“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
But what if those beautiful old people could turn back time, at least where skincare and aging is concerned? What if there was a breakthrough in the age-old quest for younger-looking skin, with the able assistance of some very modern technology?
A Beautiful Industry
Beauty and anti-aging is a big and lucrative industry. The global anti-aging market is valued at $63.01 billion in the year 2022 and is projected to reach a value of $106.65 billion by the year 2030. In the U.S. alone, the market was around $18 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow to over $34 billion by 2032.
The industry’s target audience can be categorized into three age sectors:
- 25-35 years
- 35-55 years – the majority of the market share
- 55 and above
North America dominates the market, followed by Europe, but virtually every country in the world is seeing growth due to higher spending power and the ever-increasing demand for preventative anti-aging solutions. There’s a point in everyone’s life when the TikTok filter just isn’t enough!
Lotions and Potions – and AI
The entire anti-aging market has, up to now, been segmented thus:
- Product Type (Facial creams and lotions, serums and concentrates, under eye creams, others (Facial oils, sheet masks);
- End-User (Women/men);
- Distribution Channel (Supermarkets/ hypermarkets, specialty stores, convenience stores, online retail and other distribution channels);
- Geography
But there’s room for a new fly in the ointment and it’s set to cause quite a stir for those who seek that everlasting youthful glow. AI and new technologies are moving to the forefront of the beauty industry, offering new options that disrupt the industry as we know it.
The future of beauty rests in embracing new and advanced technology that will allow for more effective and natural ways to combat the signs of aging.
AI-driven technologies contribute to advances not just in general medicine but also in aging research, for acquiring data and the development of methods, and ultimately for evaluation and interpretation. Beauty as an industry is more than skin deep, in fact, skin is itself a complex organ and makes a perfect model for studying the aging process as a whole.
The Science of Aging
Cellular senescence refers to a state of stable cell cycle arrest in which proliferating cells become resistant to growth-promoting stimuli, typically in response to DNA damage. They are seen as faulty cells and can be seen to be associated with age-related conditions. Failing eyesight, mobility issues and Alzheimer’s disease to name just a few.
Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Edinburgh – together with data scientists, chemists and biologists – used artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to help discover three drugs that could help stave off the effects of aging. They fed the AI models with known senolytics – a class of drugs that selectively clear senescent cells (SC) – and non-senolytics. AI is able to distinguish between the two and is able to predict whether molecules the models had never seen before could also be senolytics.
Transformative Technology
Moving over to the Revitalife Medical Center in California, where they are embracing new transformative technology and offer an AI anti-aging package called Ultimate Duo that provides a holistic approach to anti-aging. After just one session there are reported noticeable results using a process called EMface that uses electromagnetic energy to build structure, lift and tone the skin as well as AI micro-needling, a process to stimulate the natural production of collagen.
“We are offering some of the AI treatments that are combining the power of AI and technology with the natural methods to help people achieve youthful, glowing skin,” says Dr. Khoi Vu, founder of the center.”
A Beautiful AI Revolution
Without a doubt, AI and ML are revolutionizing the beauty and anti-aging industry, not only helping us to understand and possibly stave off the effects of aging, but also from a business standpoint. Forbes recently reported on the industry as a whole, embracing AI across all of its tiers and its benefits for consumers and business dynamics.
Generative AI elevates and enriches user experience and engagement with real-time interactions, and with AI technology, today’s beauty companies have the keys to unlock a wealth of data and valuable insights.