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Pidhorna Yana

Easy Beauty Space, Bachelor’s degree in Manager of

Socio-Cultural Activities and Show Business, CEO

https://www.doi.org/10.25313/2524-2695-2025-4-02-38

PERSONALIZED NAIL SERVICES: THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN CREATING PERSONALIZED NAIL DESIGNS

Summary. This paper studies the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in creating personalized nail services. The promotion presents an analysis of contemporary technologies-namely, machine learning and natural language processing in the development of an exclusive pattern of nail designs that will be based on the personal preferences of a particular client. An account is given of how data can be collected through social networks and survey platforms, the following analysis of which supports the establishment of a custom solution for the clientele. An overview of existing technological platforms in the beauty industry used to achieve similar goals is presented with an eye to prospects for this sector’s development, thereby including, among other things, 3D printing and augmented reality technologies. The paper also contains the major barriers of the proposed innovations’ integration into practice. The study brings out the potential application of AI as a tool to improve service quality and customer satisfaction in the beauty sector.

This publication will capture the attention of beauty industry professionals: manicurists and owners of salons incorporating innovative methodologies into their practice. It can also prove handy for researchers and developers within the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning, explicitly for those working on applications in cosmetology. Moreover, this content may draw the interests of marketers and analysts – those who explore consumer trends and the influence of social networks on consumer behavior, now within the aesthetic services arena.

Key words: artificial intelligence, personalized services, manicure, nail design, machine learning.

Introduction. Personalized nail services constitute a new school of thoughts in the beauty industry. They conceive the creation of unique nail designs suitable for very personal client preferences. In the old days, all services came with standard works, but nails have undergone a transformation. Nails allow the customer to pick colors, patterns, textures, and design shapes to reflect their personal style. These services have now become extremely popular and high in demand because all kinds of procedures in beauty now highly demand exclusivity and self-expression within the aesthetic process, an urgent trend which has emerged in the era of social media when visual content became everything. The next-generation personalized beauty market, including nails, is just about to boom in the upcoming few years. By 2029, it will attain a valuation of $87.14 billion at a CAGR of 15.4% [1].

Growth over the forecast period will be supported by accelerating urbanization, rapid e-commerce growth, and technology and innovation adoptions by both consumers and businesses. Other major trends for the forecast period are increased investment in marketing and promotional activities, strong economic growth in the emerging markets, increasing disposable income. This, therefore, is a trend that resonates with shifts in consumer expectations, where the weight moves on from mass offerings to unique and personalized services.

Key in the transformation of personalized nail services is how artificial intelligence initiates the provision of analytical data processing and customization solutions. An AI-driven platform processes a huge amount of information in images, text descriptions, and social media customer behavior patterns to find preferences for nail designs that exactly match customer taste and style. For instance, AI can be used to take photographs of clothing or accessories worn by a customer and used to design nail art that matches what the customer is wearing. Moreover, automation in design creation with the help of AI quickens the pace of work by artisans and at the same time enlarges the creative scope, allowing the introduction of complex patterns that might take a long time or be impossible to introduce manually. Therefore, the implementation of artificial intelligence in this field promoted the level of personalization and stimulated the innovational growth of the beauty industry in respect of directing it toward the satisfaction of the individual needs concerning its clients.

Materials and methodology. This study applied diverse sources and methods to evaluate artificial intelligence-driven personalization of nail services. Surveys and questionnaires that customers fill out either before they enter beauty salons or as they register on booking platforms provide structured data on their personal preferences, including preference options about favorite colors, shapes that they want their nails done in, or topical interests [2]. Such facts were supported by the information related to the technological platforms that use AI in generating nail designs, for example, NailsDesignAI [4] and Umia [6], which have allowed us to assess the actual implementation of technologies within the very process of doing business in the beauty industry.

On the other hand, NailsDesignAI [4] and Umia [6] are examples of technology platforms which have been chosen to demonstrate the actual usage of AI/ML with nail services. While the former lets customers choose their designs based on textual descriptions and visuals that they themselves provide, thus leading to a high degree of combination between depictions, colors, and patterns, the latter, known as Umia, produces selected designs on its own through AI, after scanning the customer’s nails – hence maintaining good precision for procedure time as well as good quality of service.

Results and discussion. Personalized manicure services are a very specific type of aesthetic procedures within the beauty industry based on individual treatment of each client. Only they imply an adjustment of the procedure to the personal desires and requirements of the person, which allows creating the most native manicure to the tastes and style of the person. It differs from the majority of classic manicure services, restricted to the standard set of designs and colors available since personalization considers the individual specifics of the customer, which makes each procedure truly unique. This tendency characterizes modern society where the value placed on individuality and self-expression is constantly growing and at the same time follows the strengthening trend in the field of cosmetology, requiring personal offers.

