Beauty Tech 2026: Nail TocToc vs. 10 Beauty vs. Umia — The 3 Companies Reshaping the Future of Manicures

Nail TocToc is one of Korea’s most exciting digital nail art brands, bringing the precision and creativity of K-Beauty nail culture into a fully automated printing experience. Customers select designs via mobile app, then scan a QR code at the studio for immediate printing — with three texture options: Solid (opaque), Syrup (translucent), and Stamp (transparent background with opaque designs).

What makes Nail TocToc different isn’t just the technology — it’s the creative vision. Korean nail art has always punched above its weight globally, blending meticulous craft with pop culture references that Western brands struggle to replicate. Nail TocToc channels exactly that energy into a tech-forward package that delivers custom nail art in about 5 minutes.

In a market where 10 Beauty and Nimble are competing on speed and price, Nail TocToc is competing on identity. The target customer isn’t just someone who wants a manicure — it’s someone who wants their manicure, with a design that says something about them.

📷

@nailtoctoc_official on Instagram Follow for nail art drops, design previews, and franchise updates

10 Beauty is the furthest along the commercialization curve — and the numbers back that up. The Boston-based robotics company launched its five-step robotic manicure at Ulta Beauty in late 2024, starting in Braintree, MA. By spring 2026, the plan is 30+ locations spanning Greater Boston, New York, and New Jersey.

Here’s how it works: seven cameras scan your fingers, creating a precise 3D map of each nail’s width, length, and curvature. A robotic arm then handles everything — polish removal, filing, cuticle care, color, and topcoat — in 25 to 45 minutes for $30. No appointment needed at many locations.

The stat that keeps getting cited in industry coverage: 40% of 10 Beauty’s customers have never regularly visited a nail salon. That’s not market share theft — that’s market creation. Quick, affordable, tech-forward manicures are bringing in a whole new type of customer.

By summer 2026, 10 Beauty anticipates its robots can operate from start to finish without a technician present. Ulta. Nordstrom. Gyms. Airports. Hotels. The rollout roadmap is aggressive.

📷

@10beauty.co on Instagram See the robot in action — watch their Reels for real customer experiences at Ulta

Read more: Fast Company: I let a robot do my manicure at Ulta | WWD coverage

Umia Beauty might be the most philosophically interesting company in the beauty tech space. Founded by TX Qiu and Modi Liu after finding a DIY nail stamp printer in 2018, Umia spent six years and 11 prototypes building something genuinely different: an AI manicure machine that applies gel designs in 90 seconds per nail and pays the nail artists who created each design a royalty every time a customer picks it.

Think Spotify, but for nail art. A nail artist uploads their design to Umia’s library. A customer picks that design. The artist gets paid. It’s a creator economy model applied to an industry that has never had one.

The AI side is impressive too: Umia’s system recognizes each nail’s width, length, curvature, and contours — distinguishing between nail, cuticle, and skin to make sure the design fits perfectly, every time. After 3,000+ test manicures and 100,000+ nail data points analyzed, the results speak for themselves.

📷

@umia.beauty on Instagram Watch the AI apply designs in real-time — their demo videos are genuinely impressive

Read more: Nailympia: Umia’s artist royalty model explained