3D makeup printer?

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

mink21 - image credit techcrunch

So I read a few articles in the past weeks – from business to fashion magazines –  about Mink, a 3D printer that creates makeup. Yeah, you heard it  makeup – lipsticks, eyeshadows, blushers – cream or powder. You name it, any colour. Yep.

Harvard educated Grace Choi caused waves at TechCrunch Disrupt NY when presenting her prototype, and printing eyeshadow on stage. Basically, you can pick colour pick (using the hex number) and the printer uses a cosmetic-grade FDA approved dye and prints onto a powder substrate that is like the raw material of regular makeup that can be found in the shops. 

Her presentation/demonstration with blusher can be seen below:

Her idea came from the lack of products to match her ethnic skin when growing up, and also the lack of more “out there” colours, that made her feel weird that she wanted something that was not available. Think we’ve been all there. She said that the printer enables girls to “create their own definition of beauty”.

The printer itself should be about the same size as a Mac Mini and be available later in the year, for around US$300, initially, and it is targeted to 13-21 year-olds. Now, that is a super affordable price (for a grown woman, not the target public), if you ask me, to create unlimited amounts of makeup.

Of course, the materials costs are still unknown – will they be sold exclusively by Mink itself? Could we get it from any retailer? Will the end product be that much cheaper than a nice shiny packaged good?

I still haven’t decided whether I am or should, be excited about this. I will make up my mind when I see it.

Read the full article on Techcrunch, where I first saw it a few weeks back.

What do you think? Do you believe this could revolutionise the beauty industry, as some magazines claimed?

7 thoughts on “3D makeup printer?”

  1. I’d love to believe that this will work as promised when it eventually reaches the market. But it sounds like it’s still in the developing stages and there are still a lot of complications to overcome. If it works out though, I’ll be the first in line to buy one.

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    • Yes, Lisa, I think I need to actually see it reach market to make up my mind – my main concerns are quality, pigmentation, staying power… it is a very interesting concept, but I am not yet totally sold. On the other hand, I am a huge fan of experimentation, and this would enable me to play with that, so I shall wait and see, hehehe
      Thanks for your visit and comment!
      Dani x

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  4. I don’t know if I would enjoy printing my own makeup. For me part of the fun of beauty is in the collecting and brands are a big part of that. She also doesn’t seem to think it’s going to be much cheaper. Thanks for the interesting read!

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    • Hi Kirst
      I agree with you – I am not sure I would either. That’s why I haven’t made up my mind about it, to be honest, even if it was much cheaper. I think lots of us feel the same. Although, I must say, as a “toy” it seems amazing, I’d loved to have that when younger! But it is a VERY expensive “toy”, I must say.
      Thanks for your visit and comment!
      Dani x

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