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In recent years, the notion of inclusivity in the beauty industry has shifted from nice-to-have to must-have. Social media campaigns like #PullUpOrShutUp (where beauty brands identify their percentage of diverse workers) are forcing the issue into the spotlight.
Luckily, brands are listening. In addition to making things more diverse internally, more and more beauty brands are expanding their product lines to accommodate a wider range of consumers. People of all races and colors are more represented than ever.
In particular, augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are enabling beauty brands to take inclusion even further and provide personalized beauty experiences.
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Inclusivity in the Beauty Industry: Why It Matters
Inclusive beauty is still on the rise. In 2017, Fenty was one of the first major makeup brands to release 40 different foundation colors. The previous lack of options for black women meant they spent nine times more on hair and makeup than white women (Fleming). Other major brands have followed suit, giving women of color more options than ever before.
But despite greater democratization of beauty, there’s still more to be done. Beauty is not one-dimensional; every consumer has his or her unique needs, and brands need to realize this.
A major goal for beauty brands should be to strive to cater to a wider spectrum of races and ethnicities; for many consumers, finding the right shades of beauty products is still a struggle. Unfortunately, discussing the subject of skin tones is often considered taboo.
Perhaps because of this, the subject of inclusivity and beauty tech is overlooked altogether. Brands don’t even consider the potential that beauty AI and AR have for their businesses. That might be because they’re using poorly crafted beauty tech that can be quite burdensome for some ethnic groups due to inaccuracy and other factors.
AR and AI beauty technologies, like the ones developed by Perfect Corp., can help beauty brands provide inclusive, personalized experiences to consumers. They tackle skin color borders and help everyone find the products that are right for them in three ways:
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AI Smart Foundation Shade Finder
Finding the right foundation shade that caters to one’s skin tone is a big challenge. Even with beauty brands significantly expanding their foundation shade ranges to 50 or more, finding the perfect shade is not easy.
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That’s where AI Smart Shade Finder comes into play. It’s the most accurate foundation match available, and it’s completely powered by AI and AR. How does it work? It offers customers:
- Smart detection of up to 89,969 shades with unlimited grades from light to dark
- Results based on deep learning databases with over 10 million sample models across all skin tone groups
- Personalized beauty product recommendations
All in all, AI Smart Shade Finder makes finding the right foundation shade for one’s skin tone easier than ever before.
AI-Powered Virtual Try-On
Virtual makeup try-on often does its best to mimic the features of a particular face. But when makeup models are built from white features, it can lead to some unfortunate situations for people of color.
Using the above example, it’s possible to see how the lipstick was not applied to the full upper lip. Instead, it was shaped in a more traditionally white lip pattern, which is smaller. Clearly, there is no personalization in this example.
Luckily, Perfect Corp.’s virtual try-on technology does not make these types of mistakes. Because the tech uses AI, it can distinguish the exact shape of the lip so errors like these don’t happen. Women and men of all colors and ethnicities can enjoy this try-on that fits their specific features and skin tones.
AgileFaceTM Tracking Technology
The strength of Perfect Corp.’s virtual try-on comes from the AgileFaceTM Tracking Technology. It offers an unparalleled virtual try-on experience in terms of inclusivity.
With this tech, customers can experience the highest level of precision, encompassing facial attributes across all ethnicities. Whether they have small or large lips, wide or narrow noses, or defined or flat cheekbones, the technology will accurately apply makeup effects accordingly.
AgileFace® Tracking Technology can be integrated across multiple channels, including one-on-one virtual beauty consultations, in-store, and more. The possibilities are endless for beauty brands and their customers.
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Beauty Tech: Key to a More Inclusive Beauty Industry
Inclusivity in the beauty industry is simple. Consumers want products that are targeted toward their unique needs, no matter their ethnicity.
Beauty tech from Perfect Corp. can offer a level of personalization that wasn’t available before. It allows brands to quickly pivot their efforts and spearhead diversity changes in the beauty industry. Using some of the above innovations, brands can create an inclusive beauty experience for all their customers.
Get expert advice from Perfect Corp. and be part of the beauty tech trend. Contact us for details on beauty tech solutions trusted by 600+ brands globally.
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Read our “Beauty Tech: The Complete Guide” to unlock powerful ROI secrets.
References
Fleming, Molly. “Missed opportunity. Why is the beauty industry still failing women of colour?” MarketingWeek, 2019 May 9, https://www.marketingweek.com/beauty-industry-failing-women-colour/
