Perfect Corp. adds contactless makeup try-on features

Dive Brief:

Perfect Corp. debuted four new contactless makeup try-on features, the company announced on Monday. With YouCam virtual try-on technology, customers can engage with gesture control, voice activation, face mask detection and can virtually try on lipstick, according to the company's press release.
YouCam's voice activation and gesture controls allow customers to navigate virtual product testing with voice commands and gestures as well as use QR codes to view product details, the company said.
YouCam's new technology allows users to digitally try on cosmetics in store, including around their face masks. Shoppers can also digitally view multiple lipstick swatches on their arms, per the company statement.

Dive Insight:

Perfect Corp. has been introducing digital product testing tools as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts brick-and-mortar beauty retailers. Beyond the four new features released on Monday, the company also introduced augmented reality tools in May for cosmetics companies on WeChat.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, beauty brands and retailers like Estée Lauder and Ulta were forced to temporarily close brick-and-mortar locations. The company recently allowed cosmetics brands to try out its AR tools, web subscriptions and product listings for free as the pandemic pushed consumers to online shopping.

Per its announcement, Perfect Corp. noted that its new features are meant to balance hygiene with the need to test products before purchase.

"As beauty brands continue to adapt to the 'new normal' of beauty retail, including in-store face mask requirements, it's essential to embrace beauty tech innovation to provide a safe, touchless shopping experience that beauty consumers are expecting," Perfect Corp. founder and CEO, Alice Chang, said in a statement. "Our new non-touch virtual makeup try-on solutions will help beauty brands to build their in-store shopping experience around digital interaction with consumers by delivering on virtual, touchless makeovers, while also complying with strict safety and hygiene standards."

Other brands and retailers, including Johnson & Johnson, Amazon, and Etsy, have introduced AR features to allow customers to shop from home. Overall, the pandemic has shifted stores' approach to experiential retail in order to address ongoing health concerns.