Walmart uses AR to let customers try on makeup — virtually

Walmart continues to dive deeper into augmented reality.

The retail giant has teamed up with Perfect Corp., an artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) beauty and fashion technology company, to launch a virtual try-on makeup experience via the Walmart iOS app. The experience will allow Walmart customers to virtually try-on makeup products across the blush, lip color, eye shadow and bronzer categories. Walmart noted that the technology does not store customer data.

More than 1,400 products from Walmart’s beauty  assortment will be available for virtual try-on, including brands such as Almay, Black Radiance, CoverGirl, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Maybelline, NYX Professional Makeup, Revlon, Rimmel, Neutrogena, wet n wild, The Lip Bar and more. 

This is not Walmart’s first dive into virtual try-on technology. In 2021, the company acquired Zeekit, a female-founded, Israeli-based virtual fitting room start-up that uses augmented reality to allow shoppers to virtually try-on clothes. And last year, Walmart acquired Memomi, an AR optical technology company that provides technology to enhance the virtual optical try-on experience.

“As a destination for beauty, we’re committed to identifying new and emerging opportunities to inspire our customers and create more personalized, seamless, customer centric shopping experiences,” said Creighton Kiper, VP of beauty at Walmart U.S. “That’s why I’m so excited that Walmart is launching Beauty Virtual Try-On, to offer customers a more engaging and convenient try-on experience on the Walmart app.”

The makeup experience features Perfect Corp.’s Face AI solution, which is powered by advanced AI deep learning technology to create hyper-realistic AR-powered makeup filters for customers to try-on digitally

“As beauty customers turn to retailers for personalized advice and product recommendations, we are thrilled to be collaborating with Walmart to build an enhanced try-on experience with cutting-edge AI and AR technology”, said Perfect Corp. CEO and founder Alice Chang, “With hundreds of brands worldwide currently leveraging Perfect Corp.’s AI/AR virtual try-on solutions, we’re excited to make this technology more accessible to the thousands of customers who shop Walmart Beauty every day. As we look to the future, AI and AR-powered technology will continue to be integral for Walmart and other retailers to engage customers and offer customized shopping experiences to all.”