Shampoo and cookies undergo an AI transformation as major consumer brands revamp their laboratories.

      The narrative surrounding AI has primarily revolved around chips, data centers, and the companies developing the models. Now, it has begun to unfold in the shampoo aisle. Major manufacturers of everyday products—the companies responsible for the bottles and packages found in most kitchens and bathrooms—are now implementing artificial intelligence to create products and manage the marketing campaigns that promote them, transforming software-associated technology into an essential element of consumer goods research and development.

      This wave of corporate adoption has introduced AI tools into business software systems, extending into areas as seemingly mundane as body wash and biscuits. Procter & Gamble exemplifies this trend within its research and development processes. The company claims it utilized AI to analyze tens of thousands of peptides while creating a formula for a Pantene product, using an internal database of over 8,500 formulations to forecast how a mixture would feel on skin or hair prior to physical mixing.

      The aim is not merely to innovate for the sake of it; it’s about efficiency. Processes that previously required extensive physical testing can now be streamlined computationally, allowing potential candidates to reach consumer trials more quickly. Mondelez, the company known for several popular biscuit and chocolate brands, reports a similar transformation in its food sector. They indicate that an AI product development tool has facilitated the creation of numerous new formulations, enabling developers to work two to five times faster than traditional approaches.

      Furthermore, generative systems are also being applied in marketing, producing personalized images, text, and videos at a speed that conventional studios cannot achieve. Unilever has focused heavily on the marketing aspect. Its Dove brand launched a cookie-scented body care line in collaboration with Crumbl, utilizing AI throughout the process, from product development to influencer selection and creative content.

      The company noted that the campaign garnered billions of impressions and attracted many new customers to the brand. Regardless of opinions about a cookie-scented soap, the underlying mechanics are informative: a singular AI-assisted process that spans from formulation to social media feed. What connects these examples is efficiency. In the consumer goods sector, traditional experimentation costs are defined by months of lab work and test batches, while traditional campaign expenses are measured in agency hours. AI addresses both aspects.

      Reformulation evolves into a search issue involving known ingredients, while content becomes something that can be generated and modified on demand. This approach aligns with the advertising strategies showcased when OpenAI presented AI-generated advertisements at Cannes. However, such claims should be approached with caution. Many specific figures are provided by the companies themselves, and major consumer brands have ample motivation to portray their AI initiatives as being more advanced than they truly are.

      Product development still relies on human taste tests and dermatological assessments, and a formula preferred by an algorithm doesn't guarantee that it will be one customers purchase repeatedly. Industry researchers have noted that AI-generated marketing often tends toward the generic, lacking the brand-specific qualities that make a campaign resonate.

      Nonetheless, there is a consistent trend across companies, even those that typically disagree on many issues. The shifting of enterprise budgets toward AI tools and agents has become a common aspect among large corporations, from Tencent’s enterprise solutions to the consumer goods research and development mentioned here, and the packaged goods sector is actively participating in this evolution.

      For consumers, the visible outcome will be relatively ordinary: a greater variety of products, quicker updates, and scents and textures that emerge and disappear at a much faster pace than before. The processes behind the shelves are evolving, even if the products appear unchanged. Increasingly, a bottle of shampoo is the result of a search.