of information and insights on new advancements, many misconceptions show a clear need to educate consumers on the functionalities and benefits of these technologies, such as the widespread mistrust of AI for replicating human, systemic and institutional biases. This begets a brand's onus to engage in a transparent dialogue with its customers about why it does what it does.

However, technologies like AI and AR are often overlooked as tools to strengthen company values. For conscious consumers who prioritize sustainability, diversity and inclusion, AI and AR can provide companies with tools and experiences to reduce biases, provide carbon-emissions-free methods for product sampling and curate a more inclusive brand experience for every shopper.

Not to mention that as a standalone solution, customers might test out one technology merely for fun, but it doesn't guarantee a purchase-and it's important to remember that. The experiences you provide ideally have the output of increased purchases, but today, you're essentially fighting for attention and engagement in a world where customers have endless options.

Keeping a brand salient to new consumer groups and consumer behaviors is the secret to thriving. As more brands and retailers seek to reimagine how they reach their customers, novel tech-powered experiences will continue to drive the beauty industry forward for years to come.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

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Council Post: Three Ways Technology Is Driving Beauty Forward

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Sampo Parkkinen is the CEO and Founder of , a personalized digital brand experience company in beauty, skin, health and wellness. A few years ago, many considered new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) in beauty as nice to have. Early experiences were centered around entertainment and felt almost gimmicky.

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https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/how-beauty-brands-are-building-their-tech-muscle/

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/09/22/i-think-i-solved-instagrams-biggest-mystery-but-youll-have-to-figure-it-out-for-yourself/

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No one knows who or what @lilmiquela is, but everyone has a theory. Since she posted her first Instagram in April, the Internet's latest "it girl" (or hoax, or art project, or marketing stunt) has become something of a cult mystery.

The problem with Miquela, you see, is that she acts like a real person but doesn't look like one. Her skin's a bit too glossy, her shadows slightly too flat - she has the telltale uncanniness of a computer animation.

How 25 years of Photoshop changed the way we see reality

At the same time, Miquela regularly references physical places she claims to have partied at and shouts out labels of clothing she claims to have worn. She regularly posts pictures - even selfies - with models, artists and musicians. Miquela has Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr accounts; she has an email address, for goodness' sake. (Albeit not one that's been used to register these profiles, and not one that shows up in any records database.)

When I email it, I get an immediate, chirpy reply from someone who signs off "Miquela Sousa" and then a second, less chirpy reply from a major-label music publicist.

"Truly appreciate you reaching out," she writes - but Miquela is not available for interview requests.

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In Western culture, we harbor a persistent anxiety about realness - particularly on social media, which often seems less about documenting one's life as it is crafting your own self-myth. It's astounding how many new apps and social networks launch in opposition to that premise, that they are finally the place where you can truly "be yourself," where no one performs or idealizes, where everything is "authentic."

We're deeply uncomfortable with the notion that those glimpses of life we catch on Instagram or Facebook may not actually be as they appear; doubly so, in the case of Miquela, since she exists at this weird nexus of the actual and the ideal.

Miquela lives in L.A., according to her Instagrams: She can often be found in Venice Beach, or on the boardwalk, or at any one of a number of clubs, art galleries and coffee shops. Typically, her photos depict a scene, or a meme, or her alone - but there are a few enticing exceptions.

On June 14, for instance, Miquela posted what appeared to be a image of a FaceTime chat between her and the singer-songwriter Tom Krell, better known by the stage name How to Dress Well - as if they were actually friends. A week later, she posted a picture of the musician Tim Anderson - perhaps best known for founding Ima Robot in the late '90s and producing the singer Banks in the more recent past - sitting in the studio of his record label, Werewolf Heart Records.

There's a photo of her with the multi-hyphenate actress-DJ-stylist-blogger Niki Takesh, taken at a June pop-up at L.A.'s Known Gallery. A caption in which she refers to the artist Chloe Wise as " my bb." A nude portrait she claims was taken by the New York photographer Natalia Mantini.

The Washington Post reached out to all these people, and several more besides. Krell's publicist - "No idea what this is, but it sure is funny!" - is the only one who replied.

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Nicole Ruggiero had the bad luck of commenting first on one of Miquela's early Instagrams; since then, a swarm of obsessive Miquelites have believed she's the account's puppet master. Like Miquela, Ruggiero has full lips, a broad nose and blunt-cut brunette bangs - and she's a digital artist who works extensively with 3D models.

She's done eerie, alien portraits of 3D figures on their iPhones; she has an animation of a blinking, on-screen woman reaching up and through the glass. In the summer, she curated a gallery show on the "anonymity of the meme generation" - an attempt to "experience URL, IRL." IRL, of course, stands for "in real life," and implies that digital life is its opposite.

