AI Tools Beauty Brands Love For Optimizing Their Businesses

When Beauty Independent asked beauty brand founders in 2023 if they were using artificial intelligence for their businesses, some were all in, while others were more cautious. These days, the pendulum has completely swung in the former direction. There still are ethical questions—and most will caveat that they aren’t relying on AI to replace human interaction or creativity—but it’s become an increasingly indispensable tool. 

To get a sense of just how brands are integrating AI, for the latest edition of our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty, we asked 24 founders and executives the following questions: Do you use AI to support your business? If so, what do you use it for? Is it worth the ROI? How might you use it more in the future?

Cece Meadows Founder, Prados Beauty

I use Google Gemini for workspace and Google Search Labs to support my business, but I do so intentionally and thoughtfully. As a small business owner without the budget to hire full-time teams for marketing, content creation or operations, AI has become an essential tool that helps me stay consistent and nimble.

I lean on it when I need extra support, whether that’s drafting emails, generating copy, planning social content or organizing internal workflows. It allows me to work smarter, not harder, and to keep my business running with integrity, even on a lean budget.

That said, we’re also deeply aware of the environmental impact of digital tools, including AI, and we aim to use them responsibly. We only turn to AI when it adds real value or helps reduce waste in time, energy or resources. Our commitment to sustainability shapes every decision we make, and that includes our digital footprint.

The ROI on AI has been meaningful—not just financially, but in giving me the bandwidth to stay creative and focused on the parts of the business that really matter. In the future, I’d love to integrate AI in ways that deepen our customer relationships and simplify the backend of our business, always keeping sustainability and intention at the core of how we operate.

Calvin Quallis Founder, Scotch Porter

We’ve begun using AI tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E, Jasper.ai and Colormind in a few meaningful ways at Scotch Porter, particularly to support our customer experience efforts. It’s been helpful in handling common inquiries, streamlining ticket resolution and even guiding customers to the right products. We’re also starting to explore how it can enhance internal workflows and personalize our marketing in more thoughtful ways.

We’re still early in the journey, but the potential is already clear. The ROI so far has been promising, especially in terms of saving time and freeing up our team to focus on more strategic work. That said, what excites me most is where the technology is headed. We genuinely believe AI will play a transformative role across our business, and we’re committed to learning, adapting and integrating it in ways that feel true to our brand and values.

Pierre Lampert CEO, DpHue

We’ve integrated AI capabilities via our partner Big Sur on our site dphue.com. We introduced AI prescription capabilities to our web site in spring 2024. This allows each visitor to get more accurate and relevant informations regarding their respective hair need, tailored regimen and precise application tips.

This tool is very user friendly as it prompts questions visitors may have based on the page they are viewing or the type of results they are looking for. It generates richer content compared to non-AI-based hair quiz.

As far as ROI, 2.6% of our unique visitors are using the tool and their conversion rate is 2.5x our site’s average, whilst their AOV is about 7% higher. In the future, we’re looking to work with Big Sur to offer a personalized landing page and browsing experience based on current or past AI inquiries.

LaToya Stirrup Founder, Kazmaleje

AI is our friend and co-worker. We affectionately refer to her as Chatty. Currently, our primary uses for AI are brainstorming, research and copy drafting. We've found AI to be a great tool for starting/organizing thoughts and quickly scanning the web for information. We are excited to learn more about ChatGPT's integration with Shopify and dive into AI's outbound communication and task management skills.

Alex Kalatzis Director of Marketing and Communications, Tower 28

We are using AI through a new social platform called Nectar. They're helping us reply to comments, DMs, Stories, etc. It's helping make our team faster by organizing and synthesizing information and highlighting opportunities to surprise and delight. No more lost messages!

Rob Gattuso CMO and Co-Founder, Eleven Australia

AI has certainly been a hot topic within our team. While we use AI tools like Claude, Voiceflow, ChatGPT, Copilot and Adobe Firefly for inanimate content to streamline some of our operational and logistical processes, we're mindful that, creatively, it's important for us as a performance-based brand to stay true to our values and maintain authenticity with our customers.

The use of AI-generated hair, for example, raises valid questions about the efficacy of the products supposedly used to create a certain look or result. It would be a sad day if hair and makeup in brand imagery were entirely AI-generated, but something tells me that’s the direction the world is heading, and people may eventually accept it.

