AI Is Becoming the New Competitive Advantage in Beauty

AI is rapidly becoming one of the most important forces shaping the future of the global beauty industry — from brands to retailers.

Across the sector, companies are increasingly deploying AI-powered diagnostics and guided discovery experiences that help consumers navigate complex product choices while generating valuable consumer insights for brands.

What was once seen as a digital novelty is quickly becoming a strategic capability for beauty brands and retailers alike.

This transformation was the focus of a recent gathering of senior leaders from across the beauty ecosystem in London, hosted by Revieve, where executives from brands, retailers and industry organizations came together to discuss how AI is reshaping the beauty experience.

AI Is Reshaping Consumer Discovery

The discussion opened with Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the British Beauty Council, who shared her perspective on how AI is beginning to reshape the beauty industry and the way consumers interact with brands.

Insights shared during the discussion, supported by NielsenIQ data, highlighted that an increasingly growing number of consumers are embracing AI-powered shopping tools, signaling that personalized product discovery is quickly becoming an expected part of the beauty experience.

For brands and retailers, this shift is also translating into measurable business outcomes.

Across the industry, AI-powered beauty journeys are demonstrating significant commercial impact. Implementations have shown up to 3× increases in conversion and 15–74% uplift in average order value, as personalized diagnostics and guided discovery help consumers navigate complex product choices with greater confidence.

These developments signal a fundamental shift in how consumers discover and choose beauty products.

Data as the Strategic Advantage

Beyond immediate commerce impact, panelists emphasized that the greatest long-term value lies in the proprietary consumer insights generated through these experiences.

When consumers interact with AI-powered diagnostics — analyzing their skin concerns, preferences and goals — brands gain access to zero- and first-party data that can inform strategic decisions across the organization, including:

• marketing strategy
• loyalty programs
• retail media initiatives
• product innovation
• assortment planning

Across global deployments, Revieve’s platform has captured more than 1.8 billion consumer data points, helping brands better understand customer needs and inform decisions across the entire beauty value chain.

As several panelists noted during the discussion, the true opportunity lies not only in improving engagement or conversion, but in the consumer intelligence these experiences generate.

In the age of AI, access to proprietary consumer knowledge is becoming one of the most powerful competitive advantages brands and retailers can develop.

Case Study: The Power of Data

During the discussion, Portia Antonia Alexis, Chief Strategy Officer at TheSolveMD, shared how the brand’s collaboration with Revieve enabled the company to build a diagnostic-led consumer experience that enhanced consumer engagement while also generating insights used to inform product line decisions and broader growth strategy.

Other panel participants echoed similar experiences.

Claire Todino, Global Head of Digital Experience at No7 Beauty Company, and Grace Vernon, Head of Boots Ignite, Foresight and Trends at Boots, discussed how AI-powered diagnostics and personalization initiatives are helping their organizations better understand consumer needs and generate actionable insights.

The panel emphasized that the true power of these technologies lies not only in personalization — but in the intelligence they generate.

The Future of Beauty Is AI-Powered

The beauty industry has always been rooted in personalization, but AI is enabling brands and retailers to deliver it at an entirely new scale.

By combining technologies such as AI diagnostics, guided product discovery and conversational interfaces, brands can create experiences that help consumers better understand their skin, hair and wellness needs while guiding them toward the right products.

At the same time, these interactions generate valuable data that can inform smarter business decisions across marketing, merchandising, product development and retail strategy.

As the London discussion made clear, AI is no longer simply a digital innovation.

It is becoming the foundation of the next generation of the beauty industry.

Panel Participants

The discussion brought together industry leaders representing multiple perspectives across the beauty ecosystem.

Millie Kendall OBE
CEO, British Beauty Council

Claire Todino
Global Head of Digital Experience, No7 Beauty Company

Grace Vernon
Head of Boots Ignite, Foresight and Trends, Boots

Portia Antonia Alexis
Chief Strategy Officer, TheSolveMD

Natacha Chiffi
Beauty Retailer Business Partner – Europe, NielsenIQ

The discussion was hosted and moderated by Irina Mazur, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Revieve.

About Revieve

Revieve is a global beauty technology company enabling brands and retailers to deliver AI-powered diagnostics, personalization and guided discovery experiences across digital and physical channels.

The company’s technology helps consumers better understand their skin, hair and wellness needs while enabling brands to unlock powerful zero- and first-party consumer insights that inform smarter business decisions.