In a joint press statement, the duo said this move will “facilitate its use of sustainable raw materials for energy and material waste reductions.”
Via the partnership, L’Oréal plans to develop a custom AI foundation model that will help its R&D teams reach new levels of innovation in every cosmetic category.
Foundation models are a type of AI model trained on a broad set of unlabelled data that can perform tasks and apply information from one situation to another.
IBM said that these models have significantly advanced the field of natural language processing (NLP) technology over the past several years, and that it’s now pioneering this beyond language, into areas such as chemistry, time series and geospatial modalities.
L’Oréal said it believed that this approach to formulation is the “first-of-its-kind in the industry” and will “redefine AI innovation at the intersection of beauty, chemistry and technology.”
It noted that this move will help it meet its sustainability target of sourcing most of its product formulas based on bio-sourced materials and/or the circular economy by 2030.
“Rethink and redesign the formulation discovery process”
The creation of this AI model will use a huge number of formulations and component data points to accelerate the creation of new products, reformulation of existing cosmetics and optimise production.
IBM Consulting will also support L’Oréal in its aim to ”rethink and redesign the formulation discovery process.”
Head of innovation métiers & product development at L’Oréal R&I, Stéphane Ortiz, said the partnership “will extend the speed and scale of our innovation and reformulation pipeline, with products always reaching higher standards of inclusivity, sustainability, and personalisation.”
While its chief transformation & digital officer at L’Oréal R&I, Matthieu Cassier, believed the alliance will “open a new exciting era” for its innovation and development process.
“This collaboration is a truly impactful application of generative AI, leveraging the power of technology and expertise for the good of the planet”, added Alessandro Curioni, IBM fellow, VP for Europe and Africa and director IBM research Zurich.
