Thanks to cryptocurrency, blockchain technology as a whole is attracting a lot of attention. Blockchain forms the backbone of the cryptocurrency industry, but the technology is quickly being adopted in other fields thanks to its decentralized nature, security, and scalability.
From real estate to agriculture, blockchain technology is used for keeping records of transactions for transparency. Now, it has made its way into the billion-dollar beauty industry: cosmetic start-ups are turning to blockchain for quality control.
Here is our top picks of cosmetic and beauty companies that have turned to blockchain, to provide a better online shopping experience to their customers.
1. EM Cosmetics by Michelle Phan
If you are into the beauty community on YouTube, you would be no stranger to Michelle Phan. The beauty guru was at the peak of her YouTube career circa 2010 and even worked with L’Oréal to launch her own makeup line, Em Cosmetics, in 2013.
Phan went on a two-year hiatus in 2015 and made a surprise return in 2017. In a comeback video, she revealed that she had been learning about cryptocurrency and blockchain during her hiatus. In the same year, Em Cosmetics relaunched with a new creative vision.
What also followed with Em Cosmetics’ relaunch was the platform’s adoption of blockchain technology. Em Cosmetics has partnered with Lolli–a cryptocurrency rewards company in which Phan herself invested $ 3 million.
The partnership offers customers up to a 4.5% portion of Bitcoin to anyone who downloads Lolli’s web extension and shops with Em Cosmetics. This means that instead of the usual cashback, customers on Em Cosmetics get Bitcoin back.
2. Cult Beauty
Cult online cosmetics retailer Cult Beauty is using the blockchain to counter greenwashing in the beauty industry. The company is partners with tech transparency company Provenance and together, they have introduced what is known as “Proof Points” on Cult Beauty’s website.
Using blockchain technology and open data to verify sustainability and ethical claims made by cosmetic companies, Cult Beauty allocates “Proof Points” to said companies who are selling their products on the platform.
This means that when a cosmetic company says that their eyeliner is “cruelty-free”, or that their packaging is “recyclable”, Cult Beauty and Provenance will deploy blockchain technology to search for evidence supporting those claims. The site will also make sure to corroborate the claims with an independent third party.
Companies that pass the test will then be allocated a Proof Point to show customers shopping on Cult Beauty that whatever eco-friendly claims made are true, with links to official document filings.
3. Look Labs
Berlin-based fashion and beauty design company Look Labs is combining perfumes with blockchain, more specifically, NFTs.
Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a technology that measures vibrations in molecules, Look Labs recreates the “digital reflection” of a fragrance. Described as a “Cyber Eau de Parfum”, this colorful digital reflection is basically the product of wavelength data gathered via NIRS technology.
They are then encoded into an NFT and auctioned on NFT marketplaces. Anyone who successfully bids for the NFT perfumes will receive both a digital certificate of the NFT and a physical bottle of the perfume.
In addition to perfume, Look Labs also plans to apply similar technology to its upcoming “digital fashion show”.
Blockchain Is Changing the Beauty Industry
These three companies are leveraging blockchain technology differently, but each has its own merit. Blockchain has already begun revolutionizing how other industries handle money, data, and logistics, so it is pretty much inevitable at this point that the technology will bring about radical changes to the beauty industry.
If you are a beauty enthusiast reading this, why not do some research about blockchain, and check whether or not your favorite beauty brand is already implementing blockchain technology.