Examples of personalized nail services include creating nail designs based on the client’s individual wishes. For example, a client may request colors inspired by a particular theme, like those of a sunset, or ask for patterns to be applied based upon those found in the favorite outfit – “make that dress pattern.” The selection is applied not only to colors but also to textures, shapes of nails, and decorative elements, which allows for very high levels of differentiation. It places the client actively into the process of creating a manicure – the very joint creativity with the master that distinguishes personalized services from mass offers and emphasizes their uniqueness.

Nail services are actually much more beneficial for customers and practitioners alike, thus becoming an integral part of the modern beauty industry. To the client, the major plus is in the fact that it is exclusive and can meet their personal wishes. The designs are realized with preferences in mind; this fact leads to diversity in the results and also makes it possible to identify with the maintenance of style and self-expression. Such an approach helps to increase aesthetic pleasure and create the feeling of specific attention to requests. Precisely at the sphere of service in which individuality is at the most value. Furthermore, when clients become part of the creative process, they are more engaged and, therefore, much more satisfied with the service. As conventional service is under pressure by growing consumer expectations, the choice of granting due respect to some unique needs of individual clients is shown in the market pressure for customization services in the beauty business.

The manicurist uses personalized services as an approach to its professional growth and competitiveness. To demonstrate creativity and technical abilities in the service, such approaches help build an image for such professionals which would eventually bring in more clientele. Personalized services are far less easy to duplicate than standard offerings by other competitors. Therefore, although it will facilitate credit for the craftsman’s professional identity, it will also have an economic advantage by charging higher prices according to the complexity and uniqueness of the work.

The whole process that will create perfectly personalized nail services is based on AI analysis of customer preferences. Machine learning algorithms allow AI to compile and process data from multiple environments, like social media and surveys, eventually to offer a relatively accurate judgment of individual aesthetic preferences of the customer and their need. It gives us the ability not only to catch the wave concerning preferences but also to forecast upcoming trends with our service offerings, which are uniquely suitable for that angle.

Social media is one of the sources of data for AI.most notably active customers who share visual content related to their style and preferences. For instance, AI would not be off the mark in making deductions from pictures that are posted on Instagram regarding prevailing color schemes, designs of nails, and patterns. Among the solutions available to the brand is an image recognition algorithm that can sort visual components, be it geometry, abstraction, theme, or motif to find which nail designs are most requested. The other is text analytics, whereby AI can read the comments and hashtags to get the emotion being elicited by the style among users. Comments may have sentiment indicators revealing interest or admiration towards certain design patterns. According to research from Sprout Social [2], the number of social media users around the world will reach 5.42 billion people by 2025 and the average person will use 6.83 different social networks each month. Percentage of consumers who say they interact with brands on social media more often than they did six months ago has hit nearly half (48%). As much as 90% of consumers depend on social media for the latest trends and cultural movements. These results are indicated in Figure 1.

Fig. 1. Results of respondents’ answers about sources of connection with the brand

Source: compiled by the authors based on [2]

Another important source of information are surveys and questionnaires that clients fill out before visiting a salon or when registering on a service booking platform, Tons more structured information can be given on preferences such as; best colors, best nail shapes, and thematic interests, that show an interest in, or can relate to, the motif of the nail design. Queries can be made against individual responses as AI uses NLP to analyze open-ended responses and pick out keywords and phrases that reflect individual queries. For instance, someone might say “minimalistic design with pastel colors,” to which the AI will then study the information and give an appropriate set of alternatives. It is also useful for obtaining demographic information, which then aids in customer segmentation and hence providing more targeted recommendations. The information indeed was found to be non-applicable in the place or used completely in that area. This will show the meaning and the real outcome of using the right channel.

AI could mix data culled from different sources to come up with a full knowledge of customer preferences. For instance, integrating information gleaned from social networks and surveys will avail you of voluminous multi-dimensional customer profiles that bear both visual and textual data. This gives better recommendations that are relatively more accurate and pertinent in the area of personal services. Moreover, AI could apply clustering techniques to more or less create groups of customers who share more or less the same likes so that the artisan can take advantage of successful instances from similar groups to inspire the creation of designs. This will make the process of design more customer-satisfying and also quicker.

Design generation is achieved through unpacking large amounts of data: images of designs that already exist, information on social network preferences, or customer feedback derived from surveys, as well as data concerning the latest developments in the beauty industry. The input data undergoes transformation using diverse machine learning models among which one of the best known is GANs [3]. These networks can produce new images –  patterns and color combinations based on the patterns observed in the training data set and, thus, they can come up with designs, first, that fit customer aesthetic expectations and, currently, what is trending. Neural network image analysis is used to pick up forms and themes from designs that exist already, helping to customize what can be offered to the preferences of the audience. In addition, groupings help similar designs come together and gives crafters easy inspiration to quickly meet customer requirements. So, machine learning not only automates but also makes it more creative to take into consideration individuals who have particular aspects of the work.

