YouTube could soon let you try on lipstick samples using augmented reality

Beauty is one of the biggest categories on YouTube, as vloggers dish out tips and information on the latest products. Now, it seems like creators will soon have another tool at their disposal in AR-powered makeup samples.

Android Police conducted a teardown of the YouTube app (version 14.22), and discovered that Google is working on the ability to virtually try on new lipstick products. According to the outlet, when a viewer is watching a YouTube video featuring products from certain partners, a “try on lipstick” button will appear.

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Once you’ve hit the button, the YouTube app will open your front-facing camera and use augmented reality to apply the product to your lips. Of course, you’ll need to give YouTube camera-related permissions if you haven’t done so before.

The outlet notes that Google has already covered AR-powered lipstick effects in an AI blog post earlier this year. The results shown in the blog post are pretty convincing when compared to the real thing. Check it out below.

AR-powered makeup could indeed be another big feather in YouTube’s cap if it works well. After all, it would save people from having to physically try samples at a store (again, if the tech works well). But we also wonder whether this technology could extend to other products on YouTube, such as sunglasses, spectacles, and hats.

This isn’t the first time Google made a major augmented reality play in 2019 though, as it used Google I/O to reveal several announcements in this regard. For one, the company announced that Google Maps AR Navigation was available for Pixel phones, but the company also announced AR models in Google Search results.

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