For better or for worse, AI is now firmly embedded in our lives, answering basic questions, writing emails, and completing mundane work tasks more efficiently. Whilst some of this is useful, as far as the cosmetic manufacturing industry is concerned it is also making promises beyond its capabilities. Leading edge, original skin care products requires creative skill and imagination, of which AI, understandably, has none. It has no skin, no nose, no hair, no nerve endings. It cannot feel, be attracted or disappointed, in short it has no knowledge, and never will have, of how a person perceives a cosmetic product. Without human emotion and the ability to come up with original ideas, how can AI be creative? If it were a person seeking a creative position in the cosmetics industry, it would fail at the first interview.
Creating a Formula
No one would use a camera with no lens to take a picture, so why use a tool that lacks every human sense to create a sensorial product? AI can be used to outline what types of ingredients a bespoke cosmetic formulation might need, but it cannot determine whether a cosmetic product will be stable, safe, or sensorially fitting the brief. Only through actual hands‑on development work in a lab, testing it on skin, looking at it, smelling it, and conducting thorough stability, compatibility, and challenge testing, can a market leading cosmetic product be created.
AI also fails originality when a project requires a combination of a unique sensorial experience and brand story enhancing bespoke botanical extracts. AI can only draw from existing online data and user-generated inputs. What it cannot do is truly “think outside the box” or conceptualise something novel. As a result, any formulation ideas it generates are only generic and could potentially be suggested to many other users with similar prompts. This eliminates innovation and uniqueness and throws a big question mark over protected IP on bespoke cosmetic formulations.
Creating a Business Plan
For someone who has never set up a business, writing a business plan can feel daunting, but it is crucial for founders to create one independently rather than relying on AI. Apart from the essentials such as mission, business model, marketing and sales strategies, operational planning, a business plan must impart a genuine emotional connection to the brand.
It’s true that AI may be able to help with structuring the finished plan, summarising key sections, formatting content, for the creation of a cosmetic product plan, but a plan must be more than simply a series of loose ideas without meaning or personal insight. AI cannot, for instance, conduct real-life consumer research, determine whether a cosmetic product truly fits the intended market, or capture the founder’s personal enthusiasm. Founders who understand these human elements and thoroughly examine and question every aspect of their vision are far better equipped for long-term success.
Looking for Suitable Partners
AI can support the search for potential partners such as contract cosmetic manufacturers, regulatory consultancies, or marketing agencies. However, it must never be used to communicate with them. Each potential partner must be evaluated through personal interaction, ideally face-to-face, to ensure alignment in understanding, values, communication style, and expectations. Never use AI to write emails. Sending AI-generated emails that could conceivably be answered by an AI-generated email is the fastest way to guarantee failure. A simple phone call establishes rapport quickly and allows both parties to evaluate the extent of the others understanding, thus where to pitch their support levels.
Conclusion
AI should be used to help, but not to communicate and never to formulate cosmetic products. Its suggestions should never be treated as an unquestionable source of truth and must always be reviewed and verified. To build a successful personal care business, founders must establish the brand’s foundation themselves and immerse themselves deeply in its mission and purpose. AI cannot decide what a brand should stand for and if a founder cannot articulate why their brand deserves a place in the market, neither will their partners, stakeholders, or the consumers they hope to reach.
Starting a successful cosmetic brand is difficult and expensive, trying to use AI to make it easier or cheaper will not work, and if we feel that a potential client does not understand this, we will not work with them. Jarvis do not use AI in any customer facing role nor in the development of our bespoke cosmetic products, so if you want a unique experience and unique skin care product, talk to us. 01473 822300