But Ruggiero didn't make Miquela, she insists, and she doesn't know who did.

"She seems very realistic, like she's actually a social influencer," Ruggiero said. "Whoever came up with this is brilliant."

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In robotics, there's this concept called the "uncanny valley." It's perhaps best described as the place Miquela lives. Generally speaking, humans prefer robots (and dolls and animations and what have you) as they begin to look more like them - but there's this point, right before you hit "actual human," where that affinity line dips down again.

When objects made in our image look like us but are not us, we feel a profound, instinctive sense of revulsion. Have you seen the music video for Banks's " F- With Myself "? There's a reason so many YouTube commenters reject the singer's weird, look-alike mannequin.

That may ultimately be the intrigue, and the power, of Miquela: She comes close to human but not quite close enough. She has "friends," but none that will verify her existence; she has a face, but one that - per an expert - is blended from a photograph and a 3D model.

I do have a theory for who Miquela is. After all that, how could I not? I even ran it by Ruggiero, who found it, er, "unlikely" and "odd." I'm not going to write it down here, however - in some ways, this mystery shouldn't be solved. In a world that insists on rinstas and finstas, on Sims and humans, on IRL and URL - it feels kind of nice to not know at all.
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Analysis | I think I solved Instagram's biggest mystery, but you'll have to figure it out for yourself

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Placeholder while article actions load No one knows who or what @lilmiquela is, but everyone has a theory. Since she posted her first Instagram in April, the Internet's latest "it girl" (or hoax, or art project, or marketing stunt) has become something of a cult mystery.

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https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6/3/18647626/instagram-virtual-influencers-lil-miquela-ai-startups

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Every story about a virtual influencer starts the same way: She is beautiful. She has a ton of followers. She is mysterious, yet her personality is fantastic. She loves Calvin Klein. Also - she's not real! She was made by a computer to look as much like a hot and charming human being as possible without scaring people. Her body casts a shadow. She has flyaways and freckles.

The most famous example of the virtual influencer is Lil Miquela, who debuted on Instagram in April 2016, as if from nowhere. Of course, no arguably useless technological innovation actually comes from nowhere, and she was no exception. After months of speculation in Instagram comments and on news sites - with theories ranging from "Sims marketing stunt" to "horrifying social experiment" - the secret was revealed and was shockingly mundane:Yeah, it's advertising.

In January, TechCrunch reported that Lil Miquela's creators had closed a $125 million investment round led by Spark Capital. Suddenly, virtual influencers were the future of ads. The future of fashion. The future of commerce.

Are these lithe, high-resolution bodies really coming for the jobs held by models and scene kids for the last several decades?

But are these lithe, high-resolution bodies really coming for the jobs held by models and scene kids for the last several decades? There is little evidence so far that this is the case, beyond a handful of successful Instagram accounts and a lot of conversation. The way funding is heaped onto every startup that gets 15 minutes of attention from the press typically makes the success of bizarro-world innovations feel inevitable and unavoidable - the most barbed response we can summon the energy for is to drag out that same tired Jurassic Park meme about the hubris of making shit for no reason. (And if this isn't going to happen, why are people lining up to throw millions of dollars at it? We forget they are gambling.)

The virtual influencer could be a novelty technology, destined to flash in the pan like "hoverboards" or movie theaters equipped to spray people with "rain" in the middle of Batman movies. Like the blockchain! Or you know, it could take all of the hot people's jobs.

There aren't really that many virtual influencers - yet.

First, the cast of characters. Lil Miquela, the effortlessly hip forever-19-year-old with 1.5 million followers, also has two friends: Blawko, a boy and self-described "young robot sex symbol" whose mouth is constantly covered with designer pollution masks and who has a paltry 135,000 followers; and Bermuda, his ex-girlfriend and Lil Miquela's blonde, Trump-voting foil, whose bio boasts that she is a "Robot/Unbothered mogul with daddy's PIN and a flawless highlight." All three were created by the team at the mysterious Los Angeles startup Brud for vague reasons.

Lil Miquela, the effortlessly hip forever-19-year-old, has 1.5 million followers.

Jenna Sauers, writing for Cultured in April, paid special attention to the strange myth-building Brud has done around its creations and its founders, some of which has included outright lies. Brud calls itself "a technology startup specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics," she points out, and news outlets from Architectural Digest to CNN are simply parroting this verbatim. But "Brud holds no patents in AI, robotics, or related fields," and Lil Miquela is little more than a well-crafted image. The piece walks through other exaggerations: co-founder Sara DeCou's one-time claim to be President Obama's "special adviser on the ethics of AI development, and the other co-founder Terver McFedries's claim to have written a bill of rights for AIs."

