From shampoo to cookies, consumer products get an AI makeover

By Alexander Marrow

VIENNA, July 6 (Reuters) - French cosmetics company L'Oreal has used AI to identify molecules in its skincare products that can be repurposed for use in shampoo and can now create products four times faster than before, a senior executive told Reuters.

Consumer companies, including Nescafe owner Nestle, Sensodyne toothpaste maker Haleon and chocolate maker Mondelez, are using AI in product innovation, helping them in some cases test ingredients faster, generate recipe ideas and address supply chain vulnerabilities, executives said. 

The push to integrate AI into product development comes as consumer goods companies face pressure to innovate faster and cut costs amid shifting consumer tastes. 

 L'Oreal, which started using AI in its labs four years ago, has identified new molecules for beauty products by predicting the effect they will have on skin and hair, said Fabrice Megarbane, president of its consumer products unit.

L'Oreal's recent innovation was repurposing molecules used in skincare products for a shampoo that uses collagen to add lift and fullness to hair, Megarbane said.

"You can really go much faster by imagining ... new associations of molecules and new benefits of molecules," Megarbane said at the Consumer ⁠Goods Forum's Global Summit in Vienna in late June.

L'Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus launched a "beauty stimulus plan" last year to spur innovation after L'Oreal posted its slowest group sales growth in years.

AI COMPRESSING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Human product innovation augmented by AI is a "game-changer" at chocolate maker Mondelez, Chief Information and Digital Officer Filippo Catalano told Reuters.

The technology has helped the Cadbury and Toblerone owner speed up processes and reimagine recipes. The firm said AI can create recipes, including "out-of-the-box" ideas, which a human expert assesses. 

"You can optimise how you develop your recipes," Catalano said, pointing to the possibility for reduced dependency on single sourcing in supply chains and the ability to adapt formulas to respond to changing consumer tastes. 

Mondelez's AI tool is reducing the number of samples typically generated through innovation, he said. It helped develop its Gluten Free Golden Oreo cookies and a refreshed recipe for Chips Ahoy cookies, the firm said. In the biscuit category, 60% of recipes produced using its AI tool performed better in areas such as nutrition, sustainability and cost.

"(AI capabilities are) accelerating things you could do already, but compressing the time from months to weeks or years to months," Catalano said. 

(Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Rod Nickel)