Michelle Phan “Robot Chic” YouTube Billboard, NYC
If you’ve been around New York City recently, watched networks like ABC Family, or opened a copy of Allure, you may have noticed the YouTube campaign featuring the biggest beauty gurus. It’s no wonder we continue to witness the rise of beauty bloggers and vloggers; The Internet is a huge force in revolutionizing the concept of beauty and how we consume beauty products.
We buy and sell cosmetics online, review beauty products online, and watch countless makeup tutorials online. Wouldn’t it make sense to eventually create our own makeup at home with the help of the Internet and 3D printing technology? Yes!
All you fellow tech geeks out there might be familiar with TechCrunch Disrupt and some of the hype surrounding 3D printing. But what does that have to do with the beauty industry? Imagine taking the color from any image on your phone or computer and printing custom makeup at home–essentially creating your own personal Sephora (okay, maybe that’s just me being really hopeful).
I was so excited to see this article and demo spotlighting Mink, a mini 3D makeup printer created by Grace Choi, a Harvard Business School grad.
Grace Choi, Mink at TechCrunch Disrupt
Mink, The Makeup Printer
You basically use any image software to identify a specific color, copy and paste the Hex Code and send the color to print. Choi’s prototype currently produces a powder eyeshadow pigment, but she explains the printer would also be able to create lipsticks, foundations and creams.
The evaluated price point is $300.00 for the printer (no set price yet for the ink/substrates). If you’re intrigued, you can request an invite to receive further updates regarding Mink.
I wonder about the quality of the “ink” and pigment ingredients. Even though Choi mentions the ink is FDA-compliant, I would like to know the composition in comparison to other trusted brands. Also, what else could the software and printer produce?
Will this technology really drive down the cost of cosmetics and help consumers save money in the long run? I hope so!
Regardless, the emerging 3D printing technology is pretty exciting and I like to think that an at-home makeup factory could be on the horizon!
Take a moment to watch this demo and let know what you think. What type of beauty product or invention would you create?
Elizabethology 