Barry M and Coty: The latest to tune into virtual try-on

30 Sep 2021 --- Virtual try-on tie-ups continue to grow for Perfect Corp. Among the latest companies to step into this arena is leading beauty name, Barry M. Together with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) beauty tech provider, Perfect Corp, they will create the color cosmetic brand’s first-ever virtual try-on online shopping experience.

The virtual try-on experience is powered by Perfect Corp’s YouCam for Web technology, an innovative digital beauty solution that gives brands a chance to reimagine their e-commerce shopping experience through an interactive and personalized tool. It incorporates Perfect Corp’s AI and AR technology, allowing customers to try on products in a digital setting via their mobile camera or webcam. Using YouCam, Barry M customers can try makeup products in various shades and categories, including eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip paint, bronzer and contour.

The Barry M virtual try-on experience is only available for UK customers who will be able to use the Fresh Face foundation shade match to find a product for their skin tone. Through these technological capabilities, the duo hopes the collaboration will create a hyper-personalized makeup shopping experience for consumers.

Click to EnlargeBarry M is entering the virtual try-on arena for the first time. Source: Barry M.“Advanced technology is now a crucial element of any beauty brand's digital transformation strategy,” Perfect Corp CEO Alice Chang details. “As brands develop more accurate shades that fit with different complexions, the virtual try-on experience will allow customers to easily and safely experiment with a multitude of shades and makeup looks in a matter of seconds.” 

Through the use of QR codes, the duo recognized the value of virtual try-on in driving digital engagement and increasing consumer purchasing confidence. Try-on experiences achieve this by enabling brands to provide personalized product recommendations tailored to individual looks, skin types and consumer needs. Removing the need for physical products also provides a sustainable and hygienic beauty testing experience.

Traditionally, beauty shoppers would have visited a store, picked up a tester and then tried the product directly on their skin. “As consumers grow more conscious of sustainability, brands must consider alternative methods to product try-on that do not result in product waste and plastic,” says Chang. “Virtual try-on technology, powered by AI and AR, is one of the safest and most sustainable ways that brands can provide customers with hyper-realistic and true-to-life results in a fully touchless environment.”

Commenting on the role of digital methods in the application of beauty products pre-purchase, Chang emphasizes: “In today’s beauty retail landscape, it is essential for brands to provide customers with personalized and sustainable product try-on experiences. Virtual try-on technology provides the solution, allowing for a hyper-personalized shopping experience that does not require the use or waste of any physical product.”

Two-way learning for consumers and brands

Barry M CEO Dean Mero adds: “At Barry M, we are constantly looking for new ways to connect and engage with our customers. As we mark our 40th anniversary in 2022, it is important to us to ensure our business continues to evolve and is fit for the rapid changes and consumer expectations in the beauty industry.” 

“By introducing Perfect Corp’s virtual try-on technology, we will not only be at the cutting edge of technology but our customers will be able to experiment with our products in a brand-new, immersive way which is realistic, safe and environmentally friendly too.” 

Perfect Corp’s continuing link-ups with beauty brands aim to solve consumer pain points and enhance the online shopping experience. Currently, the technology provider is attempting to drive the beauty industry forward through new technologies that recreate the consultation experience in a digital setting. The brand’s new YouCam Tutorial, for example, gives brands the opportunity to present a complete step-by-step tutorial in a fully virtual environment.

Click to EnlargeCoty will use Perfect Corp's AI Face Analyzer technology. Source: PCI.Meanwhile, Coty is also entering a multi-channel agreement with Perfect Corp to boost personalization and improve consumers’ digital experience. The collaboration utilizes Perfect Corp’s new AI Face Analyzer technology to help brands better understand their customers’ facial attributes and deliver personalized product recommendations, eliminating the use of questionnaires.

“Beauty and cosmetic brands have realized that one-size-fits-all products are no longer relevant, as each consumer has their unique needs, concerns and characteristics,” Sylvain Delteil, Assistant Vice President of Business Development for Perfect Corp Europe says. “Our AI Face Analyzer utilizes the latest advancements in AR and AI technology to provide an analysis and recommendation tool. These advancements allow the technology to provide accurate readings from a live image in a matter of seconds, measuring more than 70 facial traits and color palettes, providing a complete personal profile of the shopper.”

Also included in the long-term agreement between Coty and Perfect Corp is a development roadmap for co-creation of exclusive technologies for Coty brands. In its collaboration, Perfect Corp will provide virtual try-ons, online skin diagnostics and data-driven personalization for brands including Kylie Cosmetics, CoverGirl and Sally Hansen among others, as well as for Coty’s broad fragrance portfolio.

“This partnership adds a new dimension to Coty’s digital journey, incorporating some of the best augmented and virtual reality technologies that will help the full portfolio of our brands unlock the best digital user experience and, as a result, help advance social selling,” says Coty’s Chief Digital Officer Jean-Denis Mariani. “It is key for us as a leader in beauty to select the right technology partners that will help our consumers discover, try and shop for our brands, online and offline, in the most personalized and easiest ways possible.”

Perfect Corp’s AI Face Analyzer technology detects facial characteristics, including face, eye, brow and lip shapes, as well as color and shade detection for eyes, eyebrows, lips, hair and skin tone. This allows the AI Face Analyzer to understand a user’s attributes and generate a personalized beauty profile. It can then recommend personalized product matches across a range of categories, including makeup, eyewear, perfume and fashion.

Giving more detail on how the AI Face Analyzer works, Delteil adds that “once the image scan is complete and the key facial features and colors have been identified, the solution can be paired with algorithms that work to provide a set of personalized product recommendations that can all be purchased with just one click.”

By Natasha Spencer-Jolliffe, BPC Insights Senior Journalist, with additional reporting by Nicole Kerr and Kristiana Lalou