Until recently beauty and tech weren’t considered complementary. But now, technology is rapidly changing the relationship between consumers and brands and is driving a massive digital transformation in the beauty and personal care industry.

Fuelled by the ever-present connectivity in our daily lives, modern brands are now connecting directly with consumers and building mutually beneficial relationships and experiences together that are bringing personalization to the forefront.

The drive towards personalization has been around for a while. But to date it has mainly been about curating products at manufacture or allowing a personalized product selection process.

Join us as we delve into the opportunities and challenges of personalization and explore how to understand the consumer, when this makes sense for your business, and how to get started – whether you are a multinational or start-up.

Genuine hyper-personalization will be enabled by customization in the ‘last foot’ – where the product adapts itself as you unpack it and before you use it. A digital service will orchestrate that real time adaptation.

Here we talk through the last foot and the 5 technologies which will underpin this future: AI and privacy, connectivity, miniaturized electromechanics, biological sensors and cross reality.

Here Duncan Smith and Rana el Kaliouby discuss AI and Emotion and how it can impact products and services of the future.

Being able to sense emotion will be transformative for brands and could enable a deeper level of personalization.