MUMBAI: Beauty is getting a chatbot makeover, and this time the lipstick might be recommended by artificial intelligence before it ever reaches a shopping basket. At VivaTech 2026, beauty giant L’Oréal and OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, unveiled a wide-ranging partnership aimed at embedding artificial intelligence deeper into consumer experiences, product discovery, scientific research and marketing operations.
The collaboration forms a key part of L’Oréal’s broader Transformative AI roadmap, with OpenAI positioned as a foundational technology partner as the beauty company explores what it calls the next era of AI-powered beauty.
One of the most consumer-facing developments will see Maybelline New York’s Makeup Virtual Try-On integrated directly into ChatGPT, powered by L’Oréal’s ModiFace technology. The move allows users to discover and experiment with makeup looks through conversational AI, turning a chat window into a virtual beauty counter.
The partnership also extends to product discovery. L’Oréal said it will work with OpenAI to strengthen visibility and recommendations for brands including Lancôme and Kérastase within ChatGPT in the United States, reflecting the growing race to influence purchasing decisions inside AI-powered search and recommendation platforms.
The beauty giant is also among the first companies testing what could become a new advertising frontier. Brands including SkinCeuticals, CeraVe and Garnier are participating in ChatGPT’s global advertising pilot, exploring AI-native marketing that reaches consumers at the moment of intent rather than through traditional digital placements.
Beyond commerce, the partnership stretches into science.
Using GPT-Rosalind, OpenAI’s specialised life sciences reasoning model, L’Oréal is mapping the skin microbiome at a far greater scale than before. The project aims to identify beneficial bacteria that could accelerate the development of next-generation skincare products, with La Roche-Posay among the first brands expected to benefit from the research.
Artificial intelligence is also being woven into the company’s creative engine. OpenAI’s latest models will power CreAItech, L’Oréal’s in-house generative AI content platform, enabling the creation of images and videos while preserving brand identity and heritage. The company says the platform is designed to augment human creativity rather than replace it.
The scale of L’Oréal’s AI ambitions is reflected internally as well. According to the company, more than 73,000 employees have already received training in generative AI and have access to tools such as L’OréalGPT and personalised AI assistants.
The announcement comes as competition intensifies among consumer brands to integrate AI across the entire value chain, from research laboratories and marketing departments to customer interactions and shopping experiences.
With ChatGPT now serving more than 900 million weekly users, the partnership signals how beauty companies are increasingly viewing AI not simply as a technology tool, but as a new storefront, research lab and creative studio rolled into one.
For L’Oréal, the message is clear, the future of beauty may not just be skin deep, it could be algorithm deep as well.
