L’Oréal Paris Canada Launches New Virtual Makeup Service That Lets You Try Before You Buy

We’ve all been there – trying to decide whether a specific shade will work on our skin tones/match a certain outfit/solve all of our cosmetic-related dilemmas whilst scrolling through products on our couch. It’s tough to shade-match online, which is why L’Oréal Paris Canada has teamed up with Shoppers Drug Mart to launch a new virtual service that lets you try on products at home.

To use the service, all you have to do is either upload a photo to the dedicated website or switch on your webcam. From there, you can try different products from brands like Maybelline, Urban Decay, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent and L’Oréal.

The service is enabled via ModiFace, the Toronto-based tech development company that was purchased by L’Oréal in March of last year. ModiFace uses AI-enabled shade calibration calculated via information provided by makeup brands and images and descriptions of the product available on social media.

In a statement, the chief digital officer of L’Oréal Canada Robert Beredo, said, “This new service harnesses the power of AI and AR to provide personalized experiences and enhance customer engagement in digital touchpoints. It is key for product and brand discovery and it removes friction from the shopping journey in a seamless, engaging and playful way. Gaining consumer trust and attention is critical for us, and this new service helps us create even more intimate relationships with our consumers.”

L’Oréal has previously used the technology on Amazon.

It’s been a busy year for the French cosmetics giant, with its inclusive Paris Fashion Week show, naming Viola Davis and Celine Dion as ambassadors and launching a makeup collection with the late Karl Lagerfeld. It was also the only beauty brand to appear on Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2019 report, landing 51st place with a brand value increase of 4 per cent year-on-year.