Swiping on lipstick requires little to no physical effort for most of us, but an estimated 50 million people have a different experience trying to accomplish the same thing.

Today, many people with disabilities face a sense of exclusion when they shop for cosmetics, and that’s because there are often few, if any, products designed for those with limited motor skills.

French cosmetics giant L’Oréal is looking to change that.

loreal hapta 1

Credit: L’Oréal

At the recent annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, L’Oréal unveiled a handheld, computerised makeup applicator named HAPTA, which is designed for those with limited hand and arm mobility.

Using technology created by Verily Life Sciences, the smart makeup applicator works by combining motion controls and customisable attachments to stabilise and allow the lipstick to self-level as the user brings it closer to their mouth.

Its name is a nod to the word “haptic”, a vibrating motor technology used in many smartphones and adaptive devices for people with disabilities.

loreal hapta 2

Credit: L’Oréal

Debuted with L’Oréal-owned brand Lancôme, HAPTA comes with a magnetic attachment, a built-in rechargeable battery that offers one hour of continuous use, and the ability to rotate the lipstick 360 degrees to give the user an improved range of motion.

Guive Balooch, global vice president of L’Oréal’s technology incubator, says that the goal is for users to be able to fit any brand of lipstick into the device. We can also expect HAPTA to expand its usage to other makeup products, including mascara, foundation, and blush.

HAPTA is slated to launch in US stores at the end of this year and globally next year at the cost of US$149 (~RM633.32) to US$199 (~RM845.85).

loreal brow magic 2

Credit: L’Oréal

At CES 2023, L’Oréal also introduced Brow Magic, a handheld electronic eyebrow makeup applicator that creates customised brow shapes. Developed with Korean tech company Prinker, a maker of printed, non-permanent tattoos, Brow Magic involves a different technology than the HAPTA.

loreal brow magic 1

Credit: L’Oréal

You scan your face with L’Oréal’s Brow Magic app, which allows you to choose the desired shape, thickness, and effect of the brows you want to create. Next, you brush the Brow Magic primer through your brows, move the printer device across your skin, and apply a top coat to lock it in shape. This printed brow shape can be removed with any makeup remover.

To deposit ink on the skin, the device uses 2,400 tiny nozzles and printing technology with up to 1,200 drops per inch (dpi) printing resolution. Each ink cartridge should last six months.

Brow Magic is slated to hit the market at the end of this year, priced between US$150 (~RM637.57) and US$200 (~RM850.10).

Featured image credit: L’Oréal