L’Oréal invests in future of AI-powered commerce and the creator economy

- L’Oréal has launched its 2026 Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program for startups across South Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (SAPMENA)

- Winners secure a fully funded commercial pilot with one of L'Oréal's 40 international brands

- Entering its third year, the programme has seen startup winners from Australia, India, Singapore and UAE

- 2026 innovation themes tap into greater potential for AI-powered commerce, creator and affiliate ecosystems, and circularity solutions

L’Oréal is officially calling for the next generation of tech pioneers to co-create the future of beauty. Applications are now open for the 2026 Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program across the SAPMENA region. 

The biggest Beauty Tech open innovation competition of this geographical scale, the Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program seeks to discover, support and nurture promising startups from the South Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa region. The competition is open to startups from countries including the UAE, KSA, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand. 

Entering its third year, the competition has become the industry's launchpad for scale: seven startups from previous cohorts have progressed to commercial pilots with one of L’Oréal’s 40 brands. 

Commercial pilots with L’Oréal have demonstrated unique use-cases of startup capabilities in the beauty context, proving tangible impact for both founders and L’Oréal brands. Startups which complete successful pilots in SAPMENA could have the opportunity to work with L’Oréal on future collaborations globally. 

From May to November, startups compete for the ultimate opportunity to scale in beauty: a fully funded commercial pilot with one of L’Oréal’s 40 iconic international brands. Beyond the pilot, winners unlock potential scale across 35 high-growth markets in the SAPMENA region and receive a year of strategic mentorship from L’Oréal’s senior leaders and programme partners. 

Source: L’Oréal. Key visual for the 2026 Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program. 

The 2026 edition has been updated to harness three major structural shifts shaping the industry: 

- The rise of AI-powered commerce 

- The dominance of creator and affiliate-led ecosystems 

- The critical advancement of the circular economy. 

Vismay Sharma, President of L’Oréal SAPMENA Zone said: “SAPMENA is fast becoming a global epicentre for tech innovation. Millions of young, digitally native consumers are fuelling a rapid rise in digital commerce and redefining brand interaction. 

"We believe this region is an important incubator for the future of beauty - a 'Silicon Valley' for beauty tech. As AI, the creator economy, and circularity reshape our industry, we are committed to discovering and nurturing the pioneers who will co-lead this transformation.” 

The 2025 winners were: Without (India), Sravathi AI (India), Heatseeker (Australia), and Halo AI (UAE), with Wubble AI (Singapore) receiving a special mention. 

Real-time customer intelligence 

Heatseeker from Australia is addressing the industry’s reliance on reactive market data by piloting real-time intelligence to accelerate go-to-market decisions. 

“Both Heatseeker and L’Oréal are obsessed with the same thing – delivering customer truth, fast – and that shared DNA has meant we’ve been able to design and validate a solution side-by-side with L’Oréal that is already shaping where Heatseeker goes globally. Partnering with L’Oréal is making us unstoppable,” said Kate O’Keeffe, CEO and co-founder of Heatseeker. 

AI-powered influencer discovery 

Halo AI from UAE is partnering with L’Oréal to transform influencer discovery and brand-matching at scale, solving the fragmentation of influencer marketing. 

"Winning Big Bang is a signal that the agentic infrastructure we're building at Halo AI is meeting that moment, and I'm so excited to be building for that future with team L'Oréal," said Rami Saad, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Halo AI. 

AI-powered circularity 

Sravathi AI from India is applying its AI-powered chemistry platform to help L'Oréal identify active ingredients faster and more sustainably. 

"Through Big Bang, we gained access to L'Oréal's global and regional teams and partners - conversations that have been instrumental in shaping how we bring our platform to the beauty industry at scale," said Parag Tipnis, VP Commercial of Sravathi AI. 

Ethical tech and IP compliance 

Wubble AI from Singapore integrates ethical, royalty-free music to ensure seamless IP compliance for L’Oréal’s engagements. 

“Being a part of the Big Bang competition has been a key milestone in the story of our young company. We have been fortunate to work with different L’Oréal teams since then, on two paid projects, and the experience has been absolutely invaluable in shaping and sharpening our product design and the user journey on our platform,” said Anand Roy, Founder and CEO of Wubble AI. 

The SAPMENA region, home to 40% of the world’s population and its emerging new consumer base, is the primary laboratory for beauty tech innovation, L’Oréal said, with over 60% of its young, digitally native consumers shopping online weekly. 

In addition to offering unparalleled commercial opportunities for ambitious startups, the region also hosts a flourishing startup ecosystem. Asia Pacific recorded the strongest annual growth worldwide in the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, with Singapore ranking 4th globally led by 44.9% growth, and KSA leaping to 38th place fuelled by a 236.8% growth rate. 

Recognising this energy, L’Oréal is nurturing the next generation of innovators through its Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program. The beauty sector is one of the most advanced in applying AI, personalisation and data-driven commerce. NielsenIQ reports that nearly half of all consumers are now receiving beauty recommendations from generative AI, the industry has become the definitive arena where new technology proves its commercial value first. 

Details

Startups passionate about creating the future of beauty with L’Oréal in SAPMENA are invited to apply on the competition website by 3 July 2026.

Startups can apply to develop a pilot under five beauty tech innovation themes designed to drive both commercial growth and positive impact: 

- Connected Brand Experience 

- Creators & Affiliates 

- AI-Powered Commerce 

- Science for Beauty 

- Innovation for Good 

The top three SAPMENA Grand Finale winners will win a L’Oréal-funded commercial pilot opportunity, potential to scale multiple markets and a year-long mentorship with senior leaders from L’Oréal and the programme partners.

• Submission deadline: 3 July 2026
• Regional finals for the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand: August-September 2026
• SAPMENA Grand Finale in Singapore (in-person): November 2026