Google has unveiled a set of innovative Augmented Reality (AR) beauty tools that address two significant facets of the beauty industry: hair color and foundation selection. Perfecting your hair shade or finding the ideal foundation match can often be a trial-and-error process. To simplify this, Google has integrated AR directly into smartphone search results, allowing users to visualize how certain products would alter their hair and skin when searching for terms like “L’Oreal hair color” or “Fenty Beauty foundation.”
Google initially introduced AR try-on features for cosmetics shoppers three years ago, starting with lipstick and eyeshadow shades and gradually expanding their offerings. As of Wednesday, these AR beauty features are available to Google shoppers on mobile browsers, including Safari.
While the foundation try-ons, encompassing brands like Covergirl, Dior Beauty, Fenty Beauty, Laura Mercier, and Makeup by Mario, were not accessible during testing, I did experiment with the hair feature. Currently, the feature supports L’Oreal hair products, with indications from Google that Splat and Revlon will soon be included.
To experiment with different hair colors, users need to grant Google access to their device’s camera. Google assures users that during this experience, no biometric data will be stored or collected, the video will not be used for training purposes, and the video feed will remain on the user’s device.
The AR technology appears to envelop the user’s head, although it may not perfectly align with the hairline. As an example, when I tested the L’Oreal Paris Feria Hyper Platinum Advanced Lightening System Bleach, it did not yield the expected results on my black hair. Instead, the combination of the light blonde with my hair produced a somewhat static gray effect.
Google acknowledged that the accuracy of the try-on feature may vary, particularly with lighter dye colors. Even with darker colors, such as brown, it seemed to overlay the hair, hinting at the underlying color rather than creating a complete transformation.
