Mass beauty brands face a problem in drugstore aisles. Every product in the brands’ arsenals are protected by plastic wrap, creating a look-but-don’t-touch experience for shoppers searching for a new lipstick, eyeshadow or foundation. To try out a product, customers have to make a purchase and hope for the best.
To help get around this obstacle, mass-market makeup brands are looking to mobile to boost in-store purchases. Covergirl’s new BeautyU app is the latest to launch in hopes that the brand’s customers will use it as a complement to drugstore browsing.
Covergirl’s BeautyU app uses facial scanning and tracking to identify users’ skin tones and apply makeup looks in real-time using the front-facing camera. It also asks a series of detailed questions in its mobile “consultation” to get a better handle on the user’s preferences, like “what’s your skin type?” and “what’s the one makeup item you can’t live without?” Its features focus on utility as well as editorial content, playing up Covergirl’s celebrity spokespersons like Katy Perry and Sofia Vergara throughout the app and asking fluffier questions like “what’s your ideal girls’ night out?”