The team has argued here and there that Lil Miquela's support of Black Lives Matter, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ causes can inspire real change. Last year, The Cut's Emilia Petrarca wrote about Brud's statement that it hoped to be the modern Will & Grace, saying "As with all things Brud, it's hard to tell if they're trolling us with this reference or if they've been sipping too much of the Silicon Valley Kool-Aid."

Less vague, Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing's #BalmainArmy of virtual models. The first, Shudu, was designed by British photographer Cameron-James Wilson in early 2018. She racked up followers after the managers of the Instagram for Rihanna's Fenty Beauty line apparently mistook her for a real customer and briefly reposted a photo of her "trying out" the brand's matte lipstick. Shudu's bio declares her "the world's first digital supermodel," and she is much taller and more classically beautiful than Lil Miquela. In 2018, Rousteing hired Wilson to make two more digital supermodels, exclusively for Balmain. He came up with Xhi - a gorgeous Chinese woman modeled after David Bowie - and Margot - a gorgeous French woman modeled after Rousteing's childhood fantasies about French women. Neither Xhi nor Margot have their own Instagram accounts, and they exist solely for Balmain ads.

My personal favorite is Lu, the very strange virtual influencer who appears in ads for Brazil's Bed Bath & Beyond-equivalent Magazine Luiza. She listens to Lana Del Rey while she jogs. When I first learned this about her, I was moved enough to write about it for Racked, asking "While she is deliberately dragging down her own morning jog vibe with music about the disposability of the female body, the danger of icons, and the inherent violence of American popular culture, is Lu also subtly ribbing Lil Miquela, all of her ilk, and me?"

Conversations about diversity and representation in the fashion industry were already at a fever pitch. An influx of avatars makes it even more complicated.

This brings us to the controversy of virtual influencers. They are physically perfect women made of pixels, standing in for women who have long been pressured to become physically perfect, without the advantage of that even being possible. Lil Miquela herself acknowledged this, sort of, when she asked YouTube conspiracy theorist Shane Dawson, in response to a question about the manipulation of her image, "Can you name one person on Instagram who doesn't edit their photos?" The women of the fashion industry and particularly of Instagram are already pushed to Photoshop themselves, or to real-life-Photoshop themselves, which is to say "get cosmetic surgery."

Isn't it interesting the way we can talk out both sides of our mouths, simultaneously espousing a new age of body positivity and self-acceptance, while also making it clear that supermodels are incapable of reaching beauty standards set by things that are not even alive?

To add insult to injury, this collection of virtual influencers is far more diverse than the roster of brand ambassadors and runway models that major fashion brands have employed for most of their existence. This May, Calvin Klein rolled out its #MYTRUTH campaign, which featured actual famous people like Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish, and the brand's favorite permalancer A$AP Rocky. It also involved a video in which supermodel Bella Hadid made out with Lil Miquela. In her Calvins! This was a disaster, with critics immediately pointing out the double whammy: In the first place, it was queer-baiting, presenting two women kissing as exotic and bizarre. But also, could they not even cast an actual gay person? There are limits to the usefulness of "representation," seen here when a job that could have gone to an underrepresented group went instead to a collection of pixels with no personal political context at all.

There are limits to the usefulness of "representation" - e.g. when you replace real people with avatars.

In an email newsletter, the writer Rob Horning compared this to Time 's infamous 1993 cover for its "New Face of America" immigration issue, which showed a surreally smooth, smiling face - a computer-generated projection of what future "deracialized" generations of America might look like. Lil Miquela, he argues, is "a figure from an idealized future where human difference is resolved not through political struggle but through process of automated averaging and morphing. ... a visual expression of an algorithmic sublime."

Similar criticism was levied at Shudu, a black woman avatar designed by a white man. Writing for the New Yorker, Lauren Michele Jackson says the character reminds her of black minstrelsy and dryly quotes the creator saying that his biggest influence was "a special-edition Princess of South Africa Barbie doll."

Also ... these things are just plain scary?

The term "uncanny valley" was coined by the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970. It refers to the feeling of discomfort we experience when something is close enough to human-looking or seeming to trick our brains into approaching it that way - but we can't be fooled fully. We always find what's wrong.

