YouCam gets stamp of approval from Google, proving the AR beauty trend is here to stay

Augmented Reality beauty app ‘YouCam Makeup' has won Google Play's ‘Best of 2017' award for ‘Most Innovative App' of the year.

The app, which counts over 2.3 million five-star ratings in Google Play, is at the forefront of the beauty trend for allowing customers to virtually try on makeup products and experiment with different styles. Its patented augmented reality and artificial intelligence technology uses facial recognition, 3D renderings, skin tone analysis, and texture matching to create a digital space in which shoppers can play with different looks and share the results on social media, as well as purchasing the products in question.

"The ‘Best of 2017' award is a testament to how beauty AR is being widely adopted as part of the cosmetics discovery, trial and purchasing experience," said Alice Chang, CEO of the app's developer Perfect Corp, in a statement. "Our team is committed to pushing the boundaries of AR & AI technology to continue innovating in the beauty tech space."

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YouCam has teamed up with several big-name beauty brands this year, recently unveiling a Halloween mobile concept for Lancôme Paris that allowed users to virtually experience a series of curated makeup looks, and taking its partnership with L'Oréal global in July -- a move that means beauty consumers worldwide are now able to virtually try out shades from the company's brands.

YouCam's inclusion in the Google Play ‘Best of 2017' list is indicative of a wider AR trend sweeping the beauty industry. Tech brand ModiFace has also seen its profile raised lately, teaming up with Estée Lauder to launch a lipstick chatbot for Facebook Messenger that not only allowed consumers to test out different lipsticks virtually, but also advised them on their purchases. And in August, digital makeup app Perfect365, Inc. teamed up with Hot Tools hair appliances to let users virtually test out six different hairstyles using augmented reality technology.