(Updated on March 24th, 2022)
What Does 'Sustainable Beauty' Mean?
The sustainability movement is gaining momentum across a wide range of industries, including the beauty industry. In simple terms, sustainable beauty means that the products are safe for both people and the planet. Many beauty companies are taking part in a variety of eco-friendly trends in an effort to spearhead change. In particular, beauty brands are switching to sustainable packaging and eco-friendly ingredients, as well as embracing innovation to expand their sustainability efforts.
Read: How to Build Your Green Business with AR Tech
How Can Beauty Tech Help
But at the core of building a green business in the beauty industry is beauty tech. Going virtual is a huge way for beauty brands to be more sustainable.
Reduce the Waste of Physical Samples
Beauty tech can allow for virtual product sampling, which eliminates the need to waste physical products, create packaging and shipping materials, and transport items to the customer. With the help of augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI), brands can recreate the real-life sampling experience through sustainable technology while saving the planet.
Sustainable Beauty: Not a Mere Buzzword
The vast beauty industry certainly affects the environment. The packaging alone requires the industry to create 120 billion units a year. And shipping products to and from customers leads to 1 billion tons of CO2 a year (Sicardi).
In other words, the beauty industry has its toll on the world’s resources. Thus, it's crucial for beauty brands to adopt sustainable technology and put the green business concept into practice.
3 Ways to Achieve Sustainable Beauty with AI & AR Technology
If sustainable practices are not integrated into the supply chain, packaging, and sourcing of ingredients, the damage will be irreversible.
Luckily, more beauty brands are making sustainable choices, including turning to beauty tech to reduce their environmental footprint. Beauty brands will be able to become green businesses gradually by making these sustainable beauty choices. Sustainable beauty is mainly achieved in three ways:
Personalization services
Reduction of overconsumption
Reduction of sample packaging
▲3 ways to achieve sustainable beauty with AI & AR-powered sustainable technology.
#1. Personalization Services Are Essential for Sustainable Beauty
One way sustainable beauty can take the helm is through personalization. With the help of sustainable beauty technology, personalization can be easy to achieve. By personalizing services and products, it becomes more likely that the customer will be satisfied with the final result and less likely that they’ll need to return a product.
Beauty AI & AR technologies offer an astonishing level of personalization to give brands the tools they need for zero-waste beauty. Customers can virtually try on multiple products in real-time, finding the options that are right for them. They’ll know for sure which products work best for them, meaning they won’t need to order several and then send back the ones they don’t want.
In turn, this leads to less waste and a lower eco-footprint.
#2. Sustainable Beauty Practices Can Reduce Overconsumption
Since implementing sustainable technology in the beauty industry can allow consumers to find the right products easily, shoppers won’t need to buy as much and will focus on the products that suit them, reducing the waste. Instead of testing out five different foundations, once they find one that works, they’ll just stick with it and will purchase it over and over again. Sustainable beauty favors quality over quantity because it helps to reduce consumption. This will also help brands build up a more loyal customer base because they know they can trust the products.
Overconsumption has long been a problem in the beauty world, with customers buying several products just to find one they like. By reducing superfluous purchases and helping customers find the right products that meet their unique needs, brands can positively affect sustainability in the long term.
▲Beauty tech solutions help brands achieve sustainable beauty by providing personalization services to reduce over-consumption.
#3. Sustainable Beauty Means Conscious Packaging Production
AR virtual makeup and hair try-on helps tackle the plastic crisis as well. There are currently five trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean, and while the beauty industry isn’t responsible for all of it, it still plays a large role (La Pompe-Moore). The production of countless sample products and packaging greatly contributes to this, as these are often single-use products intended to allow customers to test out the product to see if they like it.
The sustainable technology provided by Perfect Corp. eliminates this. It allows brands to partake in zero-waste beauty by reducing the production of unnecessary samples. Instead of mass-producing sample products, brands can curate makeup products and hair colors for customers virtually to find their best match.
Achieving Sustainable Beauty with Beauty Tech in 3 Ways
Beauty tech helps the beauty industry be more sustainable by:
- Generating fewer waste
- Reducing overconsumption by delivering personalized beauty experiences and product recommendations
- Increasing packaging consciousness
While the beauty industry does have further to go when it comes to eco-friendly practices, adapting sustainable technology is a great starting point for a green business. In addition, customers will take notice of brands pushing for these changes. They may be more likely to support beauty brands that are trying to change the status quo when it comes to the environment.
And not only that, but they’ll love the improvement in user experience. They’ll be able to find the best products for them without any of the hassles, all thanks to eco-friendly sustainable beauty technology from Perfect Corp.
Sustainable Beauty FAQs
1. How can we make beauty more sustainable?
Embracing the planet-friendly positive strategies is the key to make your beauty brand be more sustainable & eco-friendly. With the help of sustainable beauty technology solutions like makeup virtual try on, customers will be able to try on the products virtually and know which product works the best for them, thus reducing the cost of product sampling for brands. With Perfect Corp., such sustainable practices can be easily adopted by your brand.
Read: How to Build Your Green Business with AR Tech
2. Why is sustainability so important?
Sustainability makes the quality of our lives better, protects our ecosystem and helps to preserve natural resources for future generations. Going green and sustainable is beneficial for your business for many reasons. For instance, it can positively impact your brand’s reputation and reduce costs.
Get expert advice from Perfect Corp. and be part of the beauty tech trend. Contact us for details on beauty tech solutions trusted by 400+ brands globally.
Read our “Beauty Tech: The Complete Guide” to unlock powerful ROI secrets.
References:
La Pompe-Moore, Giselle. The Beauty Industry’s Plastic Problem: What Exactly Is Being Done About It? Byrdie, 2019 April 30, https://www.byrdie.com/plastic-packaging-beauty-industry
Sicardi, Arabelle. A Deep Dive Into the Confusing World of Sustainable Beauty. Teen Vogue, 2020 March 9, https://www.teenvogue.com/story/a-deep-dive-sustainable-beauty