L’Oreal buys Toronto augmented reality firm

TECHNOLOGY

TORON TO • When University of Toronto engineering professor Parham Aarabi first began researching face tracking technology, it never occurred to him that his resulting startup would later be snapped up by the world’s biggest cosmetics company, L’Oreal.

In fact, Aarabi thought the initial application of what is now ModiFace’s lip and eye tracking capabilities would be speech recognition in noisy environments, he said.

“What happened was I realized, and we initially realized, that this technology had a lot of use for cosmetic simulations,” Aarabi, ModiFace’s chief executive, said in an interview. “For example, showcasing lipstick products, because we had the exact boundary of the lips.”

On Friday, 11 years after Aarabi founded the Torontobased startup, L’Oreal announced it was acquiring ModiFace as part of its digital acceleration strategy.

The Paris- based beauty behemoth, whose 34 brands i nclude Maybelline and Lancome as well as its namesake beauty products line, did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition.

ModiFace’s technology is already being used by 100 brands and allows customers to try on beauty products such as lipstick or eyeshadow or do skin diagnoses via mobile app, online or instore augmented reality mirrors. For example, customers can try on different hair colour shades by taking a photo or using their smartphone or webcam’s video capabilities before making a purchase online or at the counter.

ModiFace uses artificial intelligence to help track the user’s face and detect where the eyes and lips are, he said. AI is also used to track data, including colour selections and how that pertains to face and eye shape, said Aarabi.

The Toronto- based firm will be part of L’Oreal’s Digital Services Factory, a network to design and develop digital services for the group’s brands, L’Oreal said.

“With its world- cl ass team, technologies and sustained track record in terms of beauty tech innovations, ModiFace will support the reinvention of the beauty experience around innovative services to help our customers discover, try and chose products and brands,” said Lubomira Rochet, L’Oreal’s chief digital officer in a statement.

ModiFace now employs nearly 70 engineers, researchers and scientists.