IBM and L’Oréal Partner to Develop AI-Powered Sustainable Cosmetic Solutions

IBM and L’Oréal have announced a collaboration to leverage generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology to enhance the creation of cosmetics using more sustainable materials while reducing energy and material waste. This partnership will merge L’Oréal’s expertise in cosmetic science with IBM’s AI technologies to develop a “formulation foundation model” that extracts insights from cosmetic formulation data.

According to IBM Fellow Alessandro Curioni, the initiative represents a meaningful application of generative AI to address sustainability challenges. The technology will allow L’Oréal to utilize its extensive database of formulas and product data to build a tailored AI model aimed at achieving operational goals and producing high-quality, sustainable products.

The collaboration will focus on developing a custom AI foundation model that incorporates vast amounts of formulations and component data points. This technology is expected to accelerate tasks such as developing new products, reformulating existing cosmetics, and optimizing processes for scaled production. IBM Consulting will also assist L’Oréal in redesigning its formulation discovery process.

This initiative aligns with L’Oréal’s “L’Oréal for the Future” program, which aims to ensure that most product formulas are based on bio-sourced materials and circular economy principles by 2030. L’Oréal’s Head of Innovation Métiers & Product Development, Stéphane Ortiz, highlighted the partnership’s potential to enhance the speed and scale of innovation while advancing inclusivity, sustainability, and personalization in product development.