Cosmetic 3d printer

Mink Makeup Printer fuses 3D printing and beauty

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3D Printing

Instant eyeshadow created from literally any image you can capture.

Beauty calls. In Beauty, Hacked, we test drive the latest skincare, makeup, hair, and wellness tech while exploring the pageantry of beauty on the internet.

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3D printing is often associated with prototypes, car parts, and various other machinery. But the Mink Makeup Printer(Opens in a new tab) is using 3D printing tech in a much glitzier manner.

The device is a printer that transforms images into instant, customizable makeup. While most 3D printers use a material like plastic in a process called additive manufacturing — where the material is added layer by layer to create a finished product — the Mink Makeup Printer works a little differently. "Essentially, it’s similar to an InkJet printer where it takes a substrate, which is coated with a powder, and it takes the ink and it deposits it onto the powder," said Grace Choi, inventor of the Mink Makeup Printer. "The powder absorbs the ink, and now that ink and powder mixture is instantly wearable."

From an image of a flower to pink powdered makeup. Credit: Mink

SEE ALSO: How LED lights might unlock your glowiest skin yet

The Mink Makeup Printer creates cosmetics solely in powder form, so while beauty enthusiasts would be limited to the medium, they aren't limited in terms of application. Choi says that the printed powders are most often used as eyeshadows, but can also be used as blushes, face powders, and eyebrow powders depending on the color ink the user chooses to deposit. The powders and Mink makeup sheets are also completely recyclable, so anything not used after printing should cause minimal waste.

To actually create makeup using the printer, you'd upload an image — any image, whether it's a shot of your favorite celeb or a picture of a makeup palette you've been dying to get your hands on — into the Mink app. In the app, you then crop and center the image as you'd like, keeping in mind that anything included in the photo will become a pigmented makeup powder. From there, the app will send the information to the printer, which will pop out an exact replica of your image in makeup form.

While the printer greatly expands what's possible in the beauty realm, it isn't available to the average consumer yet. Choi hopes to see the printer become integrated into beauty retailers, where consumers could come use the Mink to try out artistic forms of makeup at little personal cost to them. She also sees it as a useful tool to create sustainable makeup for makeup artists, who often need tons of one-time use shades in their practice.

We here at Beauty, Hacked couldn't wait for the Mink to hit the market, so of course, we got our hands on it a bit early. Tune into this episode to see Choi demo the Mink in action with host Jennimai Nguyen as they turn images from their personal camera rolls, the Barbie movie set, and the Euphoria cast into instant makeup.

3D Printing in the Beauty Industry: 6 Companies Leading the Way (And What We Can Learn from Them)

In the past two decades, the development of 3D printers has revolutionized the way we make products.

At first glance, it might not seem like 3D printing could have a big impact on the beauty industry. But in reality, that’s far from true. 3D printing is already changing the industry and we can expect even more big changes in the future.

Here are six companies that are using 3D printing to alter the cosmetic industry as we know it, and what that means for the future of beauty brands.

Mink: The First 3D Makeup Printer

The first revolution of 3D printing in the beauty industry came about in 2014 when entrepreneur Grace Choi announced the development of Mink, the world’s first 3D makeup printer. Choi actually created it from a traditional 2D printer.

Since then, the company has refined the technique and worked to make it available to the general public. In 2019 they released a lightweight, portable makeup printer that hooks up to an app via WiFi. It allows users to print ready-to-use makeup sheets directly from online images.

The Takeaway:

Digital advances in the beauty industry are shifting to match customer expectations. 3D-printed makeup gives users more control over their cosmetic choices. Instead of perusing store aisles trying to match makeup colors inspired by magazines or celebrities, users can directly print their makeup inspirations.

Adorn: The 3D Makeup Pen

Just a year after Mink’s reveal, UK beauty company Adorn announced the release of a 3D scanner and printer.

Their printer is a small pen containing blue, black, and white pigments. Users scan their cheek and the pen matches the skin tone and produces the ideal foundation, ready to apply. They advertise the ability to match up to 75,000 shades and product a foundation that is fit for all skin types.