Lil Miquela speaks as if she is a person with feelings. In a cover story for High Snobiety last April, she's quoted at length. Discussing her critics, she tells a reporter via email, "I think people feel a little vulnerable in general right now. They have a lot of frustration and need something to target it at, usually it's something that they don't understand. So, I try not to let it get to me too much, because it's a symptom of people trying to digest all of the change happening every day."

This is not so different really than other types of first-person speech on the part of brands - Sunny-D threatening to kill itself, HBO texting its boss (?) - because despite what her copywriters would tell you, Lil Miquela is not actually a robot. None of this is artificial intelligence. It's just computer motion graphics and captions written with, one can only guess, a meticulous company style guide.

As Business of Fashion's Christopher Morency pointed out in February 2018, virtual celebrities aren't exactly new either. We are more than two decades out from the founding of virtual band Gorillaz, and 13 years past their first Grammy win. The Japanese virtual pop star Hatsune Miku has been on multiple arena tours and was dressed in 2013 by Marc Jacobs. Louis Vuitton hired a Final Fantasy character for a 2016 ad campaign. Lil Miquela is more technically complicated than these characters, but not by much.

The Verge's Julia Alexander explained in January that, while Lil Miquela herself does not involve any AI or robotics, she might motivate the creation of a virtual influencer who could:

Her success has inspired venture capitalists like Betaworks to invest heavily in virtual creators and work with startups to progress the technology forward. The future of influencers, according to the general director of Betaworks' startup boot camp, Danika Laszuk, is digital beings who actually are powered by AI. Betaworks' next startup camp will focus on what Laszuk calls "synthetic media" - a combination of computer-generated imagery and AI capabilities. The company plans to make a series of $200,000 investments in 10 startups that want to build technology that can create better digital influencers.

Alexander goes on to paint a picture of a future in which virtual influencers need no human assistance at all once they're published, and quotes Edward Saatchi, the co-founder of "virtual beings" company Fable Studio, who promises to make influencers who can move between platforms. They'd be, basically, sentient avatars dancing between YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and so on, using machine learning to talk and evolve.

Whether digital influencers catch on or not, the fashion industry is about to spend a ton of money on them

Thebiggest selling point of virtual influencers if you work in advertising or fashion isn't the perfection of an avatar's body or face but the predictability of its behavior.

"You remove some of the PR risks from influencers who may do something that could impact [your] base of customers," Andrew Dunst, a vice president at the marketing and software conglomerate Sage Group told WWD last July. "Everything this virtual influencer does is in a controlled setting by the people who are managing that account." It's a funny argument. The biggest public relations risks for brands have never been the paycheck-dependent influencers or rigorously trained celebrities who stand at the front of their ad campaigns - it's always been the tone deafness or general idiocy of the people behind the campaigns, the immoral or poorly executed business decisions made the people in charge, or the simple undesirability of whatever they're selling.

Nevertheless, in April, the "virtual human planning and production" company 1sec - one of the first of the post-Lil Miquela boom - unveiled its first virtual influencer, a Japanese-American boy born in Los Angeles. Named Liam Nikuro, he's an "all-CG head made with the use of 3-D tools on a body filmed in live action," and he will find work in music, fashion, and entertainment as a "multimedia producer," according to his creators. This will involve "innovative creative content in combination with AI technology," although what exactly that might mean goes unexplained. Liam loves 2Pac and Justin Bieber, he says; Juniper Research estimates that the global fashion industry will invest $3.6 billion in artificial intelligence technology this year.

"The boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion," Donna Haraway wrote in her famous 1985 essay"A Cyborg Manifesto." She was talking about possible futures for feminism and ways to use technology to make bodies more livable - as well as society more ethically coherent while more emotionally and intellectually ambivalent - and she was not at all talking about the question of Lil Miquela. This was decades before commercial social media!

Still, it's striking how well her somewhat trollish predictions have held up. We are spending so much time riddling out whether we can trust robots to represent us or sell us underpants, whether these images are robots at all, whether the people behind them can be trusted, whether any of it matters. At this point, if it's what we're talking about, it's kind of what we're doing.
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Virtual influencers have got to be a fad - right?

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There's no way that hot cartoons are actually the future of fashion advertising. Unless there's already too much money involved to stop them.

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https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/a-short-history-of-digital-influencers-from-instagram-to-making-the-cut

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Over the last decade, high fashion has become more accessible to mass audiences. Sure, the price tag still demands a level of exclusivity, but livestreams of runway shows ensure you no longer need a ticket to see the latest collections as soon as they are unveiled. In 2010, Alexander McQueen was the first designer to livestream a Fashion Week presentation, and it has since become part of the norm. Social media has expanded the level of interactive content, which also gives the appearance of closing the gap between creatives and their audience, while a whole new roster of models and designers thrive in its landscape.

