The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a number of in-person services online. Shopping for necessities and ordering takeout made the transition quickly, but other industries—like the beauty and personal care market—found it more challenging.
In 2020 alone, sales for beauty products dipped by nearly half a billion dollars. Some of the loss is undoubtedly in response to tightened purse strings due to an uncertain economy, but it’s also an industry that thrives in the brick-and-mortar shopping experience. Shoppers want to see how a product looks on their skin and get recommendations from beauty advisors based on their unique needs. Perfect Corp is hoping to fill some of those gaps.
Perfect Corp is an AI platform that allows you to virtually try different cosmetics and skincare products from your computer or smartphone. It works with 300 of the largest beauty companies in the world—including Estée Lauder, Neutrogena, and Ulta—and its YouCam virtual beauty app has over 800 million users worldwide.
At CES, Adam Gam, US CEO of Perfect Corp, told us the company is working aggressively to create new experiences for online beauty shoppers. It’s coordinating with influencers and brands to create virtual workshops and virtual makeovers, developing a platform for one-on-one consultations with beauty advisors, and adding a host of new features to its platform.
First up, Perfect Corp’s underlying AI platform has been upgraded for 2021 with a patented agile face-tracking technology that uses over 200 facial landmarks to improve tracking stability by 200%, with a 20% improvement in tracking accuracy. The technology provides an impressively realistic virtual makeover so you can view your face at every angle to see how a product looks before you buy. Choose individual products or use one of the looks created by beauty experts.
We had a chance to see Perfect Corp’s new agile facial-tracking technology in action, and the results were remarkable. Lindsay Colameo, Perfect Corp’s Principal Beauty Editor, swiped through a dozen different looks, changing not only her makeup but her hair color as well. The tracking technology worked without a hitch. As Colameo moved, her looks, perfectly mapped, moved right along with her. (Check out the video above for more.)
In addition to the updated facial-tracking features and interactive elements, Perfect Corp also improved its skin diagnostic technologies. This feature allows skincare companies to virtually identify 12 common skin concerns such as oiliness, wrinkles, and redness, and provide custom solutions for shoppers.
One of the most intriguing features is Perfect Corp’s AI aging platform, which offers a sneak peek at how you might look as you age. The process can also be incorporated into skincare companies’ platforms to demonstrate how specific product interventions can be used to allay some of the effects of aging.
Perfect Corp’s virtual platform is unlikely to fully replicate the experience of shopping in store. It can’t replicate the tactile experience of applying a product directly to the skin, seeing how it wears through the day, or smelling it. It is, however, a good option for this moment, and a safe supplement or alternative to traditional sample sets and testers in stores.
