New Delhi, June 21, 2024.
L’Oréal’s groundbreaking Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program (Big Bang) is now officially active across all of its North Asia markets with the momentous launch in Hong Kong SAR today, ushering in a new era of beauty innovation for consumers in the region and putting L’Oréal North Asia Zone’s “Beauty Triangle” strategy in action. The strategy seeks to maximize synergies and accelerate collaboration, leveraging the unique and powerful North Asia ecosystem and the transversal synergy of China-Beauty, Korea-Beauty and Japan-Beauty.
First launched in Mainland China in 2020, Big Bang embraces open innovation to develop disruptive beauty solutions in partnership with startups and innovators. The program fosters the co-creation and co-development of innovative beauty products and experiences. Its expansion to Japan and Korea in 2023, followed by recent launches in Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan, underscores L’Oréal’s commitment to spearheading cutting-edge beauty solutions throughout North Asia. The program’s success has also inspired its launch in the L’Oréal South Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa region just last month.
Each market tailors its Big Bang program with a unique theme, reflecting regional strengths and fostering local partnerships. L’Oréal Taiwan initiated its recruitment for Big Bang in March, focusing on a “Green Beauty Consumer Journey.” Through collaboration with Taipei Computer Association (TCA), the program champions local sustainability innovations for a circular economy, eco-friendly design, and enhanced consumer engagement.
L’Oréal Hong Kong’s recent launch introduced the city’s first open innovation accelerator dedicated to the beauty industry. Partnering with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Business France Hong Kong, the program prioritizes “Customer Experience Transformation.” The goal is to craft immersive, multi-sensory experiences within brand spaces, elevating customer interactions and bringing brand stories to life in captivating new ways.
L’Oréal Japan and Korea both celebrated successful first years of the program, with participants gaining significant recognition and several already collaborating with L’Oréal. Building on this momentum, L’Oréal Japan will continue its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to advance research and innovation (R&I) in cutting-edge skin and hair care technologies. Similarly, L’Oréal Korea, having formalized its collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startup through an MOU at Viva Tech 2023, will deepen its focus on R&I while expanding the program with a dedicated digital track.
As the origin point of the Big Bang program, L’Oréal China continues its trajectory of impactful progress, covering comprehensive tracks including Future Science, Phygital Consumer, Operation 4.0, Gen AI and Sustainability. Fostering increasingly sophisticated projects and achieving tangible results. This is exemplified by the recent Viva Technology event, where CITIBIOTECH, a French startup specializing in 3D skin printing and winner of the Big Bang China French Channel, signed a strategic MOU with “Oriental Beauty Valley,” a Chinese government-affiliated incubation organization. This partnership will pave the way for CITIBIOTECH’s successful entry into the Chinese market. This milestone represents the first achievement stemming from a partnership agreement signed by L’Oréal, Business France, and the Oriental Beauty Valley during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China in April 2023.
Launched in 2021 with Business France as a strategic partner, the Big Bang China French Channel empowers cutting-edge French startups to expand their reach into the Chinese market. It has successfully recruited around 50 French startups to participate in the Big Bang China program by 2023.