4 – Testers are over, but can the ‘touch-and-try’ cosmetics business rely on virtual testing post-pandemic?

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has marked the end of in-store cosmetic testers, but one firm doubted the abilities​ of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and similar technology to completely replace them.

Steve Dodd, senior vice president of retail solutions at Meiyume told CosmeticsDesign-Asia ​in July that despite the impact of the health crisis on the brick-and-mortar retail sector, the beauty industry still needed a physical presence.

“You have to remember that beauty is still very much a touch-and-try business… People react differently based on their skin type and tone, they want to feel the texture of the product, how it feels on their skin. It takes a while to get the look right, it requires experimentation. You can’t do that online, even with the best virtual try-on software,”​ he told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.​

Dodd highlighted that unlike fashion, beauty brands could not rely on pushing logos in the face of consumers.