Sarah Mourtos Take a look into the future of beauty. Pinterest announces inclusive product updates and expands shoppable lipstick AR as trending searches signal a push for more diversity on the platform.
Pinterest has expanded its search options for skin tone ranges in a bid to make the platform more inclusive. Users can now filter through beauty-related posts by skin-tone, a feature which was not previously available in Australia and New Zealand until now.
This technology was launched in the US and has since been enhanced with more accurate capabilities. The number of beauty and fashion Pins where skin tone can be signalled has quadrupled. With 83 per cent of beauty pinners using the platform to find new looks, the feature is a welcomed change.
This feature comes after Pinterest’s Global Beauty Report found the demand for personalised beauty continues to grow. Global searches including skin-tone specific phrases such as ‘grey hair on dark skin’, ‘blonde hair color ideas for fair skin blue eyes’, ‘soft natural makeup for Black women’, and ‘nude lipstick for dark skin’ were among some of the top performing in June.
Pinterest Product Manager Annie Ta feels no one should have to work extra hard to find themselves represented on Pinterest, and that ultimately this change will make the platform more useful and positive.
“Pinterest is the home of inspiration, but it’s hard to be inspired if you don’t feel represented. We’re making each person’s Pinterest experience more relevant to them through new technology and ways to control the beauty results they see,” Ta said.
Along with the search feature, Pinterest is also expanding its augmented reality capabilities with a virtual lipstick Try-On experience. Users can now virtually try on more than 10,000 shoppable lipstick shades across 48 million beauty Pins. Unlike other AR filters, it does not smooth or distort the skin, keeping in line with the desire for real beauty.
Brands like NARS and YSL are completely shoppable from the site, and research shows users are five times more likely to show purchase intent on Try On-enabled Pins than standard Pin. This feature is currently only available in the US, but there are plans to bring it to Australia in the coming months. No doubt, it will be highly valuable in the no-touch era of COVID-19.
What changes have you implemented in your spa or clinic to make it an inclusive space for all? Let us know in the comments below.
