Beauty Meets AI: World’s First Prototype Smart Lipstick®

Brazilian beauty giant Grupo Boticário and Brazil’s CESAR Innovation Hub transform the cosmetics industry’s inclusivity as duo unveils a groundbreaking R&D project

In a groundbreaking move to revolutionize beauty industry inclusivity, Grupo Boticário, one of the the largest beauty ecosystem on Earth, unveils the Smart Lipstick®, the first-ever prototype AI-powered lipstick application system.

This innovation addresses the opportunity to improve the accessibility in product design for individuals with motor disabilities and visual impairments, promoting a better experience during their beauty routines. Inclusivity has become a “2025 imperative for beauty brands,” per industry reports.

Developed through a painstaking, seven-year R&D collaboration between Grupo Boticário and CESAR Innovation Hub in Recife, Brazil, prototype Smart Lipstick® combines artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, and robotic technology to provide precise, automated lipstick application. The cutting-edge system, which can be activated button commands, completes the entire application process in just two minutes.

“Our new prototype Smart Lipstick® represents a paradigm shift in how we approach beauty and inclusivity,” said Milene Haraguchi Padilha, a product innovation R&D expert at Grupo Boticário. “Our large R&D team of 42 professionals – including engineers, product designers, UX experts, and diversity specialists – worked tirelessly seven years to create technology that not only applies makeup flawlessly but empowers people with disabilities (motor disabilities or visual impairments) to experience the joy and confidence that comes with applying and wearing lipstick independently.”

The innovative system uses advanced computer vision to photograph the user’s face, precisely map their lips, and distinguish between lip and facial tones. A robotic arm then applies the lipstick with exceptional accuracy, followed by a verification photo to ensure proper application. The technology has already been successfully implemented in select showcase store and events across Brazil in mid-2024.

“This longtime collaboration between CESAR and Grupo Boticário demonstrates how advanced technology can break down barriers in unexpected ways,” said Giordano Cabral, Chairman of the Board for CESAR and one of its many AI experts. “By combining our expertise in AI and computer vision with Grupo Boticário deep understanding of beauty and inclusion, we’ve created a first-of-its-kind solution that goes beyond mere functionality – It’s about to promote to people more autonomy during their daily routine and the ability to express themselves freely, considering their specific needs and preferences”.

The prototype Smart Lipstick® addresses several gaps in the beauty industry’s approach to inclusivity:
● Traditional packaging designs that often require significant hand strength and dexterity
● Standard applicators that may be challenging for people with motor limitations
● The historic opportunity to actively promote and include people with disabilities in beauty conversations.

The R&D project, which included partnership with Neurobots for prototype development, builds on CESAR’s nearly three-decade legacy of innovation. Based in Porto Digital, Recife, CESAR has established itself as one of Latin America’s premier innovation hubs, consistently delivering breakthrough solutions for global brands seeking to enhance their competitiveness and impact.

The launch of prototype Smart Lipstick® comes at a pivotal time for the beauty industry. According to a new research report, “Inclusive Beauty Drives Sales: An AI-Powered Road Map for the Beauty Industry,” released by Circana™ in partnership with SeeMe Index, brands that prioritize inclusivity are seeing significant market advantages. The study reveals that Certified Inclusive Brands on the SeeMe Index for Beauty demonstrated 1.5X faster growth compared to their less inclusive counterparts.

The research underscores three critical factors driving success in inclusive beauty: organization-wide approach to inclusivity across all consumer touchpoints; meaningful engagement with diverse consumer identities through intersectional thinking and long-term commitments; and transparency in reporting progress on identity-specific product testing and brand commitments.

The new Smart Lipstick® embodies these principles, representing Grupo Boticário’s comprehensive approach to fostering a more inclusive beauty industry.

About Grupo Boticário
Grupo Boticário is a Brazilian company that operates in 40 countries and one of the largest beauty groups in the world. It owns the brands O Boticário, Eudora, Quem Disse, Berenice?, Vult, O.u.i, Dr. JONES, Tô.que.tô, Truss and the marketplace Beleza na Web, besides working with licensed products such as Australian Gold, Bio Oil, Nuxe and Pampers, and its division for the B2B market, called MultiB. This interaction between different brands, actives, platforms, franchise network, representatives, distributors, retailers, sellers and suppliers makes up the best and largest beauty ecosystem in the world, which also offers digital business management solutions for the Brazilian retail market through its brands Mooz, Casa Magalhães and GAVB. The Group counts on 20.000 direct employees, with more than 4.000 points of sale in 1.701 Brazilian cities.

Guided by its responsible action towards the planet, society and consumers, the company has ESG embedded in its business model. By 2030, the Group plans to expand its positive impact on society through waste management with the platform “Beauty For The Future”, which brings together ambitious commitments focused on the human and environmental dimensions and our production processes.

The history of Boticário Group began in 1977 in a small compounding pharmacy in the Brazilian state of Paraná. Nowadays, it includes laboratory, factory, innovation, technology, logistics, marketing and retail, in an ecosystem of 110,000 retail outlets, partners and suppliers. The company also operates on the environmental, social and cultural fronts, running the Boticário Group Foundation and the Boticário Group Institute. Learn more at https://www.grupoboticario.com.br/en/home-en/

About CESAR
CESAR is a world-renowned innovation center and advanced technical school based in Porto Digital, Recife’s thriving technology district on Brazil’s northeastern coast. With over 1,100 highly skilled professionals, CESAR specializes in cutting-edge technologies including AI, cybersecurity, computer vision, IoT and quantum computing. In the past year alone, the organization has successfully delivered more than 135 projects across 20 industry sectors.

Based in Porto Digital, which WIRED magazine dubbed the “Quixotic Tech Hub that Actually Worked,” CESAR has been instrumental in transforming Recife into a leading innovation center, creating thousands of jobs and fostering technological advancement in the region. Operating in compatible time zones with most mature markets, CESAR offers world-class expertise and proven methodologies for organizations seeking to tackle tomorrow’s challenges through technological innovation. Learn more at www.cesar.org.br/web/english.

Media Contact:
Grupo Boticário
[email protected]

CESAR
Chris Knight
Based in San Francisco, Calif.
[email protected]
(415) 786-9226 m … (on WhatsApp)