L’Oréal is looking to innovate one of the oldest at-home beauty rituals: DIY hair color. In response to consumer frustration that comes with applying hair color on hard-to-reach places, L’Oréal has created Colorsonic, a lightweight, handheld device that looks to take the guesswork out of mixing and applying hair color at home. Colorsonic, which has been in development for five years, uses a custom mixer mechanism to combine a precise amount of developer and formula to create a hair color, and then dispenses the right dose of hair color and to hair via an oscillating nozzle of bristles. The bristles move in a zigzag pattern to evenly distribute color on hair.

In five steps, a user can:

  1. Select a hair color from 40 shades on the Colorsonic website. The ammonia-free hair color kit is shipped directly to homes.
  2. Load the color cartridge into the device for on-demand color mixing. The color and developer are kept separate until the device is turned on, a critical component to preserving the color and keeping it fresh.
  3. Brush device from roots to ends for uniform color application. The oscillating nozzle—tested rigorously to prevent leaking, over saturation, and dripping—moves 300 times per minute to effectively cover hair quickly. An attachment is also included for those with long hair (shoulder length or longer).
  4. Wait 30 minutes. Then rinse, style, and go.
  5. Remove cartridge from the device and store the remaining color for easy touch-ups.

In addition to Colorsonic, L’Oréal has also created Coloright, an AI-connected hair color system meant for salon stylists that utilizes virtual try-on to present desired shades, and an algorithm that leads to an on-demand, customized hair color with more than 1,500 custom shades possibilities. The machine analyzes a client’s hair, measuring factors that influence color’s effectiveness, including hair color, gray percentage, length, and density. It utilizes a dispenser that contains dry beads consisting of hair dye, accompanied by cartridges of base creams, developers and diluters. Together, the dispensed components create a personalized hair color recipe.

“Our century-long, deep experience and leadership in hair coloration has allowed our researchers, data scientists and tech engineers to completely revisit and reinvent the hair coloring experience,” said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Research, Innovation and Technology.

“We aim to leverage science and technology to solve age-old problems for consumers, and Colorsonic is a great example of the power of innovating for consumers by innovating with consumers,” said Guive Balooch, Global Head of Research and Innovation’s Tech Incubator at L’Oréal. Guive and the L’Oréal team plan to reveal both technologies at this year’s CES 2022 trade show, scheduled for January 5 through January 8.