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L'Oreal creates mobile product for better skin prevention testing

L?Oreal continues its mission to create beauty innovations through mobile with a skincare product enabling users to test themselves for when to add sunscreen through a patch that pairs with an application. 

The beauty company?s skincare brand La Roche-Posay will be launching the patch, which stretches and adheres to users? skin, sending images of the area to a mobile app to be monitored. The My UV Patch allows users to track the appropriate time to add sunscreen, permeating an a new area of skincare and filling a need for a wide range of consumers. 

?Innovation in all forms is key to the future of the beauty category,? said Guive Balooch, global vice president of L?Oréal?s Technology Incubator. ?The move to personalize beauty products is very much in its infancy. 

?Technology like this will help accelerate personalized product development, as well as put in place a platform to deliver innovative new products to market,? he said.  ?Innovations like My UV Patch will help us measure the skin and understand changes over time, so they can ultimately help us identify, test and develop more products for our consumers.?

Filling a need
Dermatological care is a highly discussed subject weighing heavily on the minds? of many consumers, especially the La Roche-Posay demographic. For the skincare brand to launch a product such as the My UV Patch not only opens up opportunity for new products sales but also creates a positive brand sentiment, as the item solves an issue of which many can relate.


My UV Patch is placed on areas of concern on the skin of the user, the wearable tech then takes a picture of the section and sends to the mobile app companion. The app analyzes the images and determines the amount of UV exposure through varying photosensitive dye squares. 

The experience removes concern for whether or not an individual's sun protection is working and needs reapplication. The new technology can ease users? fears, but can also save lives through skin cancer prevention. 

The easier it is for consumers to prevent burning from the sun and eliminate skin cancer factors, the more likely consumers will be to adopt these practices, staying safe. The My UV Patch will be available for purchase later on in 2016. 
L?Oreal made the announcement of the new product yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 

Mobile innovation
The innovative product is a part of L?Oreal goal to be a leader in the next generation of mobile innovation for the beauty sector, and recently also helped startups Cast Beauty and MikMak build their businesses (see more). 

The beauty giant also invited fans to enter a contest to become the brand's guest social media editor, an attempt to connect more with millennials and leverage their insight (see more). 

?Our desire is to meet the beauty needs of all consumers,? Mr. Balooch said. ?Through the development of cutting-edge technologies and cross-industry partnerships that complement our scientific expertise, we are bringing new experiences that add innovation to the industry.  

?Personalisation and connected devices help create stronger customer loyalty and engagement with our brands,? he said.