Influencers dominate the market, collaborating with big brands in a bid to gain new fans and customers. The route to fame has diversified (to a degree) as the old world meets the new. Now fashion students can immediately share their high-concept work and those blurring the line between fantasy and reality can showcase the out-of-this-world looks. Design competitions, such as the long-running Project Runway, have turned to science fiction and technology for challenge themes, which have long since been a source of inspiration for designers.

Joining the ranks is the new Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn Amazon series Making the Cut, which is splashing Bezos cash all over its high production value. This includes flashy runway shows in Paris and Tokyo, with the latter providing the technologically enhanced backdrop in the recent episode "Opposing Forces." The ultra-modern presentation is an "immersive digital fashion showcase" asking the designers to consider the notion of style dichotomy with a guest appearance from one of the biggest virtual influencers in the audience.

Since 2016, a new kind of digital influencer has entered the fray, taking the concepts of Photoshop and distorted reality up a notch. As the fashion industry explores its options in the current social distancing climate, self-proclaimed "change-seeking robots" like Lil Miquela and digital activist Noonoouri could become even more in demand. With over 2 million Instagram followers and campaigns with brands like Calvin Klein, Lil Miquela (aka Miquela Sousa) was the first digital influencer to take the market by storm. Fashion isn't Lil Miquela's only talent - she's also a musician, leaning into the multi-hyphen career. She also isn't real, despite how lifelike the animation is.

Over the last four years, her narrative has been featured in publications like Vogue and Refinery29, and she's appeared with celebrities ranging from Millie Bobby Brown ( in a conversation for Seventeen) to Diplo and worked with a list of high-end designers. All of this gives the impression that Lil Miquela is as real as the other many influencers dominating e-commerce. Except she is a creation who will never have to worry about aging or illness.

Since Lil Miquela made her debut, other virtual influencers have joined the market, ranging from other uncanny-valley-leaning depictions - including the Balmain virtual squad - to more cartoon-leaning characters. The "uncanny valley" is a term coined by Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori in 1970 - and translated in 1978 - which describes the emotional response to an object predicated on its resemblance to a human. If a robot or artificial intelligence looks like a person, you will feel more empathy, but there comes a point at which it becomes too close to reality and the mind responds with revulsion. One hypothesis is that this aversion is a form of protection distinguishing between what is real and what is not. Even with the uncanny valley factor, it's clear Lil Miquela's visage isn't causing an unpleasant response from her 2 million-plus followers or the brands working with this creation.

Two years after Lil Miquela landed on Instagram, virtual influencer Noonoouri first "stepped out" at New York Fashion Week in February 2018. Created by Joerg Zuber, Noonoouri is less uncanny valley and more overtly animated than some of her peers. Propelled into stardom after delivering a makeup tutorial for Kim Kardashian West, Noonoouri has since covered Vogue Me - with the headline "The Future Is Now" - and Glamour Brazil, and is represented by the iconic IMG Models (Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen, and Tyra Banks are notable IMG supermodels).

In 2018, she did an Instagram takeover for Dior's 2019 resort show and was interviewed by Vogue Australia about this experience, which included her discussing the fitting. "Maria Grazia offered me a selection of looks to choose from. She left the final decision with me. I must say that most of her creations are so amazing on me." The concept of a fitting for an animated character (and the notion that the clothes could look bad on her) is maybe a little difficult to get your head around, which also points to some of the criticisms leveled at these style ambassadors. Striving for an unobtainable level of perfection is already difficult in a filtered and Photoshopped world, but bringing in CGI influencers only adds to this level of distorted reality. The clothes are always going to fit, because why wouldn't they?

Another controversy involving a CGI avatar took place just before Noonoouri's unveiling, with some questioning whether white designer Cameron-James Wilson was profiting from a black woman's image. Shudu is his creation, has 200,000 followers on Instagram, and was propelled to fame after Fenty Beauty reblogged an image of her. The photographer explained his process to Harper's Bazaar, noting that it takes several days to create one image using a 3D modeling program. "It's meant to be beautiful art which empowers people. It's not trying to take away an opportunity from anyone or replace anyone. She's trying to complement those people" is how he responded to critics.

Toward the end of last year, Zuber talked to Condé Nast about the role of Noonoouri, whose activism is part of her Instagram bio. "Noonoouri raises her voice for children, animals, nature, and feminism," he explained. She has also been using her platform to promote social distancing, shouting out essential workers, and still drawing attention to environmental issues. As brands scramble to figure out their place in the current landscape, so are digital influencers. For Noonoouri, her digital glam squad consists of a team of seven who work on hair, makeup, and styling. It takes three days to do a still post and up to six weeks for an animation. One benefit is that no one has to physically touch the sartorial star, which is something fashion publications will have to grapple with as they figure out how to shoot editorials during this period.

