“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all?” Those words seem quaint in today’s world of self-indulgence, selfies and computer-enhanced beauty. Millennials don’t just want to look their best, they want to look THE best and they’re not shy about taking a ride in CAB (computer-aided beauty) to get to the looks that they crave.
 
The latest chapter in the never-ending quest to look great comes from Perfect Corp., an online tool that promises to push “beyond the frontiers to mobilize and personalize beauty.”
 
Earlier this year, the company announced that its YouCam Makeup app achieved the monumental 100 million download milestone worldwide for iOS and Android, making it the most downloaded digital makeover app in the world. Perfect Corp’s suite of beauty apps includes YouCam Makeup, YouCam Perfect, YouCam Nails and Beauty Circle, which enables users to virtually try some of their favorite products and brands before they buy.
 
The apps certainly have wide appeal; in March, they achieved the milestone of 200 million worldwide downloads less than two years into launching. Moreover, every day, more than 30 million photos are taken and embellished using the app suite, making Perfect Corp. one of the top 10 fastest growing app developers in the world, according to the company.
 
Those are heady stats for a company that was founded only three years ago by Alice H. Chang, an entrepreneur who saw the power of combining mobile devices with video editing tools. According to company data, women account for 75% of photos taken on smart phones, giving Perfect Corp. the perfect audience for its applications. Perfect Corp. app users are primarily Millennial women (81% female users under age 34).
 
The First YouCam app attracted 60 million users in just two years; not bad, but since the launch of YouCamMakeup 18 months ago, the app has 130 million users and is growing fast. Next came, YouCamNails and now, company executives want much more, explained Richard Carrière, SVP-global marketing.
 
“We’ve redefined virtual beauty for tens of millions of users,” insisted Carrière.
 
Perfect Corp. and its cadre of apps are filling a need for consumers and the beauty business, too. According to the latest market research from Lucintel, rising consumer incomes and changing lifestyles are driving the global beauty care products industry, which is forecast to reach $265 billion by 2017.
 
Perfect Corp. executives insist that the company is in a perfect position to meld beauty and technology. For example, as wearable technology continues to improve how consumers benefit from technological innovations, Perfect Corp brass say their unique interactive beauty platform is bringing together leading brands, top publications and other industry influencers, and consumers interested in beauty and fashion. Perfect Corp’s management insists the platform will contribute to empower women to define their own style like never before, redefining the beauty industry along the way.
 
True Interaction
 
And Perfect Corp. is redefining how those users interact with media and, most importantly, the brands themselves. The goal is to create afluid environment where individuals express themselves, learn the latest about fashion and beauty, and enjoy instant access to the products from their favorite brands.
 
“Six months ago, we were outsiders; now we are meeting with the publishers and heads of the cosmetics brands; we are making huge progress, and yet we remain very popular with users,” asserted Carriére.
 
He compared his company’s 200 million downloads in two years to Facebook, which took four years to reach 200 million downloads.
 
YouCam Makeup, YouCam Perfect and YouCam Nails are all available for free on the App Store and Google Play. The Beauty Circle App is also available for free on the App Store and Google Play, and may be accessed at www.beautycircle.com, too.
 
The idea is to create a cosmetics community via its BeautyCircle, where brands, bloggers and millions of users can share the latest news and information about all things beauty. Perfect Corp. currently has 100 brands, including Ardell and Elizabeth Arden in the US, imbedded in its apps and company executives expected to add about a dozen more US brands by the end of Q1 2016.
 
“It’s a win/win for the brand, because people can try their products like never before,” explained Carriére. “People stick with our platform, too; we have 60 million monthly users doing one billion sessions a month.”
 
Retailers are involved, too. Perfect Corp. is in talks with Macy’s and other traditional merchants, which underscores company executives’ insistence that people want to buy from a variety of platforms.
 
“The beauty counter isn’t dying out, even Amazon is opening brick and mortar stores,” noted Carriére. “We’re not a threat to anyone; we are an enabler for cosmetics companies, retailers and consumers.”
 
It’s all about giving consumers more choices on how and where to buy the cosmetics they crave and connect them with brands in ways that are more apropos to 2016—not 1986.  The plan seems to be working.  According to Perfect Corp.’s data, a typical user will take part in a beauty session every two days and stay there for five minutes.
 
Perfect Corp.’s top five markets are the US, Brazil, China, Japan and Western Europe, but the ultimate goal is “to be everywhere,” in two years. Company executives expect downloads will double to more than 400 million by the end of 2016.
 
“The endgame is that women have all of their favorite products in one place, where they can learn from brands, develop their own style and be bolder,” gushed Carriére. “They can even virtually wear green hair!”
 
Ain’t technology grand?