Digital Beauty

3RD YEAR ON THE LIST

AR beauty filters can be used to virtually test makeup products, or to alter one’s appearance in recorded content and live video interactions.

KEY INSIGHT

Digital makeup exists at the intersection of facial recognition, 3D mapping, and augmented reality. As the metaverse becomes a part of our everyday lives, digital touch-ups and expressive virtual makeup will define how we choose to present ourselves to the world— and how we see ourselves.

EXAMPLES

If you’ve been on Zoom calls recently, chances are you’ve seen a digital beauty filter in action. The adjustable feature, billed by Zoom simply as “Touch Up My Appearance,” smooths imperfections in the user’s face and seamlessly animates along with their movements in real time, essentially acting as virtual makeup. Digital beauty is the addition of virtual embellishment to one’s face or body in photo or video content, through the use of augmented reality and artificial intelligence. The effect can range from subtle aesthetic touch-ups to flamboyant makeovers to transformation of a person’s facial features and figure. Beauty brands including Redken, Avon, MAC Cosmetics, and Maybelline have picked up on the trend, offering AR filters for users to virtually try on beauty products via live video. L’Oreal, meanwhile, has created a line of digital-only beauty products to be used in popular social and videoconferencing apps.

DISRUPTIVE IMPACT

Digital beauty filters are easily accessible through many social media platforms, some video interfaces, and third-party apps like Facetune. More than just an expressive virtual accessory, an aesthetic filter can have a direct effect on business. Imagine digital mirrors that artificially accentuate shoppers’ features at a retail shop, subtly encouraging them to purchase a piece of clothing. Users of Alipay’s facial scanning payment feature complained about their on-camera appearance, prompting the company to add a digital beauty filter to improve the experience. As smart glasses enable the application of beauty filters during in-person interactions, and advanced video interfaces allow users to appear as live, virtually beautified versions of themselves, the full spectrum of digital beauty technology’s effects must be considered. While filters can build confidence and boost business, they can also trigger dysmorphia by exposing audiences to unrealistic beauty standards.

EMERGING PLAYERS

• Adobe Lightroom • AliPay • Drest • Essence Cosmetics’ Kenna • Evenprime • FaceApp • Facetune • Florasis • Ines Alpha • L’Oreal • Revieve • Spellbreak • Zepeto