How virtual beauty meets reality: Meitu highlights brand benefits of new AI-powered skin analysers

Debuting at the China Beauty Expo in Shanghai, MeituEve is the company commercial-grade AI skin analyser.

The second new device, the MeituKey, is targeted at Chinese beauty consumers who want access to professional-level analysis in the comfort of their own homes.

According to Euromonitor International, the personal care device sales in China has achieved a compounded growth rate of 11% and 8% in 2018 and 2017 respectively. The facial cleansing device segment alone is expected to hit 8.26bn yuan ($1.19bn) in 2020.

This news comes less than a month after the company unveiled the MeituSpa, an AI-powered skin cleansing device.

Meitu, which is best known for its photo and video editing apps, launched these skin care devices as part of its beauty and social media strategy and its mission to bring beauty “out of the virtual world and into the real one.” ​

"Meitu will incorporate the power of its AI technologies into its skin-related devices and beauty-related services," ​said Meitu founder and CEO Xinhong Wu. "This will allow Meitu users to be their most beautiful selves in both virtual and real worlds.”​

Professional-grade skin detection

MeituEve combines five types of light including to provide clear visuals of the epidermal layer of the skin.

It is able to detect clogged pores and predict the risk of acne while detecting details such as the pigmentation, pores and fine lines to make skin care suggestions.

MeituEve was developed by the company’s R&D arm, MTlab, which specialises in facial recognition and analysis.

The device is equipped with proprietary technologies such as sensitive skin, dark circle and skin tone detection.

These are the same technologies that are used in the Meitu App and its millions of users, which contributes to its precise skin detection and analysis results, said the company.

In addition to its AI technology, the company worked with professional dermatologists to develop a 10-dimensional skin detection system which uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to detect skin issues.

“Skin testing equipment currently available on the market varies in their quality of test results. Combining AI technologies, patented skin-related technologies… MeituEve provides a 10-dimensional in-depth skin detection and detects skin issues with 95% accuracy,” ​said a Meitu spokeswoman.

Meitu has already inked a deal with Pifubao, a mobile skin healthcare platform.

Pifubao has a network of nearly 10,000 dermatologists from public hospitals across China.

This partnership has provided clinical data and medical consultation needed for the development of the MeituEve.

While the device was designed with dermatological applications in mind, the company sees a wide range of potential for beauty brands.

The device is able to use location-based service marketing and can cross its marketing campaigns to Meitu’s apps.

It can also track skin care trends and has a customer relationship management system to record customer profiles, allowing brands to improve customer conversion and return rates.

Personalised skin analysis at home​

The MeituKey is targeted at beauty consumers who want access to professional analysis at their fingertips and can be used in conjunction with MeituEve.

“Once MeituEve detects a skin issue, the MeituKey can be used to magnify the problem area by up to 100%. This adds an extra level to the Meitu total skincare experience,” ​said the spokeswoman.

According to the company, one pain point consumers face is looking for products that is suitable for their skin type and it is driving the growing demand for home skin analysis.

“With people now more conscious of the health of their skin than ever before, the MeituKey Skin Analyzer satisfies the market need for a professional-grade home skin analysis device that supports multiple users and provides personalised skin care solutions for each family member,” ​said a Meitu spokeswoman.

It provides users with skin analysis, prognosis of future skin issues, skin health improvement suggestions, and the real-time tracking of skin conditions.

Users can get detailed reports that recommend personalised skin care solutions and product recommendations.

Like MeituEve, the device was developed by MTlab and is powered by its patented technologies.

Additionally, MeituKey gives users access to Pifubao’s network of dermatologists who are available for online skin consultations.