L’Oréal Unveils Live Makeup Consultations With Augmented Reality

Putting a digital spin on makeup try-ons, L’Oréal is using augmented reality (AR) to enable beauty advisers to virtually put suggested products on a customer’s face as part of a consultation. The feature, which is dubbed Live Makeup Consultation, will launch for L’Oréal’s NYX Cosmetics brand, Retail Dive reported.

With L’Oréal’s technology, customers can ask for product recommendations through video chat. A consultant can then pick a product for a customer and have the customer virtually try on the makeup through video chat. When customers are ready to make a purchase, they can buy the recommended product through the app. And after they make a purchase, they can request another consultation for further product advice.

The news comes soon after L’Oréal was gearing up in March to buy ModiFace, the Canadian tech company that makes beauty products for the digital world. In a press release, L’Oréal had said it was acquiring 100 percent of ModiFace, which it said is a leader in augmented reality and artificial intelligence for the beauty industry. The acquisition is part of L’Oréal’s plan to accelerate its digital strategy and to provide its 34 international brands with innovative technologies that enhance the beauty experience.

ModiFace has created advanced technologies including 3D virtual makeup, color and skin diagnosis services using facial recognition technology that is proprietary. Its technology is used by almost all of the major beauty brands, L’Oréal said in the press release. ModiFace has close to 70 engineers, researchers and scientists who have submitted to more than 200 scientific publications and registered over 30 patents, the makeup company noted. Terms of the deal were not disclosed at the time.

ModiFace was to be placed in L’Oreal’s Digital Service Factory, a unit that is focused on designing and developing new digital services for its brands. ModiFace would work with the Advanced Research unit but will remain in Toronto, close to the university in which it has research partnerships.