That said, AI absolutely has a place in business. It can significantly improve efficiency in areas like sales data and reporting, automating workflows and order processing, or generating fun, engaging content, especially using inanimate subjects. The speed at which these tasks can now be completed, with fewer resources, has had a positive impact on our return on investment for AI-driven projects.

However, there's still a misconception that everything can be done with the push of a button. You still need people—people who care and are invested—to guide the process and make sure AI doesn’t take your brand somewhere it was never meant to go.

Stéphane Jean-Baptiste Co-Founder, Kreyol Essence

We’re leaning into AI at Kreyol Essence in a major way. As a tech enthusiast and creative executive of a bootstrapped brand, I see AI as a revolutionary tool helping us scale with intention.

We use ChatGPT for research, content drafts and copy support and Gamma for building presentations quickly. On the creative side, we’re experimenting with tools like Sora to develop near real-life visuals and streamline asset creation. I can pitch a concept in a meeting, and walk out with a rough rendering ready to go.

That said, AI is a tool, not a replacement. As a designer, I still believe in the skilled human touch to bring things home. Looking ahead, I think AI strategists or prompt specialists will become critical roles, even for lean teams. It’s about training people to use these tools creatively and effectively.

AI is central to our DTC growth plan. It allows us to test, iterate and move faster, without breaking the bank.

Kim Carrasco Chief Creative Officer, RevAir

Right now, the two AI tools I use most are ChatGPT-4.0 and Triple Whale’s Moby AI. ChatGPT helps with everything from first-draft writing and brainstorming to streamlining team communication. Moby AI is incredible for analyzing creative performance and helping us make real-time media buying decisions.

Together, they’ve become part of our daily workflow and have definitely earned their spot in our tech stack. We’re also keeping an open mind as new tools emerge. AI is moving fast, and we want to stay flexible and ready to adapt.

I use it every day in marketing, from helping our team write first drafts of emails and ad copy to analyzing which campaigns are performing best and where we should shift our budget. It also helps us quickly spot trends and figure out what our customers are really responding to.

Has it been worth it? 100%. It saves us time, makes us more efficient and helps us make smarter decisions without all the guesswork. We still rely on human creativity and instinct, especially when it comes to brand and voice, but AI helps us move faster and work smarter.

Jonathan Cohen CMO, Pure Daily Care and AquaSonic

We’re a small team working across multiple high-growth brands, and AI tools like Perplexity AI and Midjourney have become a valuable part of how we operate. It supports everything from campaign planning to creative development and performance analysis. It’s not about replacing people, it helps each of us do more of what we’re great at, faster.

The tools are affordable, and the value far outweighs the cost. I use it personally and professionally, and I encourage my team to do the same. There’s no shame in leaning on it. Keeping it close is just part of staying competitive.

Akash Mehta  Co-Founder and CEO, Fable & Mane

Currently, we are using AI features that are being rolled out in our existing tech stack setup. A few examples include Meta Advantage + AI tools for advertising; Zen Desk co-pilot for supporting our efforts in offering the best customer service; and Shopify's AI Magic Tools help us optimize daily operations in Shopify backend.

Fable & Mane has adopted a mindful approach to AI with a focus on improving user experience and streamlining operations, such as optimizing audiences and finding new customers through digital business and advertising tools.

Looking forward, we’re developing AI tools to personalize the onsite shopping experience and offer real-time support for product questions and hair concerns, aiming to enhance customer interactions without replacing the all-important human connection.

Stephanie Scott-Bradshaw Founder, First and Last PR

At First and Last PR, we integrate ChatGPT as a strategic enabler rather than a replacement for human creativity. We use it for deep research and data analysis, surfacing insights that inform our campaigns as well as for smaller yet time-consuming tasks like organizing reports, note-taking and mapping key initiative timelines. This allows our exceptionally talented team to stay focused on what truly drives impact: big-picture thinking, innovative strategy and building meaningful partnerships.

We also use AI to scale thought leadership by repurposing content across platforms while maintaining a consistent and authentic voice. It’s a powerful tool for automating reporting and trend analysis. Looking ahead, I’m particularly excited to explore how AI can elevate our coverage tracking and deliver smarter analytics that help our clients win.

Jamila Powell Founder, Naturally Drenched

We’ve started using ChatGPT in our business, but we’re definitely just scratching the surface. As a small team, we’ve been exploring it in ways that are accessible to us—mainly for writing support, image creation and brainstorming ideas. Even at that level, the impact has been impressive. It helps streamline the creative process, spark new ideas and save time.

