Pinterest introduces virtual reality feature

Finding beauty inspiration that suits certain styles and tastes may have just become a whole lot easier.

Social media platform, Pinterest, has this week launched Try On, a new feature that allows users to virtually try on different lipstick shades from various brands, including bareMinerals, NYX Professional Makeup, YSL Beauté, Lancôme, Urban Decay from L'Oréal, Neutrogena, Estée Lauder and Sephora.

Courtesy of Pinterest’s selfie view, the feature uses augmented reality to map on-screen looks to real-world products. And because it’s Pinterest, Pinners can use features such as shoppable Pins, saving for later shopping and visual recommendations to see looks with similar colours and get inspiration for hairstyles, outfits and other types of makeup that could work well with it, then purchase in just a few clicks. 

According to the social media giant, Try On has been in the works for more than a year, and it is focused on building inclusive products.
“We've integrated Try On with our skin tone range feature, so Pinners can see similar lip shades on skin tones that match their own,” Pinterest said in a statement. “And with Try On, you won’t find skin smoothing or image altering effects that make you look less like you (as you might see on some other AR technologies). We believe in celebrating you, and so our AR won’t be augmenting your reality, but rather helping you to make happy and real purchases for your life.”

Try On for lipstick is currently available in the US on iOS and Android mobile, with plans to roll out globally in the future. Starting out with virtual lipstick, Pinners are also expected to see more Lens launches from the platform in the coming months.