The Takeaway:

The future of beauty is individualization. What makes Adorn’s product so appealing is that it can match the exact needs of the individual user. Instead of searching through pre-manufactured foundation colors hoping to find a shade that works for you, it promises to match your exact skin tone.

When you can offer products that are personalized for an individual, you offer a big benefit to consumers. In a society with countless options for every purchase, finding a way to offer more than just a product that blends in with everything else on the shelf is important.

Allowing buyers to purchase something that adapts specifically for their needs will set you apart from the competition and let buyers feel more actively involved in the cosmetic process.

Smashbox: The 3D Lipstick Launch

In 2016, Smashbox launched the #BeLegendary collection of 120 shades of lipstick. They engaged in an online campaign allowing users to play a game and end up with a 3D-printed version of their ideal lipstick. To top things off they let the user choose any design or shape for their printed lipstick.

The Takeaway:

Beauty brands can learn a lot from Smashbox’s campaign, the main point being that customization is key. This campaign stirred up a lot of attention because it provided choices. Not only could users pick from a wide range of colors, but they could request any design under the sun.

If you can tap into that idea and provide customization options for your buyers, you’re going to win over quite a bit of business.

The other big takeaway is that when it comes to beauty, you can’t provide too many choices. The more options you provide for color, the better, whether you’re offering 3D-printed lipstick or a new nail polish collection.

Chanel: New Options for Mascara

The early pioneers of 3D-printed makeup were a few years ahead of their time. Recently, even more companies have jumped on the 3D printing bandwagon.

In June of 2019, Chanel released a 3D-printed mascara brush to the general public in the UK. The brush uses a laser beam to print layers of polyamide powder for a smooth and strong application.

The Takeaway:

3D printing doesn’t just give companies the ability to provide more choices. It can also allow them to offer better products. With each new invention and iteration, we’re learning more about how this technology can improve the entire cosmetic industry.

Neutrogena: Shaping Skin Care through 3D Printing

Makeup isn’t the only possibility for the 3D printing in the beauty world. It can also change the landscape of skin care.

Neutrogena recently developed a 3D printed face mask. Users can download an app, answer questions about their individual skin needs, and scan their faces. The mask is then printed specifically for their skin. The company hopes to release the masks later this year.

The Takeaway:

Like Adorn, Neutrogena is putting 3D printing to its highest use for consumers—offering individualized options. The more personal companies can make products, the better. When this kind of option becomes available to the masses, all beauty brands are going to be held to a higher standard and expected to personalize products more than ever before.

JALA: Bioprinted Skin

While 3D-printed makeup is a high-level achievement by itself, other cosmetic companies are using 3D printing capabilities in different ways. JALA Group, a Shanghai-based company, used bioink technology to create 3D printed skin, complete with all three skin layers.

The Takeaway:

The possibilities for this technology are endless. Damaged or burnt skin could actually be reconstructed, offering burn victims an unprecedented recovery option.

This technology also offers new testing capabilities for products. In the future, this technology could eliminate animal testing altogether, overcoming one of the primary problems the beauty industry faces in terms of public opinion.

Package Printing Options

3D printing also offers new possibilities in terms of packaging. While that might not sound as cutting-edge as 3D printed skin and makeup, cosmetic packaging is actually where this technology has made its biggest impact so far.

The precise process of 3D printing is ideal for luxury packaging. Since the process can be made so precise, 3D printing is ideal for creating luxury packaging. During manufacturing, each layer is printed using very thin sheets placed with laser-accuracy. The result is unmatchable smooth, sharp packaging.

Anita’s Balm, a small online skin care company, has put this technology to use to expand their business. They started using 3D printers for their own packaging and their success quickly stirred up interest from other brands. Now they print packaging for other small cosmetic brands as well.

3D printing offers even more than aesthetically perfect packaging. Companies now have more options than ever to design and test packaging options before sending them off to the printer, cutting down on time and money and drastically reducing waste.

It’s no surprise that 3D printing companies, like Malta-based Toly Group, have client rosters full of successful beauty brands.

