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Every January, some of the world’s largest tech companies, budding start-ups, and innovators of all kinds meet in Las Vegas to reveal their visions for the future. To get a glimpse at what’s to come, I headed out west to the fashion week of the technology world, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Here’s a look at some of the devices foreshadowing how our beauty and wellness routines will change in the year(s) ahead.
Customized Makeup At The Touch of a Button
If L’Oréal’s Perso is our crystal ball view into the future of beauty, then the future looks full of lipstick and perfectly matched foundation.This artificially intelligent device lets you choose from an enormous palette of shades in an app and then immediately pumps out that color in just the amount you need for the day. That means less waste over time and a lip color to match every outfit. This technology will let you create custom lipsticks, foundations, and skincare formulas based on your personal preferences and the day’s environmental factors (e.g., if it’s dry out, it’ll serve up a more moisturizing concoction).The device is set to launch in 2021.
An Inkjet Printer That Color Corrects Your Skin
Announced last year, this long-awaited device finally hit the market and was demonstrated for all to see at CES last week. The dark spot auto-corrector, called Opte Precision Skincare, scans, detects, and masks hyper-pigmentation and little marks like freckles, sunspots and age spots. But instead of applying makeup or skin lightening cream, it disperses (via a built-in custom thermal inkjet printer) droplets of a serum that temporarily covers up only the marks it discerns, while also diminishing their look over time.Opte’s new device won’t be available until this summer, but you can join the waitlist in the meantime at Opteskin.com.
A Custom 3D Face Mask
Long gone are the days of one-size-fits-all sheet masks. Amorepacific is here to save us with a 3D printing system that designs each mask based on an individual’s facial contours. Here’s how it works: An app prompts you to scan your face, securely records your facial measurements, serves up a 2D design based on that data, and then prints a 3D mask made out of a liquid-type hydrogel material.
The app uses specific functional ingredients for different parts of the skin, meaning each area of the skin will be tailor-made to your needs.
For example, a mask could contain a hydrating formula in the forehead region, an anti-aging formula for your under eyes, and ingredients to even skin tone around the cheeks.
Having been tested in prototype-form over the last three years, the IOPE Tailored 3D Mask will be available to customers at the brand’s Seoul flagship store starting April 2020.
Smart Skincare at Your Fingertips
For those of you who can’t wait or aren’t in Seoul and want custom skincare right this second, Neutrogena relaunched their Skin360 app. No longer needing a scanning tool, this app gives you a custom skin reading using a 180-degree selfie. After analyzing more than 100,000 skin pixels over 2,000 facial attributes, this technology will provide you with an immediate rating on the status of your wrinkles, fine lines, dark under-eye circles, dark spots, and smoothness.
Based on your score, you’ll be served up an 8-week personalized skincare routine to improve that score and have access to the newest skincare guru NAIA, a virtual skin coach powered by artificial intelligence and behavior change techniques.
Julia Child 4.0
If you don’t have the time (or the skills, no judgment) to cook, CookingPal’s Julia might be the answer to your culinary prayers. This smart kitchen appliance handles the tedious parts of the process from chopping and kneading to stirring and steaming, to cleaning up when it’s all said and done. It comes with a smart kitchen hub that prompts you to choose from over 500 recipes and then provides step-by-step videos to guide you towards your food fate. The only step that requires your participation is placing the ingredients into the bowl when directed by Julia.
Bonus: Its built-in camera and AI food recognition can also tell you what to make based on what it sees in your refrigerator and pantry.
Expected to be available in late 2020.
Environmentally-Conscious Wearables
If you haven’t found a reason to strap a computer to your wrist yet, IEVA’s Time-C wearable might just change that. In addition to detecting activity and heart rate, it also records environmental variants such as sun exposure, pollution, temperature, noise levels, and humidity. These insights serve to make you hyper-aware of the environment’s impact on your wellbeing and allow the platform to provide useful suggestions on what you can do to combat the negative effects of environmental stresses. For example, if it detects high pollution levels, it’ll recommend recipes with high antioxidants, and if there’s a high-level UV exposure, it’ll remind you to apply sunscreen.
IEVA’s Time-C wearable will be available in the spring of 2020.
A Good Night Sleep Courtesy of Jellyfish
If you’re already playing games on your phone, you might as well try one that positively impacts your health. URGOnight, a brainwave sensing headband, improves the quality of your sleep using neurofeedback therapy disguised as playful exercises like herding jellyfish and drawing patterns. All you have to do is put on the headband, open the app, play for 20 minutes, and repeat three times a week. But how exactly does that help you sleep, you might ask?
Our brains emit waves known as “sleep spindles” that determine how well we sleep, and the frequency of those spindles can be increased in the unconscious brain by increasing the rate of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) brainwaves. Increasing will make it easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep. URGOnight detects those SMR waves and trains the brain to control them, so when it comes time to get some rest, you actually can.
Your Dentist’s Dream Toothbrush
Nothing is boring about this smart, “power toothbrush.” The result of six years of product research and development and over 250 patents worldwide, Oral-B’s iO toothbrush features redesigned twisted bristles that give you a very deep clean via oscillating, rotating movements and micro-vibrations. Its bimodal smart pressure sensor ensures that you’re using the optimal amount of force to get the job done right, while its in-app AI-tracking keeps you moving in the right direction during a two-minute brushing session.
Oral-B’s iO toothbrush will be available in August 2020.