Shopping for skincare products has long been a trial-and-error process.
Perhaps your strategy is to choose, say, any vitamin C serum that has the most five-star reviews on Sephora. Or you’ll try any dark-spot-fighting product a friend has had success with. There’s just one problem: Everyone’s skin is unique. What works for one person may not work for another. So, what should you do?
When you don’t have access to a dermatologist, you lean into artificial intelligence (AI).
Thanks to advancements in the technology, it’s more foolproof than ever to discover the best products for your skin type and concerns. Several beauty brands — including La Roche Posay, CeraVe and Dermalogica, to name a few — host face-mapping tools on their websites or they have developed apps that use AI to scan a user’s skin, analyze the data, and offer a personalized list of the best products.
“Face mapping has been around for quite a while, but it was kind of gimmicky at the beginning,” says Melissa Hago, VP and creative director of beauty at trend-spotting firm Fashion Snoops. “Now, AI’s all about personalization.”
Technology has advanced significantly over the years, making face-mapping tools shockingly reliable and specific for each individual — and more frequently used by consumers.
“We’ve done about two-and-a-half-million face maps,” says Aurelian Lis, CEO of skincare brand Dermalogica.
The brand’s AI tool launched about seven years ago, but Lis has recently seen a steep increase in use as its capabilities advance — the technology can better identify skin problems, provide aesthetician-level education on skincare, and recommend both in-person treatments and products. “Visitors who complete face mapping on our website are twice as likely to purchase a product, and our average order value is about 50-per-cent higher,” he says.
For those new to face mapping, here’s how it typically works: Hop on a brand’s app or website to find its AI tool, upload a high-definition selfie, complete a questionnaire about your skin’s temperament, and you’ll be presented with a personalized list of products based on your skin type (dry? Acne or Rosecea-prone?), which can help you meet your skin goals. (Hydration! Even complexion! Fine lines, be gone!)
Earlier versions of face-mapping tools had difficulty detecting skin conditions, such as differentiating a pimple on someone’s skin from an age spot, Lis says. Some new editions are designed in conjunction with AI algorithms that analyze not just a photo but also skin-type probabilities based on a user’s profile and history to be able to provide better product suggestions.
With the data Dermalogica has collected over the years, the brand’s AI tool can scan a user’s selfie and look at patterns among people in similar age groups with similar skin types to make the most effective skin-care suggestions. Lis says it’s helped the face-mapping tool surface super-accurate results.
“We look at the recommendations our AI is giving and compare them to what the skin therapists [at our Dermalogica locations] would recommend, and we see they’re very similar.”
Beyond face mapping, brands are using AI-powered chatbots to answer customer questions about skincare.
“Of course, they’ll never replace a dermatologist, but these brands are providing a nice all-in-one space,” says Hago from Fashion Snoops. “Customers can be educated about skincare and be recommended products just for them, and it’s free.”
Where will AI go from here? Concerns about its power and influence have been expressed, including fears that AI-generated photos will replace real people in advertisements, which led Dove to commit to never using AI in its ads.
“Our latest Dove research shows that the rise of AI is a threat to women’s well-being, with two in five women and girls in Canada feeling pressure to alter their appearance because of what they see online, even when they know it’s fake or AI-generated,” says Laura Douglas, Dove’s master brand lead at Unilever in Canada. “We want young girls and women to see themselves reflected in the campaigns we create.”
And yet, beauty brands, including Dove, are excited to see where AI goes to help them innovate and operate more efficiently.
“I think AI should change an organization,” Lis says. He views it as a personal assistant for every department at Dermalogica, helping his team do everything from writing briefs and conducting research to checking for copyright infringement and even creating new formulas.
“Brands will use AI for ingredient innovation and product formulations,” Hago says. It can suggest ingredients that meet specific requirements — such as one that follows Europe’s strict regulations — to create formulas that achieve next-level results.
“AI is about being better, faster, clearer,” says Lis, all while “preserving the company’s human touch.”
Dermalogica is using AI to improve its customer service by being able to better note patterns in consumer needs. It scans chat boxes, product reviews and customer emails to learn what users love and what may have disappointed them, such as a product’s updated formula.
What do these AI advancements mean for consumers? The more we use AI tools and the more we interact with AI-generated chatbots, the smarter the technology, and the better the skincare routine available.
