Augmented Reality is FUN but Serious Business for Cosmetic Brands
Have you tried YouCam Makeup, Makeup Genius, Beauty Mirror, Mini Match, Virtual Artist, Beauty U, or TeleBeauty?
These are all smartphone apps that allow you to “try on” makeup, get a skin evaluation, test nail polish, or try different hairstyles virtually, without ever leaving your house or office (yikes!). It is really fun to do and much easier and more sanitary than actually trying different cosmetics then cleaning them off and starting all over again. Beyond the fun is the reality that Generation Y/Millennials and Generation Z/Boomlets will use this technology more frequently to shop for their cosmetics before ever going to the store to purchase them. And the Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers will be using the technology on smartphone apps and in the store with augmented reality mirrors at their favorite cosmetics counter.
Augmented reality for the beauty industry started with a Stanford grad student named Parham Aarabi who was working with the defense industry on lip tracking for lip-reading at a distance. Aarabi, ModiFace founder and CEO invented a technology that could track how someone’s face moved. It was when he was contacted by Allergan to help them simulate the impact of botox on a prospective customer’s face, did he realize the potential consumer use for his technology. ModiFace technology is being used on phones or tablets to simulate how various types of makeup looks on you, the consumer. In stores, ModiFace’s virtual makeup mirror increased sales by over 30% due to the fact that customer’s feel assured in what they are buying. Consequently, beauty brands are paying up to $500,000 a year to use ModiFace’s augmented reality technology in their own applications. For more information on ModiFace, go to their website at www.modiface.com.
Update: On March 16, 2018, L’Oreal announced the acquisition of ModiFace, an international leader in augmented reality applied to the beauty industry. For the press release click on the following link: https://mediaroom.loreal.com/en/loreal-acquires-modiface-further-expanding-its-worldwide-expertise-in-beauty-tech/