Implementation of the described technologies into practice has already taken place among some platforms and applications which has proved quite effective for machine learning in nail design. One such platform, NailsDesignAI allows text input for preferences and skin tone, the AI then creates several designs based on the analysis of a very rich database of images of nails [4]. It builds solutions based on models trained on large data sets, creating patterns and color combinations uniquely personal to each individual. Designs created are visible in Figure 2.

Fig. 2. Examples of nail designs generated using Nail Design AI [4]

Another critical AI feature is the virtual try-on of a nail design before it is actually applied through the use of augmented reality (AR) technologies. On a smartphone camera or special applications, the customer may preview the visual appearance of a selected design on their hands. A good app for that is YouCam Nails, which allows users to see how different styles of manicures will look in real-time and choose that which is best for them [5]. This boosts the confidence of the customer in the choice made, reduces any disappointment risks in the results, and helps the technician work without extra adjustments being needed all the time. Herein lies the in-depth, thus, best quality of service, therefore, satisfaction in offering customers something unique with an advanced indication of the outcome.

Another successful case where AI is put to good use is Umia, a Vancouver-based Canadian company that is changing the beauty industry. Through AI, they are able to effectively provide manicure services. The automated machine scans each nail individually, ensuring the design is applied with precision as you had it in mind.

The Umia machine scans nails using AI to adapt the design to the unique shape and size of each one. Customers choose designs via iPad, select those made typically by artisans, and enter them into the system – after which the machine delivers a base coat, color, and top coat via spray mechanism. The process takes 15 minutes under an entirely non-UV instant- dry lamp. The gel formula gives the durability gels have always had, but thinner, smoother. The machine is illustrated on the figure 3.

Fig. 3. Umia machine in real life

Umia technology has already gained significant traction with the implementation success, which, for one, has precipitated positive customer feedback citing speed and accuracy. Every design chosen is financially rewarding for the artists, hence, visibility at a global level. In it, over 100,000 nail data points were analyzed, 11 prototypes created, and 3,000 manicures implemented as a guarantee to prove commitment to innovation on the part of the company [6].

The future prospects of personal nail stylist services will most likely evolve from modern and cutting-edge technologies that involve artificial intelligence. These may include innovations of paramount importance, such as heralding in the era of 3D printing for composing intricate nail designs. An aspect that can be well demonstrated, however, is the ability of this technology to replicate multilayered patterns, textures, or even miniature detail that cannot be done manually, and with it, new infinity opportunities for creativity and offering service. For instance, the ability to create very sharp nail art compositions using 3D printers means that this fills the previously unfilled high demand for personal services. At the same time, augmented reality presents the possibility to apply designs virtually. They can view their chosen manicure on their nails in real time via an app like YouCam Nails. This increases the precision of their choice and the resulting lower probability of reworks. Such technologies collaborate to enhance the user experience and empower craftsmen to be daring with new ideas without committing time to the physical prototype; the tech will do it in a fraction of the time.

Despite the obvious benefits, the implementation of such technologies, though not directly, carries a number of challenges that may impede their further diffusion. In the first instance, equipment availability is still the major issue, most notably for the smaller salons and sole practitioners, where professional 3D printers for nail design costs start from several thousand dollars and above, thus demanding considerable investment [7]. The AR systems also require appropriate devices and software which, thus also leads to costs. Up to craftsmen also does not trail problems. Just for you to print in 3D, you also need skills in modeling and managing hardware, and in using the AR entailing integrating digital interfaces into operations workflow. One of the factors that will limit the adoption rate in the regions with relatively lower infrastructure strength is the lack of widespread programs teaching the beauty industry professionals.

Conclusion. Personalized nail services are experiencing a complete renaissance in the paradigm of artificial intelligence (AI) – it makes them more individual, efficient, and accessible. The technology allows the craftsmen to analyze the preferences of the customers, hence enabling them to conjecture new creative ideas – images would then be produced by ML algorithms after textual or image descriptions, something that has saved time for the craftsmen. For example, Umia, an automated system for scanning nails and applying a coat very precisely and therefore able to reduce the treatment time to 15 minutes inspires new creative ideas. By this kind of approach, it improves the customer experience plus provides a need for the craftsmen to realize more creativity within their field, rather than simply doing the boring part of the job. All in all, AI will make fast, accurate, and client-tailored nail services available.

The application of AI in the further development of the beauty industry will dramatically expand horizons for personalization and innovation. The new concepts of complex and unique nail designs will be created through technologies, such as 3D printing and augmented reality; besides, customers will be able to try out their potential manicures in an online mode and thus making a much more interactive and overall convenient selection. However, mass introduction of such technologies can be done only if barriers are eliminated, in terms of making equipment much cheaper and training specialists to work with it. This can be done through educational programs that will unlock barriers of entry for these innovations by reducing costs for the technology. Eventually, the quality of nail services will be improved by the application of AI, and, moreover, services will be accessible to ordinary people helping in sustainable growth and development of the industry.

References

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