L'Oreal's latest gadget takes the hassle out of dyeing your hair
L'Oreal's latest gadget takes the hassle out of dyeing your hair
While you might not expect it, L'Oréal has been a regular at CES for years, launching everything from wearable UV and pH sensors to AI-powered skin care gadgets. This year, the company is back with another invention, the ColorSonic – a device that makes it more convenient to color your hair at home.
The Colorsonic doesn't look too far away from other hair styling gadgets. The top half has a nozzle with bristles, while the bottom half stores a cartridge that holds the "precise mix of developer and formula." The device works by distributing the right amount of hair color and then vibrating the bristles at a specific angle more than 300 times a minute to apply the color evenly. Basically, the idea behind the device is that you can simply turn it on, brush it into your hair, and get the perfect color. (Though L'Oréal says those with darker hair will still need to pre-bleach; ColorSonic only handles the coloring process.)
If you never want to dye your hair, consider that there are colorists out there. Speaking of experience, it's a messy process that can leave you with dry hair color and stubborn stains all over the bathroom. Meanwhile, getting it done at the salon can easily end up costing hundreds of dollars. If Colorsonic can deliver on the promise of easy at-home hair dye, it's a big step forward.
Referring to the history of hair dye, Give Bloch, Global Vice President of L'Oréal's technology incubator, says, "It's been like this for over a century. While L'Oréal is currently the largest cosmetics company in the world, it's got It started with the founder developing the first commercial chemical hair dye, however, the process hasn't changed completely since then.
According to Baloch, Colorsonic has taken years to build—four to five of which have been spent adapting the oxidative formula to the device. Baloch says ColorSonic was tested on more than 400 people in the US and internationally, all with different hair types and lengths. The device will also not be limited in color options and plans to include "daring" colors with more being added over time. As an added bonus, L'Oreal says that each cartridge uses 54 percent less plastic than typical household dye kits.
While this is the consumer side of things, L'Oreal is also planning to add a new Coloright system to the salon. The Coloright system looks like a high-tech booth and includes a virtual test for 1,500 colors, as well as a hair assessment where you can measure your hair color and its porosity. Salon-goers will then be able to create a profile within the Colorrite system so that they can achieve the perfect hair color at any of the participating salons.
"There's no need to fear salons when I move from France to America and I want my hair color to be the right mix," says Baloch.
As far as Colorsonic and Coloright are available, L'Oreal usually announces their products a year in advance. The Coloright is already in a few salons in France and there are plans for a full-scale launch in late 2022 or early 2023. Meanwhile, Colorsonic will launch under the L'Oreal Paris brand. Pricing is still in the works, and cartridges will be sold separately. However, Baloch says it will be an "accessible product, which you can buy at Target." It will first launch in small test batches in late 2022, with a large-scale launch in early 2023.
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