Pinterest Launches Augmented Reality Eyeshadow Try-On Tool

Pinterest eyeshadow try-on tool
Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Social media image-sharing platform Pinterest is introducing an augmented reality (AR) try-on tool to help users assess and compare eyeshadow. 

“The future of shopping will rely on online shopping experiences that are similar to that of in-store and complement that joy we find in browsing, seeing curated collections, and trying on products until we find what’s best for us,” Pinterest said in a Friday (Jan. 22) press release.

The roll-out follows the success of Pinterest’s try-on tool for lipstick, which was launched last year. Pinterest is now offering shoppable eyeshadow Pins that spotlight merchandise from Lancome, YSL, Urban Decay, and NYX Cosmetics. 

The company is also expanding product tagging beta and will soon give creators the opportunity to develop shoppable Story Pins and tag products.

“This is our latest step in bringing together the worlds of visual search and shopping as people come to Pinterest to shop early in their decision-making process, ready to discover new brands and products,” Pinterest said.

The eyeshadow Try on tool is powered by Lens and gives users the opportunity to try on and shop beauty products. The existing lipstick Try on will toggle between lip and eyeshadow. Users can change looks by clicking the eye or lip icon. The virtual eyeshadow experience includes 4,000 shades. 

“Pinners are 5x more likely to show purchase intent on Try on-enabled Pins than standard Pins,” according to the company.

Pinterest recently updated computer vision, object detection and catalog uploads, streamlining the process to shop from a scene on Pinterest. Pinners are 70 percent more likely to “show shopping intent” on products tagged in scene images than on standalone Product Pins.

In October, Pinterest updated product tagging with improved functionality for retailers to tag their own scene images with specific products. Product tagging will also soon be launched for creators to tag products in their own Story Pins. 

The pandemic has helped drive AR innovation, especially in the cosmetics and automotive industries. Both categories have expanded use of the technology.

Google introduced a try-on feature in December to help people see how makeup will look before committing to a purchase.