The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held annually in Las Vegas in January, is always a source of the latest at-home gadgetry. This year, exhibitors spanned scores of categories, once again, including Beauty.

Last year L’Oréal made the tech news with its launch at CES of the electronic patch which informed wearers of sun exposure.
 
This year, L’Oréal’s Kérastase brand—in partnership with Withings (part of Nokia) unveiled what they call “the world's first smart hairbrush” at CES 2017.
 
Developed in collaboration with L'Oréal's Research and Innovation Technology Incubator, the brush features Withings' advanced sensors and seamless product design along with L'Oréal's patent-pending signal analysis algorithms to score the quality of hair and monitor the effects of different hair care routines. An accompanying mobile app provides additional insights and customized product recommendations to help people better care for their hair.
 
The brush is a recipient of this year's International CES Innovation Award, which celebrates outstanding product design and engineering in new consumer technology products.

HiMirror, the world's “first smart beauty mirror,” débuted its new "HiMirror Plus" and "HiSkin" products at the show, and was named a CES 2017 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Smart Home product category for its HiMirror ($189) smart beauty product.

The HiMirror Plus includes the existing features and functionality of the HiMirror including its intuitive, touch-free design, assessment and analysis of a user's skin condition including wrinkles, fine lines, complexion, dark circles, spots and pores, and recommends customized skin care routines to help the individual achieve his/her skin goals.

Additionally, the HiMirror Plus features LED makeup lighting with five different environment settings and increased memory to accommodate more users and personal beauty tracking. The HiMirror Plus retails for $259.

More on the World's First Smart Hairbrush

According to a report published by L'Oréal scientists, forceful hair brushing has been proven to cause hair damage, including breakage and split ends.

The Kérastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings minimizes these risks, taking advantage of multiple sensors that provide information on the quality of hair and brushing patterns. These include:
 

• A microphone that listens to the sound of hair brushing to identify patterns, providing insights into manageability, frizziness, dryness, split ends and breakage.


• 3-axis load cells that measure the force applied to the hair and the scalp when brushing.


• An accelerometer and a gyroscope which help further analyze brushing patterns and count brush strokes, with haptic feedback signaling if brushing is too vigorous.


• Conductivity sensors to determine if the brush is being used on dry or wet hair in order to provide an accurate hair measurement. The brush itself is splash proof.

 
These sensors feed data automatically via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to a dedicated mobile app, which then takes into account weather factors like humidity, temperature, UV and wind, which also impact hair's manageability and quality. By tracking the way a person brushes and factoring in aspects of daily life, the smart brush app provides valuable information including a hair quality score, data on the effectiveness of brushing habits, personalized tips and Kérastase product recommendations.
 
"Technology is transforming consumers' daily beauty routines, and smart devices have huge potential to impact how we care for our hair and skin," said Guive Balooch, global vice president of L'Oréal's Research and Innovation Technology Incubator. "By using connected technologies to upgrade the hairbrush — something the average consumer uses every day — Withings and Kérastase have reinvented what a person's relationship with their hair can look like and are showing how connected devices can revolutionize the beauty industry."
 
The high-quality battery-powered brush works with a variety of hair types and the simple act of brushing begins the data collection process.
 
The hairbrush is a three-way collaboration between Kérastase, Withings and L'Oréal's Research and Innovation Technology Incubator. The incubator — a lab dedicated to meeting the needs of beauty consumers through disruptive technology innovations — oversaw all brush testing and developed the signal analysis algorithms that power the device.

Withings developed the hardware, including the brush's combination of smart sensors, and spearheaded the mobile app UX. L'Oréal-owned Kérastase provided its expertise in professional hair care on the development and design of the brush along with digital and personalized content and recommendations in the app.
 
Retailing for under $200, the brush will be available mid-2017 at select Kérastase hair salons and the brand's website, and through Withings' online sales and distribution channels.
 
HiMirror Helps Consumers Create A "Smart"er Routine

Makeup users now have access to ‘smart ambient makeup light,” and can apply cosmetics for any situation. HiMirror Plus features an innovative design of LED lights to simulate five different lighting scenarios – sunset view, outdoor on a sunny day, brightly lit office, shopping mall or supermarket, and restaurant or party venue.

It also has increased memory, which not only allows for two more users – six instead of four – but also enables you to record and save your skin analysis results over a longer period-of-time; allowing you to keep better track of your improvements.

A skin analysis engine allows you to assess your skin's condition including wrinkles, fine lines, complexion, dark circles, dark spots, red spots, and pores so that you may take early measures to improve upon your skin and achieve your beauty goals. Based on your skin care analysis, HiMirror develops custom-built skin care routines, recommends products that address your specific needs, and offers skin care tips. All your data is encrypted and stored anonymously.

Just take a photo and receive your skin analysis results in a matter of seconds. Simple and straightforward to install, HiMirror provides a convenient and secure way to log in – your face and voice are the account passwords. HiMirror even allows you to sync your HiMirror skin analysis results and custom skin care recommendations with your smart phone app so that you may acquire beauty and fitness advice anytime, anywhere.

By simply scanning the barcode of skin care products through My Beauty Box users can manage products they currently or plan to use virtually. To help take your beauty and health to the next level, the company also offers two accessories that complement the HiMirror Plus / HiMirror – its Smart Body Scale and the new HiSkin.

HiMirror is subsidiary of New Kinpo Group, a global electronics manufacturing services and original design manufacturing company.

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