2024-Giorgia Flora Aloi
I have always admired technology and I have always been extremely interested on its development throughout the years as it explores how humanity is changing and how we are applying the human brain in so called ‘machines’ trying to improve certain aspects of our lives like education as well as entertainment.
I recently found out that technology, especially Augmented reality have been implemented in the beauty industry changing the shopping experience, the brand expectations and change customer expectations from companies but also from themselves.
This topic was chosen as I saw some of my friends using AR apps to help find appropriate products and I immediately thought that this would be a perfect topic to explore in more detail and present a new topic.
I decided to research further and ended up finding out that Augmented reality try-ons are very popular and that 75% of 16- to 44-year-olds are aware of this technology. I was eager to find out what people thought of this tech, currently used by major brands like Estee lauder and L’Oréal; owner of Modiface which not only promotes make-up try ons but also skin scanners that are monitored by dermatologists.
Following my research on Modiface, I encountered many comments online; positive and negative.
I was very surprised as 50% of the comments were positive and 50% negative; from ‘it helped me realize I prefer a more natural look’ to ‘I wish my skin looked like this’.
These reviews made me feel rather sad as these apps are causing humans to alter their image and expectations. From this I started researching more and I found out that 70% of women struggle with their body image and how this could cause harm especially on young girls.
On the other hand, however, I also discovered that many people, 53%, with skin conditions are feeling more safe as they are not feeling uncomfortable or judged in stores and this is why I decided to focus on how Augmented Reality could aid individuals that struggle with skin conditions.
I immediately started navigating the internet to find more information and I found out that the majority of people struggle with skin conditions like acne and eczema and how these affects their daily lives. I found extremely interesting the statistics that the British Skin Foundation brought up in 2021 where 83% of people believe that appereance is important to their general wellbeing; 53% of people struggling with a skin disease feel judged and 20% are unhappy with their skin.
After seeing the statistics I wanted to be sure that technology can then be a medium that people with skin conditions could use to get treatment at home rather than having to go to a specialized clinic which makes them feel embarassed and judged.
Following this matter, while walking around New York during my Easter break,I asked myself if the Data Protection and laws for AR are the same everywhere and as I was reading a book by Stephen J.A. Ward and Herman Wasserman, Towards an Open Ethics: Implications on New Media Platforms for Global Ethics Discourse that explains the transition from a closed professional ethics to an ethics that is the concern of all citizens, I encountered the Biometric Information Privacy Act. In Illinois. This Act put L’Oréal, Estee Lauder and many other brands at risk due to violations of customer protection.
This act is not implemented in the UK which allows people to have the freedom to use Augmented Reality platforms.
I do believe that Augmented Reality possess more positive aspects than negative but I wanted to be sure that individuals believed the same and I conducted a survey asking questions that would support my thought.
Do you think that your appereance affects your general wellbeing?, 100% answered yes; Do you feel uncomfortable when buying skin products? 75% answered yes and 25% answered no; Do you think Virtual Reality could help you? 100% answered yes. After conducting the survey I was baffled by the answers especially the fact that everyone did think that VR can be the answer to their problems.
The outcome challenged me more and I started researching if hospitals or clinics in the UK currently use AR softwares. After hours my research revealed that the NHS created a software called Skinvision that empowers people to monitor their skin for early signs of skin cancer.
From my research I understand that AR can be a tricky topic due to virtual try-ons that can have a negative impact on teenagers so I wonder weather age restriction in certain types of AR softwares, like make-up try ons, could be a potential option and if skin scanners can promote an accurate evaluation of skin con
I am extremely pleased with my choice of topic for my European Press Prize as I personally think that this is not spoken about much despite it focuses on crucial aspects of our lives such as technology and self-development.
Furthermore, this theme really challenged me to think about the future of technology and what it has in store for the society and how humans will react and if some privacy policies will change or remain the same.
To conclude, even though I have done a thorough research it was very hard to find information around, online as well as books that combined AR and beauty due to its narrow development.
Bibliography:
Han, C.(2022), More than makeup; the real human meaning of Modiface, found at:https://www.oneminutetomidnight.life/post/more-than-makeup-the-real-human-meaning-of-modifaceAccessed on: 26/03/2024
Howarth,J. (2024), 24+ Augmented Reality Stats (2024-2028), found at:https://explodingtopics.com/blog/augmented-reality-stats Accessed on:3/04/2024
Pasquinelli M.(2023), The Eye of the Master. Accessed on:5/04/2024
Petkovic,A.(2023), Companies face Massive Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Allegations with Virtual Try-On Technology, found at:https://jtip.law.northwestern.edu/2023/11/06/companies-face-massive-biometric-information-privacy-act-bipa-allegations-with-virtual-try-on-technology/#:~:text=While%20demand%20for%20AR%20and,Seventh%20Circuit%20for%20violating%20BIPA.Accessed on: 3/04/2024
The British Skin Foundation (2021), Over half of Those with a Skin Conditionfeel judged by others, found at: https://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/news/over-half-of-those-with-a-skin-condition-feel-judged-by-others Accessed on: 10/04/2024
Trefis Team (2016), Why is L’Oréal Increasing its Focus on Augmented Reality?, found athttps://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/03/15/why-is-loreal-increasing-its-focus-on-augmented-reality/ Accessed on: 30/03/2024
Ward S. J.A.& Herman W. (2010), Towards an Open Ethics: Implications of New Media Platforms for Global Ethics Discourse. Accessed on: 4/04/2024