The recent episode of Making the Cut introduced viewers unfamiliar with the world of CGI influencers to Noonoouri, who not only sat in the front row but was also part of the prize for this episode - she modeled the winning look! She also gave a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Making the Cut, blurring the lines once more between reality and fantasy.

Last year at NYFW, Rag & Bone eschewed the standard runway presentation and instead hosted a dinner party with an AI component. Designers and brands keep on finding new ways to incorporate technology into the industry, which will be a huge factor in 2020. Whether it is The Sims, Animal Crossing, or influencers, digital interactions are part of everyday life (even before the lockdown).

CGI avatars have been making waves for the last four years, and while they can never replace people, the demand is high during the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization even recently turned to influencer android Knox Frost to help boost the message about ways to ensure the current situation doesn't get even worse. In a way, these fictional characters are the perfect spokespeople, because they are the ultimate social-distancing creations.

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A short history of digital influencers, from Instagram to Making the Cut

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Over the last decade, high fashion has become more accessible to mass audiences. Sure, the price tag still demands a level of exclusivity, but livestreams of runway shows ensure you no longer need a ticket to see the latest collections as soon as they are unveiled.

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https://shanebarker.com/blog/cgi-influencers/

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https://www.cbinsights.com/research/fashion-tech-future-trends/

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https://www.makeuseof.com/popular-virtual-influencers/

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High fashion has become increasingly accessible to the general public over the past decade. Sure, the price still requires a certain amount of exclusivity, but social networks have raised the level of interactive content, allowing users to see the latest collections as soon as it they are presented.

Influencers rule the market, teaming with major brands to attract new customers. As the old and new worlds collide, the path to popularity has shifted. (Barker, 2021)

It is not necessary to travel far into the past to witness the emergence of virtual influencers. More particularly, it was in 2016 that these digital influencers appeared on the scene, bringing Photoshop and twisted reality to new heights. (Fraser, 2020)

Lil Miquela was the first virtual influencer to appear on Instagram in April of that same year, seemingly out of nowhere. Nobody knew who or what lil miquela was, but theories were swirling around. (Dewey, 2016) Her Instagram feed is typical of a human influencer: she supports fashion brands, suggests beauty products, and attends exclusive events alongside other celebrities. However, her account is run by a team of tech experts. (Tiffany, 2019)

The lives of CGI influencers are filled of mystery and intrigue, which is why they are so well-known. Everything they come into touch with has a mesmerizing effect on people. They are given a fictitious past as well as a set of political and social views. And virtual influencers don't hold back when it comes to expressing themselves on social media.

Since Lil Miquela's debut, a slew of virtual characters have appeared and are following in her footsteps. (US Business School, 2020)

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Currently, the demand for virtual influencers is growing at a rapid pace, with two main companies dominating the field. On the one hand, there's Brud, a Los Angeles-based startup that specializes in AI-based storytelling and is best known for creating two of the scene's most influential virtual influencers, Lil Miquela and Bermuda. (Lal, 2022) Brud was recently bought by the NFTs firm Dapper Labs, indicating that CGI influencers are expected to become a part of the internet's next chapter: the metaverse. (Massimino, 2021)

On the other hand, there is The Diigitals, a digital model agency that has created virtual influencers such as Shudu, the first virtual black model who has worked with labels such as Balmain, and Brenn, a virtual plus-size model. The Digiitals also recently presented the world to Kami @itskamisworld, the first virtual influencer with Down syndrome, in collaboration with Forsman & Bodenfors and Down Syndrome International. (Natividad, 2022)

Cameron James-Wilson, the founder of the Digiitals and a previous fashion photographer recognized for his perfect retouching, is well aware that what consumers see on Instagram might not always correspond to reality. That is why he has made it his job to create virtual models that represent actual bodies and to avoid even more severe beauty standards from being established as a result of these non-existent pixel-perfect individuals. As a result, virtual influencers might assist the business in moving toward inclusion and the exposure of non-normative persons. (Zwieglinska, 2022)

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Rozy, South Korea's first virtual influencer, was created by Sidus Studio X. She has over 113,000 Instagram followers and enjoys travelling, yoga, and adventure sports. Since her debut and first appearance on Instagram in August 2020, she has secured over 100 endorsement deals. Among them are Calvin Klein, Maison Margiela, and, most notably, the South Korean business Shinhan Life Insurance. In 2021, her profits were one billion Korean won According to the CEO of Sidus Studio X, Rozy will be given a distinct voice and cast in films, K-dramas, and other entertainment shows. Rozy's popularity may skyrocket as more South Korean conglomerates resort to her as an alternative for celebs to avoid controversy. (Jalan, 2022)

