Fostering “Art + Science” Cross-Border Innovation Talents Through Hardcore Practical Training
ShanghaiApril 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The China finals of BRANDSTORM 2026, the world’s largest youth innovation competition organized by L’Oréal, concluded successfully on April 24. This year, the competition partnered with L’Oréal Luxe, focusing on the disruptive luxury fragrance sector, empowering young talents to explore cross-border innovation and drive limitless change through real-world business challenges. The China division attracted over 72,000 young participants this year. After rigorous selection, six teams broke through to the finals, showcasing brilliant creativity through impressive roadshows on the competition stage. Ultimately, three teams—UNIBLOCK, SOS, and Move with Scent—stood out, winning first, second, and third place respectively. They will subsequently head to Paris to compete with global youth talents for the world championship title.
Members of L’Oréal China’s Strategic Committee award the top three teams
Vincent Boinay, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, stated: “At L’Oréal, we believe that young talents are not only the creators of the future but also the drivers of change in the present—especially in the AI era. We are committed to better serving young people, both by continuously meeting their aspirations and expectations for beauty and by supporting them in transforming their passion and creativity for beauty into solutions that lead industry transformation. Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate with our ecosystem to empower youth in ways that keep pace with the times, co-creating a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable future of beauty.”
Vincent Boinay, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, shares a message for youth
Practical Training Enhances Skills, Innovative Thinking Shapes the Future
As the world’s largest youth innovation competition, L’Oréal BRANDSTORM has been running for 34 years, covering over 40 countries and regions globally, and attracting more than 370,000 young participants. It supports young people in unleashing their innovative potential within real business ecosystems and enhancing their employability. The competition has always inspired youth with cutting-edge insights, with past topics covering industry hotspots such as hair care, men’s beauty, and skincare. Since entering China in 2003, BRANDSTORM has been widely welcomed by young people, with the China division now accumulating over 70,000 participants.
Driven by multiple factors such as emotional consumption, experiential consumption, and self-indulgent consumption, the global fragrance market is accelerating its growth potential. In China, although the fragrance market is still relatively small, it shows strong growth momentum, and young consumers are the protagonists of this fragrance wave. Their response to emotions and expression of individuality are reshaping the direction of the fragrance industry. Based on this trend, the competition partnered with L’Oréal Luxe this year, focusing on the luxury fragrance sector, inspiring young people to explore the future of fragrance from four dimensions: product craftsmanship, technology and science, innovative experiences, and advocacy and community. Over the six-month competition period, L’Oréal frontline business experts were invited to share the latest market insights and real brand cases, helping participants quickly build business thinking and enhance their ability to solve real-world problems.
In addition to practical business training, the competition also addressed the latest needs of young talent development in the AI era. As a leader in beauty tech, L’Oréal not only inspires youth innovation with the latest technologies but also guides them to explore the deep integration of art and science, enhancing their critical thinking and aesthetic appreciation of new technologies. At the same time, the competition encourages young people to propose sustainable and inclusive solutions driven by technology. Furthermore, leveraging its unique global background, the competition emphasizes enhancing young people’s cross-cultural communication skills, aiming to cultivate cross-border innovative talents with both a global perspective and a human touch.
Shen Lin, Vice President of Human Resources for L’Oréal North Asia and China, stated: “We firmly believe that youth represent the future and infinite possibilities. In this ‘intelligent beauty’ era ushered in by AI, L’Oréal is more committed than ever to long-term investment in talent development, aiming to cultivate cross-border innovative talents who will become future leaders. By building a growth platform that spans campus and workplace, and connects China with the world, we pave the way for young people toward the future. We look forward to writing a new chapter of limitless possibilities together with every young person who dares to go beyond, riding the wave of opportunity!”
Fragrance Feast Renews Experiences, Youth Creativity Builds Dreams
This year’s BRANDSTORM finals witnessed a leap from “digital interfaces” to “embodied intelligent senses,” transforming the innovation lab into a competition venue and upgrading it into a two-day immersive “Art & Science” exploration journey, attracting over a thousand young participants to experience it firsthand: from following more than 20 fragrance brands under the L’Oréal Group to feel the evolution of fragrances, to unlocking new sensory experiences through beauty tech, exploring the legendary stories behind best-selling perfumes, and even handcrafting personalized fragrances through rich interactive activities. Visitors could fully appreciate the unique charm of fragrances through multi-dimensional sensory experiences. Additionally, customized career development guidance was provided on-site to help young people more clearly discover their strengths and explore growth paths where they can “excel in their careers.”
Young participants experience the immersive ‘Art & Science’ exploration journey on-site
At the finals, Vincent Boinay, President of L’Oréal North Asia and CEO of L’Oréal China, together with members of the Group’s Strategic Committee, formed a prestigious judging panel. The six teams engaged in a peak showdown, from disruptive product concept innovations to AI beauty tech applications, from upgrading the five-sense experience to co-creating community ecosystems, reconstructing the future landscape of luxury fragrances with diverse perspectives and bold creativity. Ultimately, the three teams—UNIBLOCK, SOS, and Move with Scent—stood out with their personalized memory fragrance, music-style intelligent fragrance system, and smart fragrance bracelet solutions, winning first, second, and third place respectively. They will represent the China division in Paris, competing with global youth innovators and engaging in face-to-face exchanges with L’Oréal Group executives and industry experts, expanding their global perspective and accumulating energy for future career development.
Ma Xiaoyu, Deputy CEO of L’Oréal China and General Manager of L’Oréal Luxe, said: “In this AI era, seeing young people still capturing genuine human emotions and embracing the beautiful moments in life deeply moves me. BRANDSTORM not only provides a stage for young people to showcase their talents but also inspires us to break through the boundaries of beauty and technology from the perspective of a new generation of consumers. In this process, we see limitless possibilities for co-creation with young consumers, and we look forward to creating beauty with them that moves the world!”
Ma Xiaoyu, Deputy CEO of L’Oréal China and General Manager of L’Oréal Luxe, shares insights on-site