Beauty just got a healthy injection of brains. Or at least, artificial intelligence. On Monday, skincare brand Olay brought its Olay Skin Advisor to the global stage at Mobile World Congress, heralding its AI-based advisor as “a new platform designed to help women better understand their skin and find the products best suited to their personal skincare needs.” It’s the first beauty application that makes use of deep learning, and promises to equip customers with the information they need to care for their skin and determine what beauty products are most appropriate for their needs.
“Shopping for skincare has never been more overwhelming, as women are faced with thousands of products and promises,” said Dr. Frauke Neuser, Principal Scientist for Olay. “Olay’s research shows that browsing the shelf is the number one purchase influencer for women, yet a third of women do not find what they are looking for. Our solution is Olay Skin Advisor, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver a smart skin analysis and personalized product recommendation, taking the mystery out of shopping for skincare products.”
The web-based skin analytics platform requires just a single selfie to determine a user’s “skin age,” and which parts of her face contribute most to that age. The Skin Advisor then asks a few questions about personal skin concerns and product preferences, and passes along a unique product regimen that draws inspiration from a vast knowledge base made possible by supporting technology. The goal, Olay explains, is to help customers find products that are right for individual needs.
“AI is not a technology of the future — it’s transforming our world today,” said Greg Estes, vice president of developer programs at Nvidia, whose GPU-accelerated deep learning platform was used to train Olay Skin Advisor’s neural network. “Olay and other leading brands are using AI to infuse devices and apps with intelligence, bringing new experiences, unprecedented personalization, and real benefits to people’s lives.”
You can check out the power of the Skin Advisor yourself at https://skinadvisor.olay.com on any smartphone or tablet.
