Google AR beauty ads now let brands promote lip, eye products

Google is expanding its AR Beauty ads to let brands showcase lip and eye products, with plans to soon add foundation.

This augmented reality experience for cosmetic products (lipstick and eyeshadow) was initially launched in 2020.

Why we care. Beauty brands may want to experiment with Google’s virtual try-on experience to see whether the AR Beauty ads help increase product purchases.

New beauty features for shoppers. In addition to bringing its AR beauty features to mobile browsers, Google also announced new ways for shoppers to shop:

• Hair color. Consumers can now try out different at-home hair colors from the L’Oreal suite of brands using Google’s AR technology. The platform will soon be adding more brands to its roster, including Splat and Revlon.
• Foundation. Google will soon roll out the ability for consumers to virtually try on different shades of foundation to help them decide their best match before making a purchase. Shoppers will just need to search for a foundation type or name, select the product that they are interested in and tap “try on”. 

How it works. The new try-on experience will replace the ad product image in eligible Shopping ads. It will feature alongside relevant product information to help beauty brands showcase their products in a more interactive way to capture demand.

Uptake. More than 50 beauty brands have already started using AR on Google, including:

• Covergirl
• Dior Beauty
• Fenty Beauty
• Laura Mercier
• Makeup by Mario

For those interested in following suit, Google is now accepting AR assets from a variety of data providers, including PulpoAR and Perfect Corp.