01-08-2025
Would You Let a Robot Give You a Facial?
You'd be hard pressed to find an industry that hasn't been impacted by artificial intelligence. From scheduling and customer service to delivery options and even healthcare, AI is changing how we do business. It's also changing how we do beauty.
There's Sephora's AI-powered recommendations that analyse customer data to suggest relevant products. Nimble is a new product on the market that uses AI and 3D scanning technology to give you a personalised shellac manicure in 20 minutes. And then there's AI that develops personalised skincare products and routines.
In the area of hyper-personalisation, technology that allows for customised skincare sounds like a beauty-lovers dream. But could there be a downside?
Here's what Nadia Aminian, celebrity facialist and senior aesthetician at Taktouk Clinic, has to say: 'Currently, aestheticians often use AI at the beginning of a facial, with skin scanning devices. AI can help create a bespoke facial, by identifying areas that need a bit more love for an overall rejuvenated look,' she explains. 'It's also used in high-tech treatments, like Exion Face, which uses a unique combination of monopolar radiofrequency and an AI controlled energy delivery system. This enables a deeper tissue penetration, without requiring full needle insertion while doing Fractional Radio frequency.'
However, nothing beats a hands-on approach. 'There's just something about a practitioner's touch,' she adds. 'AI can't replicate energy or understand pressure points. I also don't fully trust AI when it comes to skincare, because actually touching and feeling the skin is such a critical part of a good facial.'
While she sees AI as being a beneficial supporting tool for beauty treatments, she cautions clinics and aestheticians alike from becoming too reliant on them. 'A skin expert needs to touch a person's skin in order to do a proper analysis, because how skin feels plays such a significant role in how healthy it is,' she says. She also worries that an over-reliance on AI for diagnosim skin concerns could hinder newer aestheticians' growth and expertise.
And she's not wrong for these concerns. A recent MIT study showed that long-term use of ChatGPT could have detrimental impact on critical thinking skills. So while artificial intelligence is effectively streamlining menial tasks, it also runs the risk of reducing talent development and expertise.