That said, to really tap into AI’s full potential, especially in areas like data analysis, customer personalization or strategic forecasting, I think you need someone with expertise in AI implementation. That’s a resource we don’t have in-house yet.

I absolutely see AI becoming a bigger part of how we grow the business. It’s a constantly evolving space, and the possibilities are exciting. I’d love to eventually use it to better understand customer behavior, optimize operations and help us make smarter, faster decisions.

Keran Look Loy VP of Marketing, AX Beauty Brands

At AX Beauty, we’ve started integrating AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI (Performance Max), Canva Magic Studio and Meta Advantage into our creative and marketing processes to support content development and campaign ideation. It’s been especially helpful for speeding up social caption writing, early visual concepting and responding quickly to trends. That said, AI is a starting point, not a replacement. Our in-house team remains core to shaping the brand’s voice, storytelling and design.

We’re also leveraging machine learning in our performance marketing efforts, particularly through Google Ads and demand generation campaigns. These tools help us optimize spend by prioritizing top-performing creative, adjusting frequency and reallocating budget in real time based on conversion data.

While we’re still early in our journey and formal ROI is evolving, the time savings and creative momentum we’ve seen so far are promising. For us, it’s about using AI to enhance human creativity, not replace it.

Shizu Okusa Founder and CEO, Apothékary

We use basic ChatGPT. I think it’s one of those things you want to start using earlier rather than later so AI can understand the context, history and you as a human in terms of tone of voice. Apothékary uses AI for customer support, and around 30% to 40% of customer success tickets are automated through AI. We are very intentional about whether customers are unhappy with the AI response, which can escalate quickly to human interaction.

We also use it for ad copy, which is good for high volume/high testing work. AI can also scan many of our customer reviews across different channels and create intentional ad copy with the right keywords to ensure they’re being searched for in the right way. I’ve also used it for fundraising, so asking it, “We’re currently at X revenue with X amount of margins, these are the kind of investors we’re looking for, tell me which investors we should look for and who in my network on LinkedIn I can ask for introductions.”

We as a team and culture have asked all of our members to use AI without sacrificing tone of voice, our branding or community. We are launching lots of exciting features in the near future with AI—more to come!

Priyanka Jain Co-Founder and CEO, Evvy

Evvy created its own chatbot, Evvy CopyCat, a customized version of ChatGPT built to serve as a dedicated product marketer and copywriter for the brand. Far more than a generic AI tool, Evvy CopyCat is tailored to reflect Evvy’s bold, science-backed and stigma-smashing voice. It helps bring Evvy’s mission to life by translating complex science into clear, empowering language, turning overlooked female health data into actionable insights and advocating for a future where medicine is designed with women at the center.

As a digital extension of the Evvy team, CopyCat plays a critical role in closing the gender health gap by educating, engaging and supporting women through every step of their healthcare journey, starting with the vaginal microbiome.

Paula Williams-Laird Director of Digital Marketing, Key West Aloe

At Key West Aloe, I've used SemRush’s AI feature, Adobe’s AI features and the Maker App within expanding the product image library to incorporate additional locations (i.e. backdrops, residential settings), rendering and exploring new packaging design ideas as well as a starting point in writing SEO-enhanced copy. I support using AI, especially within businesses with limited resources and lean teams. However, it's the businesses responsibility to use AI with integrity.

Jack Jia Founder, Musely

We’ve been using AI for years, long before it became trendy. The AI in Musely’s eNurse is part of what makes us so unique. We use LLM-based AI where it adds real value, whether that’s speeding up customer care, improving medical guidance or scaling our marketing efforts. The biggest impact happens when AI works alongside our proprietary content and clinical expertise, not in place of it.

We’ve seen strong results, though not the exaggerated ROI some in the investment world like to hype. For us, AI is just one of many tools we use to enhance the patient experience. It’s not about chasing trends, it’s about applying technology where it truly works.

Kate Soueid Head of Marketing, FlutterHabit

We absolutely use AI. We’ve built custom GPTs through OpenAI that we use internally, and we work with a few AI-driven creative agencies (though we’ll keep those names under wraps for now since the projects are still in motion). We also use AI tools in platforms like Canva to speed up productivity and help our team move faster without sacrificing quality.

