Try-on and skin tech for brands

This category covers the platforms behind the try-on buttons on beauty sites. Brands and retailers use them to add virtual makeup and hair try-on to product pages, run foundation shade finders, build camera effects for social apps, and offer cosmetic skin analysis that suggests products from a selfie. Some come as plugins for an online store, others as SDKs that a developer builds into an app.

Most of the work sits in the data. Every shade needs accurate color information, and finish matters: a matte lipstick and a gloss need different settings to look right on screen. Ask each vendor how shades are captured and calibrated, how long it takes to add a new product, and how the try-on handles different skin tones and lighting. Test with real people across many skin tones, from very fair to very deep, before you launch.

Skin analysis features describe how skin looks in a photo, such as visible redness, texture or spots, and match that to products. They are not medical tools, so keep your wording cosmetic. Product claims built on an analysis, like promising a result, can create legal trouble, and anyone with a skin condition should be pointed to a dermatologist.

Shopper consent matters here. Face images can count as sensitive or biometric data in some places, and rules differ by state and country. Ask where images are processed, whether they are stored, and what the shopper agrees to before the camera opens. Your privacy notice should match what the vendor actually does.