Is CES heading in a new direction? Or is it a case of new categories such as beauty and health being created for traditional CE retailers .

In the past CES keynotes were given by the likes of Bill Gates and Microsoft or Google’s Serge Brin, at CES, 2024 the main keynote is set to be presented by L’Oreal who are better known for their cosmetics and their new anti aging technology.

According to the latest brief CES 2024, L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus delivering the main keynote.

A nine-time CES Innovation Award honouree, L’Oréal’s keynote will demonstrate how the company’s ongoing technology transformation ensures that it remains prepared for a future of its business that is at once physical, digital and virtual.

It was only recently that archrival Revlon announced its return to the market after moving to Chapter 11 earlier in the year.

The move by beauty brands into the technology market, is being seen as an opportunity for the likes of JB Hi Fi, The Good Guys and Harvey Norman to open up new health and beauty categories selling skin health products similar to what L’Oreal manufacture. The Company is also moving to sell technologically advanced shower heads.

New L’Oreal products include wearables for detecting exposure to the sun’s harmful rays and handheld devices that dispense personalized makeup and hair colour at home.

L’Oréal, which has unveiled new consumer technology at CES in the past released its inclusive beauty tech innovation HAPTA at CES 2023.

The world’s first handheld computerized makeup applicator, this motion-stabilizing device assists those who have difficulty raising their arms due to limited mobility issues, people with limited grip strength, and anyone with limited wrist mobility who may find it difficult to get a comfortable angle when applying lipstick or mascara.

“We are thrilled to welcome our first beauty company to the keynote stage to highlight innovation in the beauty tech category,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. “L’Oréal has a powerful story to tell of its vision for what’s next for beauty, and how technology enables it to meet the needs of its consumers and outperform the beauty industry today and prepare it for the consumer revolutions of the future.”

The big question now is what’s a beauty company doing at CES, the most powerful tech event in the world?

At CES 2024 you are going to find out from the expert, L’Oréal’s augmented beauty and tech leader, Guive Balooch.

He is set to explains how the best beauty outcomes are far more than skin deep.

Advanced engineering and chemistry underpin L’Oréal products so that consumers of all types can look and feel their best.

From biotech and synthetic biology to AI and augmented reality, L’Oréal is helping individuals customize how they show themselves to the world.

L’Oréal was founded 110 years ago by a chemist. Today, it’s the largest beauty company in the world with 35 well-known brands.

As the dominant player in beauty-sector accessibility, L’Oréal has applied AI to deliver HAPTA and Brow Magic as counters to limited mobility; these devices, respectively, allow users to expertly apply lipstick and shape eye brows.

With six years of AI experience, L’Oréal is now poised to explore generative AI as it continues to develop the future of beauty through science and technology.

Moving to the metaverse, L’Oréal recently launched a Microsoft Teams collaboration with its Maybelline brand to explore virtual makeup during conference calls. No physical product needed.