The company aims to make beauty more inclusive and help people expand their beauty expression

To make makeup more inclusive and accessible to people with limited hand and arm mobility, L’Oréal has unveiled HAPTA, the world’s first handheld computerized makeup applicator, at CES 2023. An estimated 50 million people globally live with limited fine motor skills. This makes some daily gestures, like applying makeup, challenging.  HAPTA is a technology prototype designed to help such people expand their beauty expression.

Talking about the new technology development, Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of the L’Oréal Groupe said, “For L’Oréal, the future of beauty is inclusive. And this future will be made more accessible by technology. Developed by L’Oréal scientists and engineers, HAPTA is a handheld, ultra-precise smart makeup applicator for users with limited hand and arm mobility, offering them the ability to steadily apply lipstick at home.

What’s HAPTA all about

HAPTA has incorporated the technology developed by Verily Life Sciences, Alphabet Inc’s biomedical engineering company. Verily’s technology was initially developed to stabilize and level utensils to give people with limited hand and arm mobility the ability to eat with confidence and independence. “Inclusivity is at the heart of our innovation and beauty tech strategy. We are dedicated and passionate to bring new technologies powering beauty services that augment and reach every individual’s ultimate desires, expectations, and unmet needs, “said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L’Oréal.

HAPTA is equipped with a magnetic attachment that allows for easy ergonomic use enabling for 360 degrees of rotation and 180 degrees of flexion. A “clicking” feature allows the user to intuitively set the intended position, stay in position during use, and allow for the user to lock in customized setting for future use. The devices comes with a built-in battery (three hours to full charge) and device charging which results in one-hour continuous use (approximately 10+ applications).

“The key to HAPTA is its combination of built-in smart motion controls plus customizable attachments that give the user an improved range of motion, increased ease of use for difficult-to-open packaging, and precision application that is otherwise hard to achieve – to help individuals feel confident, independent, and empowered to enjoy the self-expressive power of beauty,“ further added Lavernos.

HAPTA’s leveling device will be piloted with L’Oréal-owned Lancôme in 2023, first with a lipstick applicator followed by additional makeup applications in the future. “For years, Lancôme has sought to provide every woman with beauty solutions adapted to their needs. Beauty tech has enabled us to fulfill this mission in an even more powerful way, revolutionizing the way we develop beauty products and services and enabling greater personalization. With HAPTA we are going one step further by making beauty more accessible to use, because everyone should have equal access to it,” said Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme Global Brand President.