An AI-powered beauty startup spun off by Samsung, lululab, now provides an unmanned virtual beauty experience in Dubai. The kiosk is powered by LUMINI, an AI-based skincare assistant that provides shoppers with individually tailored skin care solutions.
The installation, dubbed the AI Beauty Store, is housed on the ground floor of Galeries Lafayette, a French department store. The experience helps shoppers find new products through a three-step process:
- A selfie is taken by the multispectral camera in the kiosk, providing information on the shopper’s skin;
- The LUMINI AI analyzes the results and makes recommendations, which also can include discounts on some products; and
- The customer receives a follow-up report on their mobile device.
This isn’t the only beauty company harnessing AI to enhance recommendations. Sephora installed a digital mirror that detects a range of data about the shopper looking into it, including gender, age, look and clothing, at its flagship store in Madrid in March. This information is used to offer a range of recommendations, including makeup, skincare and fragrance offerings.
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Coty introduced similar technology at its Paris flagship in April 2018, though the experience puts an emphasis on AR rather than personalization. When a customer picks up a tube of lipstick, the kiosk’s computer vision senses which one it is and applies the chosen color to the customer’s image in the mirror.
Macy’s is launching its own AR-based beauty experience at select locations this spring, where shoppers will be able to virtually test single products or full looks and share them on social media. The retailer also is rolling out interactive displays designed to help customers navigate scent families, to help them find new products that smell similar to their favorite perfumes.
Additionally, while Ulta Beauty hasn’t introduced these types of technologies in its stores, the company acquired QM Scientific, an AI startup, and AR startup GlamST in November 2018. Major beauty players are clearly expressing great interest in AI and AR-enhanced experiences, and the competition in this area will likely grow as the technology becomes more advanced.
