L’Oréal and Image Metrics sign new exclusive license agreement to further develop make-up app

10-Mar-2016 - Last updated on 10-Mar-2016 at 11:06 GMT

The French company’s L’Oréal Paris brand builds on its two-year relationship with digital firm Image Metrics with a new license agreement relating to the Makeup Genius augmented reality app, with plans to explore new opportunities and further connect with consumers.

The digital arena has been a big focus for the beauty behemoth over the last few years, and the Makeup Genius app has been part of this, as a success story, having launched to critical acclaim in 2014.

Now the collaboration with Image Metrics, which develops the technology behind the digital beauty mirror, enters a new phase enabling the development of new features and the addition of new products and functionality.

“Makeup Genius brings an obvious added value, a true utility to women giving them access to our large portfolio of products, trying them on, sharing them on their social networks and easily buying them,” says Cyril Chapuy, L’Oreal Paris Global President.

“Entering this new era with Image Metrics will allow us to explore new possibilities and connect more than ever with consumers and offer them an easy, personalized and truly useful beauty e-routine.”

Digital mirror

The Makeup Genius app is a mirror that relies on innovative technology, developed by Image Metrics, and can monitor each user’s unique facial features and allow virtual make-up to be applied in real-time on their face.

It has been developed with the support of L’Oréal Research and Innovation, and was a milestone for the cosmetics maker’s ‘connected beauty’ vision, with almost 20 million users worldwide downloading Makeup Genius as they look to try-before-they-buy.

“The combination of Image Metrics world class augmented reality technology and L’Oreal’s robust vision have brought a truly ground-breaking experience to consumers worldwide,” says Ron Ryder, CEO of Image Metrics.

“We share a strategic perspective for what is possible and as we develop even more advanced augmented reality technology it will drive experiences that are increasingly immersive and stunningly real.”