October 2025 • Vol. 31 • Issue 8
Artificial Intelligence—Delivering Transformational Innovation in the Beauty and Personal Care Industry
A
…Prem Sreenivasan
rtificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognized as a pivotal driver of innovation across industries, with its influence widely discussed in scientific conferences, academic journals, trade magazines, and other forums. Recent surveys confirm that AI is consistently highlighted by consumers, regulators, industry leaders, and R&D professionals as a leading force shaping the future of the beauty and personal care sector.¹ The unique strength of AI lies in its ability to extract insights from highly complex data, augment human intuition, and co-create solutions alongside scientists and formulators. In cosmetics and personal care, AI has the potential to impact the entire product development lifecycle—from ingredient sourcing and screening, to formula optimization, testing, regulatory approval, and supply chain optimization.1-4 Its influence also extends to product design, packaging, recycling, and sustainability initiatives. Highlighted below are selected areas where AI is already demonstrating transformational impact.
AI in Product Development
Traditional product development requires significant laboratory work, specialized facilities, and infrastructure to test stability, safety, and efficacy.2 AI can streamline this process by predicting ingredient compatibility, suggesting optimized formulations, and forecasting product performance. These efficiencies reduce both time and material costs while accelerating innovation. Rapid advances in genomics, proteomics, and microbiome analysis generate massive data sets central to beauty and wellness claims. AI is particularly well-suited to analyze these complex data, providing novel insights into aging, longevity, and consumer-relevant benefits.
Fragrance and Sensory Science
Fragrance is critical for consumer acceptance. Leading fragrance houses now leverage AI to design digital fragrance models and analyze thousands of formulations. Neuroscience-driven programs (‘neuroscents’) align fragrances with validated emotional benefits such as relaxation, focus, and happiness.
Applications of AI
Specific examples of AI in cosmetics and personal care include: • Product benchmarking: Tools such as Potion use databases of over 70,000 raw materials to identify potential ingredient combinations, aiding R&D teams in competitive benchmarking and formulation development.1 • Microbiome targeting: AI analyzes data from omics platforms to identify prebiotic ingredients aligned with human physiology. Examples include deodorants targeting odor-causing bacteria and anti-dandruff shampoos that reduce scalp flaking and redness. • High-throughput ingredient screening: AI has been trained on molecular libraries to identify new antioxidants and predict the bioactivity of natural compounds. While data limitations remain, approaches such as FusionDTA combine synthetic and natural data (continued on Page 8) to generate insights.
NYSCC RHEOLOGY SYMPOSIUM • OCTOBER 23rd ...see pages 5-7 for more information.