A Brief History of Customized Beauty

In her eNewsletter, Young recalled Procter & Gamble’s Reflect. The six-year, $80 million investment created customized makeup, skincare, haircare and perfume that were shipped to customers within five days. Reflect closed in 2005. At the time, P&G called it an exploratory project to gain insights into consumer preferences.

“Were they ahead of their time?” asks Young. “Or is customization too challenging to make profitable?”

More recent customization examples include: Function of Beauty launched in 2015.

Read more