Honestly, one of the biggest ways it’s changed the game for us is helping sort through all the customer feedback we get. Our community is super vocal, which we love, and AI helps us quickly spot the patterns: what they’re obsessed with, what’s confusing and what they’re begging us to launch next.

We’ve also started experimenting with AI for product shoots. It’s been a fun way to concept visuals quickly and explore ideas that would normally take a full team and budget to mock up. We still have full control over the output, so it feels like an extension of our creative process.

ROI-wise? 1000% worth it. It’s made us quicker, more informed and, honestly, more in tune with what our customers actually want. Long term, I’m excited about using AI to get even more personal. Think smarter recommendations, custom lash tips, maybe even knowing what you need before you do! That’s the goal.

Karen Young Founder, Oui The People

We have used ChatGPT to help dissect our customer learnings into actionable data. It has given us a better understanding of how our customers prefer to purchase products, dive into how often they repurchase bestsellers and overall purchase habits. While this is data that we can certainly pull ourselves, where it gets interesting for a small brand like ours, is by helping us leverage that insight into retention focused campaigns that lift our ROI. We plan to continue to use it as we fold in new launches and expect the brand may begin to cultivate a different audience as we scale.

Nicol Varona Cancelmo Co-Founder, Ocoa Beauty

As a small but mighty team, we do use ChatGPT to support our business mainly for content planning and drafting quick outlines or guides when we’re kicking off new projects. It helps us move faster and stay organized without needing a large team. For us, the ROI comes in the form of saved time and mental space, which is huge when you’re juggling a lot. Looking ahead, we’re definitely exploring more ways to integrate AI into our workflows, especially for streamlining repetitive tasks and getting deeper insights from our data.

Maya Smith Founder, The Doux

Since MLK Day 2025, I’ve been personally creating and posting to Instagram an AI-generated video each week in support of the brand and new product launches. But the goal goes beyond marketing, it’s driven by a deeper mission to help shape how AI understands and reflects Black beauty, style and culture.

If Black creators, whether in fashion, beauty, music or art, aren’t contributing to the development of AI, we risk being defined by others or, worse, erased altogether.

To that end, The Doux will soon announce a partnership with Black Girls Code challenging girls and young women to create AI-generated videos that reflect their own vision. There is no single definition of Black culture, ours is a rich and diverse community. This campaign is both a celebration of that diversity and an opportunity to ensure AI learns from it. Keep an eye out this June for details on how young women ages 13 to 25 can get involved.

Reginaldo Torres Founder, Dabalash

AI is a trendy topic, widely discussed but often poorly understood. Most AI services and products are still in development and come at a high cost. We currently use it for blog creation and to respond to some frequently asked customer service questions related to basic information. We ensure that any investment in AI provides a return and that we never compromise service quality or user experience just for the sake of using new technology.

We're continually evaluating AI service proposals that could play meaningful roles in other areas of the business, but we remain pragmatic and careful not to overuse or overspend. While we recognize AI will continue to evolve and become essential in certain functions, we believe its adoption won’t accelerate as rapidly as some expect.

Dr. Shuting Hu Founder and CEO, Acaderma

As a biotech-driven skincare brand specializing in longevity solutions, we’re always looking for tools that can enhance efficiency without compromising scientific integrity. We currently use AI for three main purposes: market trend analysis, content creation support and inventory forecasting.

Is it worth the ROI? Absolutely, especially for a startup where every resource counts. AI doesn’t replace expertise, but it amplifies our team’s productivity. We’ve seen tangible time savings and better data-informed decisions since adopting AI-assisted tools. That said, thoughtful human oversight is still essential to maintain accuracy, nuance and brand voice.

We’re exploring AI integration in R&D and personalized skincare, especially to predict the efficacy of novel bioactives, ingredient synergy modeling and custom skin consultations. I believe the future of beauty will be deeply intertwined with smart, science-driven personalization, and AI will play a critical role in bridging data, biology and consumer needs.

Marissa Abraham Head of Marketing, LilyAna Naturals

We use AI for customer service, personalized recommendations and trend analysis, which has delivered positive ROI by improving efficiency and engagement. We've seen the most impact so far from leveraging AI to analyze skincare microtrends and guiding the development of our latest products. Two notable platforms have been NWO.ai for trend analysis and HighLevel for customer service. In the future, we plan to expand AI use for this purpose.