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Shudu identifies herself as "South Africa's first virtual model." Her image is quite striking, and it celebrates a beauty that is not typically reflected in the media. Shudu has over 225k Instagram followers and has collaborated with Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Balmain, Bulgari, and others.  She has received acclaim from celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks, with the latter mistakenly reposting one of Shudu's photographs assuming she was a genuine model. Fenty Beauty, Rihanna's cosmetics brand, also acknowledged her. (Jalan, 2022)

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Miquela Sousa is a Brazilian virtual influencer and musician who was invented by Brud in 2016. Because of her prominent internet presence, this "19-year-old girl" is frequently the first name that comes to mind when considering virtual influencers. Miquela has over 3 million Instagram followers, where she publishes images of herself with celebrities and other virtual influencers. She has also been interviewed by several well-known online magazines, including Vogue, Refinery29 and Buzzfeed. She has made numerous unique music videos, partnering with musicians like Teyana Taylor on occasion. She has also collaborated with Amazon, Dior, Prada, Calvin Klein, and several more firms. Miquela was named one of TIME Magazine's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet in 2018. (Jalan, 2022)

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From the creation of the sewing machine to the emergence of online selling, fashion has always been at the leading edge of innovation. Fashion, like technology, is forward-thinking and progressive.

According to CB Insights' Industry Analyst Consensus, the fashion industry is one of the largest in the world, with a value of more than $3 trillion expected by the end of the decade. (CB Insights, 2022)

And now, more than ever, fashion is progressing at breakneck speed toward a better, more technologically advanced society.

AI algorithms that forecast fashion trends, robotic systems that sew fabric, virtual reality garments – a slew of inventions demonstrate how tech is optimizing, tailoring, and accelerating the fashion industry.

Furthermore, fashion is advancing not just in terms of technology, but also in terms of the industry's principles and values. There are no longer defined garments for a single gender or sizes that are regarded attractive or undesirable. Inclusivity and naturalness are already a component of this sector and appear to be here to stay. And the true cause for this shift is the evolving customer trends and needs that are redefining the sector.

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Many of the aspects we once took for granted have changed as a result of the pandemic. Visiting a beauty counter and putting on foundation from a trial pot today feels like a relic from the past. According to McKinsey, the cosmetics industry's reliance on human connection and in-store purchases resulted in a huge drop in sales during the pandemic. However, the crisis accelerated the digital transformation, allowing the beauty business to embrace change and transition into a tech-centered industry. (Ughetto, 2021)

Companies began to invest in virtual reality and artificial intelligence in order to improve their customers' shopping experiences and tackle the challenges that the pandemic could cause. (Kidecha, 2022) Try-on technology came to symbolise the future of the beauty business, and companies understood that by combining it with the power of data, they could provide the client with a highly customised, cutting-edge, and safe experience. (Ughetto, 2021)

As much as this trend appears innovative and post-pandemic, corporations like Lóreal, which purchased the augmented reality tech company Modiface in 2018, were already on board. (Petroff, 2018)

The French company sought to become the world's leading Beauty Tech company, reinventing the beauty sector and creating a more inclusive, tailor-made, ethical, and transparent beauty. (L'oreal, 2022) Since, as Jean-Paul Agon, Lóreal's CEO, noted “I think the future of beauty will be more and more about technology, about quality, about formulation, about individualization, about digitalization, about responding to specific needs”. (Brown, 2021)

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It is widely established that for a long time, exclusivity rather than inclusion has been the driving force. It has taken a long time for the fashion industry to recognize that adaptive clothing is a basic human right and that individuals with disabilities cannot operate successfully without it. Consumers are still questioning what fashion is and who controls it, with the hope that in the future, most established firms will offer accessible and stylish collections for people with disabilities. (Fox-Suliaman, 2021)

It is also expected that in the future, the disabled community will be given the attention and respect it deserves, and that adaptive collections will be the rule rather than the exception. Adaptive fashion is the next step in making the world more inclusive and varied.

