L’Oréal showcases North Asia beauty innovation at Viva Tech

SHANGHAI, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 12, L'Oréal showcased its fast-evolving North Asia open innovation ecosystem at Viva Technology in Paris, through a dedicated forum themed "New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation." The event brought together top startups from China, Japan, and South Korea — standout performers from the L'Oréal Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program (Big Bang)— alongside ecosystem partners from government, media, industrial parks and innovation hubs. This marks a key milestone as L'Oréal's regional collaboration model takes the global stage.

New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech

The forum explored regional innovation trends and L'Oréal's beauty tech strategy, highlighting how the Big Bang program is helping scale cross-border partnerships. With winning startups now co-developing next-generation solutions with L'Oréal, the North Asia open innovation model is quickly growing from a regional catalyst into a global innovation accelerator.

"L'Oréal is born from science, and to continue to push Beauty frontiers, we believe in the power of co-creation, collaboration and co-innovation with the external world," said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L'Oréal Groupe. "Big Bang is at the heart of our open innovation strategy in North Asia. It connects us with dynamic startups, fostering cross-industry collaboration and accelerating the development of disruptive solutions. The success of this model has inspired its expansion across other regions, amplifying our open innovation impact globally."

A key highlight of the forum was a roundtable discussion that explored real-world applications of open innovation, regional strengths, and emerging trends shaping the future of beauty tech. The session featured three top-performing startups from L'Oréal's Big Bang program:

• Veminsyn, a Chinese biotech startup, recently gained a strategic investment earlier this year. The co-founder Yufan Li pointed out : "L'Oréal brings not just capital, but scientific depth and global insight, it helped us turn a technical breakthrough into something with global potential."
• TheSEA, a Generative AI company in Japan, also the winner of 2024 Big Bang "Phygital Consumers Experience" track. "L'Oréal's deep understanding of consumer needs has been instrumental in shaping our developments. We've found the ideal market where our technology can truly thrive," said co-founder and CEO Yanjin Li.
• ASLEEP, a South Korea-based AI sleep-tech firm, directly benefiting from Big Bang North Asia ecosystem. The company was introduced to L'Oréal at 2023 Viva Tech through Big Bang Korea Partner Ministry of SMEs and Startup, then gained the co-creation opportunity with L'Oréal Korea. "I've personally experienced and witnessed the impact of this open innovation ecosystem," said Dongheon Lee, founder and CEO, "L'Oréal combines the robust resources of a beauty giant with the astonishing speed of a 'Unicornus Rex'."

"What I find particularly unique about the ecosystem in North Asia is the strong connection between innovation creation and its design for scaling. This interconnectedness is well demonstrated within this ecosystem. " said Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director, Augmented Beauty & Open Innovation at L'Oréal Groupe. " By merging these innovations with our beauty expertise, we can create significant disruptions in response to consumer demands for enhanced performance, not just in Asia but globally. "

With initiatives like Big Bang serving as a conduit, the open innovation ecosystem in North Asia leverages the complementary strengths of China, Japan, and South Korea — from technology and industrial supply chains to market reach. By linking regional capabilities to global platforms such as Viva Tech, L'Oréal is transforming local innovation into a launchpad for global impact. During the event, L'Oréal ingeniously utilized advanced AI-generated virtual host technology fueled by the rapid growth of China's e-commerce, from Topview.ai—a sister company of the winner of 2023 Big Bang Tabcut. Successfully "exported" this technology from Chinese livestreaming room to a global stage.

"Our North Asia Open innovation ecosystem originated with the Big Bang program pilot back in 2020. Now it has grown into a robust open innovation ecosystem, continuously powering beauty innovation," said Lan Zhenzhen, Chief CA&E Officer for L'Oréal North Asia and China. "The open innovation ecosystem that derived from Big Bang is now a strong engine that powers the new frontiers of beauty tech. We welcome more partners to join us and co-create the beauty that moves the world."

More information on https://www.loreal.com/en/mediaroom