Environmental Impact

In the past, 3D printing has come with a downside—the environmental impact of the petroleum-based plastic filaments that are used. But new advances are overcoming that downside.

Innovative companies are developing new biodegradable materials that are better for the earth and are more affordable than plastic filaments. Other companies have developed recycled plastic filaments as an alternative choice.

The cosmetic industry has long faced flack over environmental issues, and eco-friendly trends have taken over in response. With these new advancements, 3D printing can change the industry without setting it back on the environmental front.

The Future of Beauty

These are just a handful of ways companies are disrupting the industry with 3D printing capabilities. As the technology advances, we’re going to see more companies embrace it and offer new changes.

As always, standing out is vital to any cosmetic brand, and as technology changes the industry, brands will have to adapt accordingly. At Creme de Mint, we’re looking forward to helping brands face the challenges and embrace the future.

For more information on how to create a unique brand and stand out in a good way, see our post How to create a beauty product line that sells.

Neutrogena to offer 3D printed beauty masks

News

Leading American cosmetics brand Neutrogena has announced a new product - maskiD personalized cosmetic masks, which the company plans to print on 3D printers.

MaskiD beauty masks will be part of a package already consisting of the Neutrogena Skin 360 app and the Skin Scanner, which went on sale last year. A small hinged gadget, which plays the role of a kind of microscope, allows iPhone 6 and later smartphones to take pictures of the face in high resolution, and the application helps to select the necessary preparations for the care of individual skin areas. To make the process even more convenient, the company's specialists decided to resort to 3D printing of individual masks, modeled from data from the same mounted scanner.

Hydrogel masks will be selectively impregnated with various cosmetic preparations in six areas responsible for the forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, chin and nasolabial folds: hyaluronic acid to retain moisture, vitamin B3 to improve microcirculation, virgin chamomile extract as an anti-inflammatory agent, stabilized glucosamine for exfoliation and wrinkle control, vitamin C for skin lightening. The 3D-printed face masks will go on sale in the third quarter of this year, although they will only be available to US residents during a pilot program.

Do you have interesting news? Share your developments with us, and we will tell the whole world about them! We are waiting for your ideas at [email protected].

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Beauty innovation BIOPRINTING 3D SKIN MODELS.

One of the innovative methods for testing new samples of cosmetics and active ingredients is the use of 3D printed skin. In fact, this is real leather, only created in the laboratory.

This new bioprinting technology has great potential in transplantology for skin grafting and implant development. In addition, the process of printing leather is many times faster than its cultivation by other methods. In the near future, such modeling will only improve, increasing the complexity of the structure and adding new types of cells.

This technology is used to test ingredients, evaluate their safety and efficacy, because these models reproduce the in-vitro cellular environment due to the presence of mechanical and metabolic functions close to natural. The technology works by focusing a laser on a cartridge, which causes drops of ink (bio-ink - printing liquids that consist of organic cells) to fall onto a substrate seeded with cells. This allows very precise positioning of cells in 3D structures.

This method was used to test the epigenetic asset Dermagenist® of the German company BASF , which was successfully confirmed to be effective.

Many market leaders in the beauty industry are using 3D skin BIoprinting to test beauty products and ingredients.

Cosmetic 3d printer

Mink Makeup Printer fuses 3D printing and beauty

3D Printing in the Beauty Industry: 6 Companies Leading the Way (And What We Can Learn from Them)

Mink: The First 3D Makeup Printer

The Takeaway:

Adorn: The 3D Makeup Pen

The Takeaway:

Smashbox: The 3D Lipstick Launch

The Takeaway:

Chanel: New Options for Mascara

The Takeaway:

Neutrogena: Shaping Skin Care through 3D Printing

The Takeaway:

JALA: Bioprinted Skin

The Takeaway:

Package Printing Options

Environmental Impact

The Future of Beauty

Neutrogena to offer 3D printed beauty masks

Leading American cosmetics brand Neutrogena has announced a new product - maskiD personalized cosmetic masks, which the company plans to print on 3D printers.

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Beauty innovation BIOPRINTING 3D SKIN MODELS.

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