L’Oréal partners with Databricks to streamline its beauty tech using AI

20 Sep 2023 --- L’Oréal has chosen Databricks, the data and AI company, to enable the interoperability of its global Beauty Tech Data Platform and to pursue its multi-cloud strategy.

The L’Oréal Group’s experts use technology, data and AI to develop precision and personalization services. With Databricks providing a key component of its enterprise data platform, L’Oréal can further improve its consumer and customer experience.

Databricks’s Lakehouse platform will unify data across all of L’Oréal’s cloud data platforms. The Lakehouse will provide a complete view of the consumer’s data journey, from inquiry to purchase, shipment to care and from the online to offline experience.

“The Databricks Lakehouse offers a simple, unified platform to handle all data, analytics and AI use cases,” says Naveen Zutshi, CIO at Databricks.

“It’s never been more challenging for major retailers to keep up with a 360-degree view of the customer to ensure loyalty and growth. Still, data-forward organizations like L’Oréal are at the forefront of turning this challenge into an opportunity.”

Optimizing consumer experience
Zutshi continues that Databricks delivers global, real-time insights and data governance, enabling L’Oréal to provide a beneficial customer experience.

A computer screen with data and graphs. L’Oréal looks to optimize its Beauty Tech Data Platform.“This strategic, global partnership with Databricks demonstrates our clear commitment to enrich our data capabilities and make L’Oréal the front-runner in beauty tech,” adds Etienne Bertin, group CIO at L’Oréal.

L’Oréal began its journey on the Databricks Lakehouse in 2019 for its Consumer 360 and CRM operations in North America. Databricks accelerated the time to insight by consolidating and analyzing real-time consumer data.

In two years, L’Oréal North America saw a 20% improvement in productivity through reduced maintenance effort, improved runtime and cloud consumption.

“L’Oréal operates in 150 countries, selling over seven billion cosmetic products to more than 1.2 billion consumers every year, so having a data architecture that is unified, open, cloud-agnostic, interoperable, secure and scalable is integral to our success,” explains Bertin.

Leveraging the Databricks Lakehouse is enriching our global Beauty Tech Data Platform, and we are excited to see the partnership evolve in the years ahead.”

AI advancements
Transformational shifts took place in the digital beauty space, with new launches merging AI-powered software with handheld devices for more effective at-home makeup applications and try-on experiences. In this space, Personal Care Insights looked at some of the latest advancements from L’Oréal, LVMH and Essence Makeup.

In July, Wunderman Thompson released the seventh edition of its “Future Shopper” report, which revealed that omnichannel retail is “ripe for refreshing” consumer engagement with AI solutions. The authors underscored the need for flexibility when remodeling sales channels for new platforms.

Furthermore, this month, personalized beauty brand Proven closed a US$12.2 million series A round. The funds will be channeled toward the company’s brands, which include the AI-powered Proven skin care brand specializing in personalized products. Its portfolio also includes Noteworthy, marketed as a “first-of-its-kind” personalized fragrance company.

By Sabine Waldeck