L’Oreal’s La Roche-Posay skincare brand is continuing the company’s push behind using tech to offer new services within its portfolio of brands with the global launch of the My UV Skin Track wearable sensor.

The tech, which was first demoed at last year’s CES, is a small, battery-free sensor that can be clipped onto clothing or an accessory. Throughout the day, it measure exposure to UVA and UVB rays, as well as to other environmental factors that can impact the skin, including pollution, pollen and humidity. Using NFC communication with a user’s smartphone, the sensor uploads data to the corresponding mobile app, providing personalized skincare advice based on the elements someone is exposed to, as well as La Roche-Posay products that would provide an appropriate routine.

The device and app was developed at L’Oreal’s in-house tech incubator, which – along with its Canadian AI and technology hub – have been the driver of a business strategy at the beauty giant. The company is aiming to extend the role of its brands in the lives of consumers by offering them skincare and beauty services through technology, instead of just products. The My UV Skin Track device, however, adds a hardware component to a strategy that has previously been pursued using mobile apps.

For the skincare-focused La Roche-Posay brand, that strategy has also included an app that uses AI and image recognition to measure and detect a person’s acne risks.

For the anti-aging Vichy brand, a similar app was developed to analyze skin and predict signs of aging.