On the 20 June, L’Oréal Professional Products welcomed 130 young entrepreneurs from across the globe to London for the 2024 L’Oréal Brandstorm Finals.
Brandstorm is the Groupe's signature innovation competition for young people, dedicated to helping kickstart their careers.
This year the competition turned its attention to the L’Oréal Professional Products Division. The challenge? To revolutionise the professional hair industry by leveraging technology to propel both salon businesses and the client experience forward.
As the cutting-edge division of the Groupe, L’Oréal Professional Products Division has long been committed to driving forward the positive future of the hairdressing industry, keeping salons and stylists at the heart, and scaling the pro industry through tech.
From product formulas, service innovations to the in-salon experience, they are revolutionising every aspect of the professional hairdressing industry and the ideas from year’s competition definitely provided food for thought and new ways to push these boundaries.
Brandstorm 2024 Grand Finals
For the first time in its 32-year history, the Brandstorm Grand Finals made a departure from Paris to London, and the iconic Riverside Studios. During the evening, the finalists presented to an audience of over 300 and an esteemed panel of judges including L’Oréal Professional Products Global President, Omar Hajeri, and renowned and award-winning hairstylist, Charlotte Mensah.
Guests also heard from L’Oréal Professionnel Paris and ‘Head Up’ Ambassador Hayley Jepson, who led an inspiring keynote session on the importance of resilience and good mental health practices, during the early stages of career pursuits.
The highlight of the evening came when announcing this year’s winners and it was Team PROtect from France who ultimately impressed the judges with their approach to supporting the physical health and wellbeing of hairstylists with their wearable tech innovation.
Wearable devices on the wrist and back monitor movements and notify the wearer when they are entering zones of potential harm- promoting them to take a break or stretch to avoid issues such as repetitive strain injuries or back problems.
The Winners
As Global Winner, PROtect will embark on a 3-month "Entreprenuership" at L’Oréal HQ in Paris. They'll refine their groundbreaking idea with support from L’Oréal's experts and resources, aiming to bring their idea to market for the benefit of the professional hair industry.
Runners up Smart Part from the USA developed an intelligent comb that makes precision parting easier. With various comb attachments, the device supported all hair types and textures whilst saving stylist’s valuable time. Third Place team Match Makers from the UKI presented their MyHair App - connecting consumers with personalised products and salon services whilst integrating e-commerce
and AI capabilities.
David Higgins, Managing Director, L’Oréal Professional Products UKI says: ‘What an incredible opportunity this year’s Brandstorm competition has been for PPD. I have been inspired by the 42 teams who have presented their innovations today during semi-final and final stages, and it makes me incredibly proud to see the professional hairdressing industry at the heart of every one of them.
We aspire to elevate our industry through tech and this year’s winners, PROtect have certainly supported our ambitions. A huge congratulations to them and I wish them all the best over the next 3 months as they continue to nurture their idea with the support of our L’Oréal teams in Paris.
Not only have we possibly uncovered the next big thing in pro hair innovation, but who knows, maybe we’ve inspired a few people in the audience to explore a career in this incredible Pro Hair industry too!’
