The Mink - Makeup 3D Printer
A woman named Grace Choi today unveiled what many within the makeup industry are calling a revolutionary product. At Techcrunch Disrupt she launched The Mink 3D printer. The printer basically turns any color from any picture found online into a Hex code which can then be used to 3D print a variety of makeups with a near infinite number of color choices. More details on the Mink can be found here: http://3dprint.com/3214/mink-3d-makeup-printer/
Whether it's lipstick, powders, eye shadow, or creams, The mink will be able to print it all. The printer will retail for just $300. Check out some pictures released today:
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A cosmetic formulator's input on Grace Choi's Mink concept
She’s young, confident and inventive, but has Grace Choi underestimated what it takes to develop and create cosmetics? The concept is interesting when you think about it. Why not interrupt the cosmetics distribution chain by “printing” your own makeup? Choi’s makeup printer called the “Mink” promises to print out the same niche colors you can find in Sephora and other prestige cosmetic stores by taking a photo of the color, copying its hex code, and simply printing and applying. The concept is geared toward girls who are new to wearing cosmetics and was developed to combat the high markup prestige brands charge for beauty. Choi criticized the cosmetic industry’s method of distribution and claims that it is easy as printing a color and applying it to your face- so why the high price? Marketed at $300, the Mink is the solution to achieving a niche look without a high price tag.
When questioned by Harvard’s business expert panel (made up of men without experience wearing or manufacturing cosmetics) Choi explained that the high price of prestige cosmetics is driven by niche color, and the raw materials are really cheap and easy to re-produce. Choi was remiss in consulting with product formulation experts when creating the concept of the Mink printer which presents a slew of problems in its application. The Harvard panel was not only missing a woman’s touch, but a beauty product formulator’s input. Here are my own questions about this concept for Grace:
1. In an industry moving toward organic, do you have a solution for ink that is safe to wear on the face- especially around the eyes?
2. Taking a picture of a color is not an accurate representation of the true pigments in a cosmetic. How do you anticipate getting around this when the consumer realizes that the print color is not an exact match to the tester in the store?
3. Color blends in the cosmetics world are proprietary. Do you anticipate pushback from cosmetic manufacturers’ on the basis that your product is copying their “art”?
4. The raw material base of cosmetics is key to how color looks and lasts on the skin. Will the printer have the capability of blending the color pigment into the raw material base and do you have a raw material formulator that can create a base with the same staying power, look and feel that a cosmetic company provides with their bases?
I applaud Miss Choi’s confidence in her attempt to provide a solution for cosmetic consumers. I believe that if Choi consults with industry experts who understand what it takes to produce an efficacious, safe cosmetic she has the potential of expanding her knowledge base to create a product that executes as brilliantly as her concept.
