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Luxury aesthetics has always been built on the intangible: trust, intuition, and the expert’s eye. But the way those decisions are made – what to recommend, when to treat, how to personalise – is starting to change. Not in a “robots are taking over” way, but in a precision way. “AI isn’t here to replace the practitioner,” says Aleksandar Josipovic, award-winning Branding & Marketing Strategist in luxury aesthetics and AI. “It’s here to make their judgement sharper – and their results more consistent.”
Clients are already warming to it, too, with a whopping 74% of consumers now saying they prefer AI-driven guidance when it comes to skincare decisions. “That number doesn’t mean people want less human care,” Josipovic says. “It means they want fewer generic answers. Luxury is a feeling, and if tech gets in the way of that feeling, you’ve missed the point.”
So how do luxury clinics and brands adopt AI without losing the emotional connection that defines high-end beauty? GRAZIA tapped Jospipovic for his expert insights into all things AI. Listen in.
WHAT LUXURY CLIENTS ACTUALLY WANT NOW
Let’s be honest: the modern luxury client is not impressed by “innovation” for innovation’s sake. They want:
- a consultation that feels specific
- a plan that feels personal
- results that feel predictable (in the best way)
- an experience that still feels discreet and human
“Luxury used to be about access,” Josipovic says. “Now it’s about accuracy. The new premium is being understood quickly – and treated precisely.” For decades, exclusivity looked like a practitioner’s memory and a client file. Today, it looks like context: what your skin did last month, what it responds to over time, what triggers it, what calms it. “The biggest misconception is that AI makes beauty feel mass,” says Josipovic. “In practice, it can do the opposite – it reduces guesswork and supports hyper-personalisation.”
He’s clear on where AI earns its place: behind the consultation, not in front of it. “When you combine a trained eye with real-time analysis and data-led insight,” he says, “you don’t lose the human element – you strengthen it. You’re helping the practitioner spot what can be easy to miss.”
What that changes for you, the client:
- fewer trial-and-error product/treatment journeys
- more tailored recommendations from the first appointment
- better continuity across visits
- fewer “one-size-fits-all” protocol
“Done properly,” Josipovic adds, “the client doesn’t feel technology. They feel attention.”
WHERE AI CAN GO WRONG…
Not forgetting that luxury is built on intimacy. Tech can enhance that – or flatten it. “Luxury runs on trust and emotional intelligence,” Josipovic says. “If a client feels processed rather than cared for, the experience loses value immediately.” He calls this the biggest mistake brands make when they rush to adopt AI: making it visible in the wrong way. “The worst thing you can do is introduce tech that changes the mood,” he says. “Luxury clients don’t want to feel analysed. They want to feel understood. Tech should never become the main character – the practitioner stays centre stage.”
YES, AI IS CHANGING BRANDING, TOO
AI is also reshaping how luxury beauty and aesthetics brands make decisions – from positioning and messaging to what they launch next. “Most brands think of AI as a tool,” says Josipovic. “I see it as a strategic lens – it helps you understand behaviour, refine choices, and protect premium positioning.” But he’s also blunt about what AI can’t do. “AI can inform decisions,” he says. “It cannot create identity. Luxury is cultural, emotional, human – and if you outsource that, you become generic.” His rule for high-end brands: adopt AI in a way that protects the brand’s tone. “Luxury isn’t just what you do,” he says. “It’s how it makes people feel – and that’s not something you automate.”
THE FUTURE-READY AESTHETICIAN
According to Josipovic, the winners won’t be the brands shouting about AI. They’ll be the ones integrating it subtly – in ways that make the client experience feel smoother, not colder. “We’re moving toward the era of the augmented aesthetician,” he says. “AI can support diagnostics and manage complexity – which frees the practitioner to focus on judgement, artistry, empathy, and nuance.”
“Clients don’t come for technology,” Josipovic says. “They come for reassurance, taste, and expertise. AI should protect that – not compete with it.”
