Let AI pick your perfect lipstick shade with Chanel's Lipscanner

Finding the perfect shade of lipstick can be a headache. Chanel wants to alleviate some of that pain with its free Lipscanner app in the App Store. The AI-powered app lets you input the color you want in a lipstick and find a corresponding product in the Chanel line of at least 400 products — different finishes, shade, textures, you name it. For now, the app is only available for iOS users.

If you see a shade on a book or a lip color someone else is wearing, you will be able to take a photo of that through your camera and share that shade with Lipscanner. Lipscanner will then share recommendations from Chanel.

The future of beauty — To be clear, Chanel's Lipscanner is nothing revolutionary. Chanel already has a line of apps in the lifestyle genre of products, including Chanel Fashion, InChanel, and a visitor guide for Chanel's Mademoiselle Privé exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. In the past, we've seen the likes of YSL's Perso system, YouCam Makeup, Sephora, Benefit, and other major companies launch their own digital programs that allow consumers to take a closer look at their cosmetics. Websites like Pinterest have even stepped into the game and offered virtual reality features that let Pinterest users test colors on their faces, like blushes, eyeshadows, lipsticks, hair dyes, and more, without ever paying a dime.

While the concept of using virtual and augmented reality for beauty applications isn't new, the utility it offers consumers is hard to argue with, especially now. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, these virtual try-on apps and programs let users experiment with different cosmetics without having to pay for a trial session like those at major beauty brand stores. During the pandemic, these apps became even more useful and far safer as an option than having a store representative apply products on you in person.

Chanel is quick to mention in Lipscanner's app description that user data like content, diagnostics, and how much you use the app will be collected for development feedback but it will not be linked back to individual users. The app takes up about 104.1 MB in your phone, requires iOS 13.0 and above, and can work on the iPod touch as well as iPhone.

Now, if Chanel wants to make the app really sweet, it'll offer discounts on its pricey products. Watch beauty gurus and fans flood Lipscanner.