3D printing is one of the most promising technologies that will be utilized for adaptable clothes in the future. This allows the items to be painstakingly personalized to the wearer, down to the smallest detail and measurement. Furthermore, the designs may be saved to be utilized more than once. (Cherry, 2022)

Nowadays, the adaptive clothing industry is worth $300 billion in 2022, with a 16% worldwide growth forecast by 2024, according to Statista. Labels like as Christian Siriano, Nike, Target, Chromat, and Collina Strada are already making visible efforts in the adaptive market, and it is projected that the number of brands with adaptive collections will expand by 36% over the next ten years. (De la Garza, 2022)

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Virtual influencers, also known as ambassadors of the future, are here to stay and will change the existing fashion landscape. The new generation of CGI influencers is eroding the barrier between reality and the virtual world. Virtual influencers provide marketers more control over collaborations from a commercial standpoint. When we consider what the future holds for virtual influencers, the answer is obvious: the metaverse. (Sharma, 2022)

For some, it may just be an immersive experience, whilst for others, it may determine the next phase in their social networks and work environments expansion. The metaverse will provide a platform for virtual influencers to communicate with their public and other creators, as well as share experiences. Many fashion labels, including Prada and Puma, have already created their own virtual avatars to stand alongside Shudu or Miquela, and many more are intending to do the same. They all have the same goal: to be mission-driven and community-led. (Chitrakorn, 2021)

Furthermore, companies will humanize their virtual influencers by portraying them flawed in order to make them more approachable to the audience and so connect in a more personal way. (Lal, 2022)

Virtual influencers will also quickly enter the NFT market in the near future, pursuing market opportunities to increase fan engagement in their virtual narratives. There are currently some NFTs dropped by virtual influencers, but the number is expected to grow exponentially in the future years as both the NFT and Virtual influencer industries are booming. (Hiort, 2021)

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Brud released Lil Miquela's first NFT, "Rebirth of Venus," in November 2020. The virtual influencer described the piece, where she is covered in butterflies, as a peaceful sensation of "accepting infinite alternative outcomes, realities, and truths." Miquela, as a fictitious robot in a world of humans, draws parallels with Venus, a Roman goddess who lived among humans. On SuperRare, "The Rebirth of Venus" NFT was sold for 159.5 ETH. All earnings were donated to Black Girls CODE, an organization that strives to improve the visibility of women of color in the virtual world. (Hiort, 2021)

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Since L’Oréal’s entrance in the beauty-tech market, the momentum has only escalated. Nowadays, AI and AR are seen as critical technologies for providing personalized and targeted messaging to the new, digitally savvy user. To win over customers, beauty businesses must now invest in technical competence in all aspects of the product, not just the product itself. (Parkkinen, 2022)

Nevertheless, digitalization in beauty is more than just implementing tech-powered experiences; it is about understanding how tech can address client problems and help companies reach their objectives. Furthermore, tech has the power to strengthen consumer confidence by allowing clients to know with certainty that a product is appropriate for their needs.

(Chang, 2021)

In the previous year, beauty brand Il Makiage acquired multispectral imaging computer-vision firm Voyage81; Estée Lauder carried out AR try-on across its whole range; Ulta Beauty established a virtual-try on collaboration with Google and invested in AI retail tech business Adeptmind; and Clinique developed a cosmetics lab in the metaverse to introduce a new serum.

These are just a few instances of how beauty firms are employing cutting-edge technologies to provide consumers with hyperpersonalized experiences and services. “When we first went to the Consumer Electronics Show, there were no beauty companies there…now it’s flooded with so much” stated Guive Balooch, the head of L’Oréal’s technology incubator. (Kennedy, 2022)

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Many predictions have been made concerning the future of the beauty tech business. The metaverse is most certainly the first thing that springs to mind when we think about the near future. While certain beauty companies, such as Charlotte Tilbury, YSL, and Nars, have already entered that arena, the rest of the businesses will have to adapt and learn in order to establish themselves in the digital domain. (Culliney, 2022)

And it is that the metaverse, in combination with virtual reality and artificial intelligence, offers endless possibilities and utterly immersive experiences such as virtual try-ons, AI-curated beauty routines, and even the chance to create your own avatar. It is a platform where you may be whatever you want to be and appear as you choose to look, without any of the limitations that you could have in real life. (Thorpe, 2022)

Estée Lauder's Jon Roman, SVP, global consumer marketing and online, said: “The metaverse is essentially limitless in terms of how one can express themselves through things like their avatars and it's this that will unlock more surreal beauty looks, new areas of inclusivity and abstract self-expression”. (Vallis, 2022)

It is also projected that as the metaverse becomes more accessible to consumers, small beauty brands wishing to capitalize on new chances to engage with their audience will have more access to it. Furthermore, in the coming years, the techniques and tools employed in the metaverse will evolve, making the experiences even more individualized and immersive. (Morosini, 2021)