Olay and AI

Olay has announced the global launch of its Olay Skin Advisor, a new platform designed to help women better understand their skin and find the products best-suited to their personal skincare needs. Rooted in a suite of artificial intelligence technologies, it marks the first application of deep learning in the beauty industry, arming women with the knowledge they need to care for their skin and better navigate the often-confusing beauty aisle, according to the P&G powerhouse brand.

The global launch of Olay Skin Advisor coincides with a series of upgrades to the platform in the United States, where a 1.0 beta version has been live since late 2016.

“Shopping for skincare has never been more overwhelming, as women are faced with thousands of products and promises,” said Dr. Frauke Neuser, principal scientist for Olay. “Olay’s research shows that browsing the shelf is the #1 purchase influencer for women, yet 1/3 of women do not find what they are looking for. We saw an opportunity to help women understand their skin better than ever, before they even step foot in the store. Our solution is Olay Skin Advisor, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver a smart skin analysis and personalized product recommendation, taking the mystery out of shopping for skincare products.”

Olay Skin Advisor is a web-based skin analytics platform that provides women with exceptionally precise, personalized skin education and product recommendations on their mobile phones or tablets. With just one selfie, Skin Advisor analyzes a woman’s face to determine her current “skin age” (i.e. how young or old she looks) and which areas of her face are driving that age. Following a short series of questions about her personal skin concerns and product preferences, Skin Advisor delivers a personalized product regimen recommendation based on extensive knowledge about what products have worked best for women like her – women with the same skin concerns, needs and preferences. Ultimately, Olay Skin Advisor helps her find the products that are right for her specific skincare needs, delivering skin transformation that will help make her look Ageless.
The web-based skin analytics platform was previewed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The AI technologies that will power Olay Skin Advisor 2.0, launching in the US mid-March, include in selfie optimization technology; Olay’s VizID Technology; and new synaptic intelligence, which combines the experience, trainings, and learnings of Olay scientists, skin care experts and consumers, accordingly searches millions of combinations of products to pinpoint a personalized regimen, and explains why it’s right for her.

There have been one million visits to Skin Advisor date.

“AI is not a technology of the future – it’s transforming our world today,” said Greg Estes, vice president of developer programs at NVIDIA, whose GPU-accelerated deep learning platform was used to train Olay Skin Advisor’s neural network. “Olay and other leading brands are using AI to infuse devices and apps with intelligence, bringing new experiences, unprecedented personalization and real benefits to people’s lives.”