Since time immemorial, the beauty industry has always had an inherent reputation for developing sensory experiences that focus only on closeness to the skin, proximity, and perceived sensation.
Recently, beauty brands are slowly shaking off these generational stereotypes. One way brands do this is by adopting the multi-sensory, interactive, and immersive extended reality (XR) that comes with the Metaverse. These technological advancements provide more fun, immersive and inclusive experience for end-users.
An instant opportunity presented itself given the popularity of virtual domains, especially among female mainstream gamers. With women making up 45% of the growing online gaming population, the beauty industry is adapting its services to fit this changing consumer lifestyle. These brands are looking to appeal to the new generation of untapped virtual audiences conveniently, and just like you imagined, the Metaverse is their go-to destination.
Let's look at how beauty fits into this multidimensional realm.
How does Beauty Fit in the Metaverse
For beauty brands and retailers, the Metaverse facilitates a sales channel that brings exciting engagement for potential customers at all stages of their purchase journey. The most exciting perk is there are no physical boundaries! To get this virtual world to function, beauty brands employ augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), blockchain's NFTs, and social media to create a highly effective environment for rich user interaction.
Future-ready beauty businesses are already releasing virtual product try-ons, like matching foundation tones for different skin tones, truncating the physical involvement and health risks associated with sharing in-store beauty products.
For consumers, this spectrum accords the pleasure of privately seeing what an array of beauty products would look like on them from their cozy homes! These users represent themselves using identical graphic avatars with which they experiment to discover surreal beauty and new areas of inclusivity and abstract self-expression.
Beauty Brands in the Metaverse
Clinique
Clinique made a statement as the earliest adopters of this Metaverse trend with their 'Metaverse Like Us' NFT project. Clinique initiated this celebratory NFT campaign to draw attention to the lack of diversity in the web3.0 space.
Clinique's exclusive digital art, Non-Fungible People NFT, are 3D files that have utility beyond ordinary Profile Picture NFTs (PFPs). These avatars possess a cross Metervase portability feature that matches the users' facial features and expressions in real-time through their AR-powered app.
Estèe Lauder x Decentraland
Estee Lauder announced its presence in the Metaverse by becoming the only brand to participate in Metaverse Fashion Week (MFW) organized by Decentraland.
To create a distinctive virtual beauty experience, Estee Lauder has teamed up with Alex Box, a well-known female artist in the Metaverse, to create an original non-fungible token wearable inspired by the brand's famous serum, Advanced Night Repair.
To put this into context, users can step inside the serum's Little Brown Bottle to unlock a Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) or badge that lets them claim an NFT outfit. Users can use the brand's #1 serum to give their avatars a radiant and glowing aura.
L'Oreal
L'Oreal's foray into the Metaverse officially began after registering the brand's many trademarks into the NFT and Metaverse categories. In the quest to celebrate women and celebrate pride month, L'Oreal's subdivision NYX partnered with Sandbox and People OF Crypto (POC) to launch a highly diverse avatar collection with most of the revenue mapped out for the LGBTQ organization. This brand intends to help users purchase and sell their virtual cosmetics while offering virtual perfumes as a complementary product for customers.
Givenchy
Last June, Givenchy parfums became the latest beauty brand to launch in the Metaverse. This introduction features a partnership with Roblox to create a more immersive experience. Givenchy lets users customize their avatar faces, test fragrances, and receive a Givenchy-themed beauty makeover. Amid other irresistible perks, users can also engage with make-up stations, photo booths, and a swimming pool in Givenchy's virtual world.
Many more brands like Fenty and Nars are dabbling into the Metaverse and letting users digitally try on and save products through the extension of their real selves found in their avatars.
Final Thought
As the Metaverse continues evolving, it curates an authentic experience for beauty brands and users. These experiences offer both parties new and innovative opportunities to engage and interact seamlessly.
Numerous brands have reinvented their offerings by creating characters and subjects in the Metaverse, integrating themselves into the experience rather than interrupting it. Many more brands will undoubtedly join this league of Metaverse adopters as there continues to be an upswing of users who live most of their lives online.
Finally, the idea of the Metaverse and beauty brands may still seem idealistic and incomprehensible to some people, especially concerning developer privacy and security. Still, it has a lot to offer in terms of new opportunities.
What are your thoughts? Are you excited about trying out innovative beauty features in the Metaverse?
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