Machine learning app helps tackle the beauty industry’s excessive (plastic) packaging

Two million and counting…

Lush is known to push innovation within the cosmetic sphere. Now, one of its latest technological experiments is driving change within an industry that produces billions of units of packaging every year. Lush Lens, a digital packaging solution that was introduced with the opening of Lush’s first naked (plastic packaging-free) shop in 2018, has succeeded two million product scans. The tool eradicates the need for packaging and signage and, according to Lush, has the potential to revolutionise the packaging industry at large.

Available on the #LushLabs app, the feature is designed by Lush’s in-house tech research and development team and driven by machine learning and product recognition. When pointing your camera at a naked product, the tool reveals details such as the product description, ingredients, price and an immersive video that demonstrates how it’s used. With naked cosmetics currently making up more than half of Lush’s product range, the company needed a solution that could provide customers with key product information usually found on packaging or signage.

Lush Lens has also proven to add value in other areas of the business. The feature is now available in 30 countries and 19 languages. As a result, customers shopping in a foreign Lush store are able to shop in their native language through the app, thus providing a borderless communications solution. Furthermore, one case study shows that shops using Lens to replace traditional bath bomb demonstrations can reduce product waste by 50% whilst maintaining regular sales.

In order to support an industry wide elimination of excess packaging, the brand is currently offering the tool for other businesses to use and encourages anyone interested to get in touch directly.

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