Make Room in Your Medicine Cabinet for Technological Toiletries

March 16, 2016

Technological toiletries are on the way.

When it comes to keeping that youthful glow, it’s best to keep your sensitive skin out of the sun. But, c’mon, who can really avoid soaking up the rays during a relaxing day in the park or at the beach? So we slather on the sunscreen and lose track of time, only to later discover with tell-tale pink hues that we've misjudged. What’s a girl to do? Well, later this year she can buy L’Oréal’s My UV Patch, the first-ever stretchable skin sensor designed to monitor UV exposure.

This heart-shaped patch contains photosensitive dyes that factor in the baseline skin tone and change colors when exposed to UV rays to indicate varying levels of sun exposure. This next-generation of smart skincare technology is just scratching the surface of what the beauty industry is capable of. From patches that monitor moisture levels to digital deodorant and the conductive makeup interface, technology will soon be part of our beauty routine.

A recent article on Smithsonian.com highlights some of the beauty wearables that are about to occupy our medicine cabinet or makeup bag. Some of my personal favorites include the tiny wearable fan with odor-sensing technology that provides a dose of deodorant when it senses a stench. Another fave is the fake eyelashes that use blinking to power devices, or the fake fingernails embedded with RFID tags to activate electronics.

These are all very clever and productive. But I’m waiting for someone to make an eye shadow with artificial intelligence to give my brain a little boost!

About the Author

Stephanie Neil | Editor-in-Chief, OEM Magazine

Stephanie Neil has been reporting on business and technology for over 25 years and was named Editor-in-Chief of OEM magazine in 2018. She began her journalism career as a beat reporter for eWeek, a technology newspaper, later joining Managing Automation, a monthly B2B manufacturing magazine, as senior editor. During that time, Neil was also a correspondent for The Boston Globe, covering local news. She joined PMMI Media Group in 2015 as a senior editor for Automation World and continues to write for both AW and OEM, covering manufacturing news, technology trends, and workforce issues.

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