This week, a look at whether L’Oréal’s new hair dryer can compete with Dyson’s Supersonic, which has become a lucrative cultural behemoth since its launch in 2016. Additionally, Orveon announces a new CEO following several executive departures in December.
L’Oréal’s latest device hopes to take a chunk out of Dyson’s hair-dryer market share.
Debuting at CES in Las Vegas on Tuesday, L’Oréal’s Research and Innovation division unveiled a new hair dryer called AirLight Pro, which will retail under the L’Oréal Professional brand. In April, the hair dryer will launch to professional salons for under $400, though an exact price has not been determined. Comparatively, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer starts at $430. By July, the AirLight Pro will be available to European consumers, followed by U.S. consumers by the end of 2024.
L’Oréal has attended CES as an exhibitor since it created its technology incubator in 2012 as a way to understand how its company innovations would be accepted in a wider cultural context. Over the years, CES has become an important media opportunity for the company. In 2023, L’Oréal showcased a handheld makeup applicator for users with limited arm and hand mobility, as well as the L’Oréal Brow Magic providing an at-home electronic eyebrow makeup application.
“With AirLight Pro, we prove that technology can augment beauty performance, caring for multiple hair needs, and reduce its environmental impact,” said Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of the L’Oréal Groupe, in a press release. “That’s the future of beauty we are aiming to create.”
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As Guive Balooch, head of L’Oréal’s technology incubator, described, the basic mechanisms of a hair dryer have remained unchanged over the last 80 years: Coils inside the dryer are heated up through convection heating, which is then pushed through the device onto a user’s hair. Balooch describes the heat as “wasted,” as it must pass through the dryer to the hair. What is different about the L’Oréal Professional version is that, instead of heated coils, it uses infrared light to heat air as it passes through the dryer. He compared the process to light in the environment, which dries the environment faster than wind alone. Infrared, which exists below the visible light spectrum, has become common in beauty and wellness. Colloquially called “red light,” infrared is used in LED face masks for anti-aging, in saunas for muscle relief and in helmets for hair growth, among other uses.
The resulting temperature of the AirLight Pro’s airflow is 30% cooler than that of standard dryers, but hair dries 30% faster. Additionally, the dryer also leaves hair 33% more hydrated and 59% smoother, according to L’Oréal. L’Oréal worked with hardware startup Zuvi to downsize the technology and design the dryer. Notably, L’Oréal is also an investor in Zuvi; at an unknown time, the conglomerate invested an undisclosed amount through its corporate venture fund, Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development.
“We worked with [Zuvi] and we took inspiration from the environment, because it wasn’t naturally intuitive to combine [light and wind],” said Balooch. “The reality is that you can make a beautiful hairdryer that uses light, but if it doesn’t work on every hair type, and work better than a normal hair dryer and dry hair faster, it won’t matter, because that’s all that people care about. They care about the beauty result and the time it takes to dry their hair.”
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According to a Dec. 1 Market Growth industry report, top players in the global hair dryer market include Conair, Panasonic, Dyson, Philips and Flyco. These five manufacturers hold a 55% market share globally. Furthermore, according to Market Research Reports, Dyson’s 7-year-old Supersonic holds a 43% global market share for high-speed hair dryers. In addition to the Supersonic, Dyson began selling its Airwrap multi-styler in 2018 — a 2.0 version launched in 2022 — and its Corrale straightener in 2020.
According to L’Oréal Group’s half-year 2023 earnings report from July 2023, the company’s advertising and promotional expenses totaled $7.23 billion, though L’Oréal Professional’s specific spending was not disclosed. Meanwhile, Dyson previously stated in 2022 that it would invest $500 million into the hair-care category through research, retail and product development. The privately held company did not share annual sales figures for 2023 but disclosed $7.8 billion in revenue in 2022.
The L’Oréal device will come with multiple applications and styling and drying attachments designed to make the dryer easier to use and more customizable based on hair type and preferences. There will also be an accompanying app. To perfect these features, L’Oréal worked with L’Oréal Professional hair stylists and tested the tool with over 500 consumers during development. One example of a change based on feedback included reducing the temperature and air speed of the dryer when used with a diffuser attachment to give users more time to style their hair. A criticism Glossy has heard from professionals regarding Dyson is that the hair dryer dries hair too quickly, impacting the ability to style hair simultaneously.
“When it comes to hair drying, none of [our competitors] have this combination of light and wind that’s more efficient for the environment and better for the hair,” said Balooch. “To convince consumers, [we wanted] to build the best hair dryer that makes the hair more hydrated, smoother and dry faster, and to save people money.”
Orveon brings in new CEO
On Tuesday, Orveon announced a new CEO following the departure of three executives in December, including former CEO Pascal Houdayer. Effective January 18, the new CEO will be Neela Montgomery, who is also joining the board of directors. Montgomery comes from a predominantly retail-focused background, having worked at CVS Health, Crate & Barrel Holdings, and Tesco PLC. Most recently, she served as a board partner at venture capital firm Greycroft. Orveon was established in 2021 by private equity firm Advent International after the corporate carveout of its three brands, Laura Mercier, Buxom and BareMinerals, from Shiseido. The three brands were bought for $700 million.
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