ModiFace

ModiFace operates at the intersection of beauty and technology, providing augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The company was established in Toronto in 2007 by Parham Aarabi, an engineering professor at the University of Toronto. Aarabi, who immigrated to Canada from Iran as a child, demonstrated exceptional academic prowess, earning a Ph.D. from Stanford University and becoming the youngest professor in the University of Toronto's history at age 24. His extensive research in image and video processing, which resulted in over 100 scientific publications, laid the groundwork for ModiFace's technological foundation.

The company develops advanced technologies for 3D virtual makeup application, hair color simulation, and AI-driven skin diagnosis. Its core business involves licensing this technology to beauty brands and retailers, enabling them to offer virtual try-on experiences to their customers via mobile apps, websites, and in-store smart mirrors. This service helps consumers discover, try, and select products with greater confidence. The technology is designed to be highly realistic, with proprietary facial feature tracking, dynamic lighting adaptation, and precise color rendering. Before its acquisition, ModiFace's business model involved charging brands and retailers between $200,000 and $500,000 annually per platform for the use of its technology.

A significant milestone in ModiFace's history was its acquisition by L'Oréal in March 2018, marking the cosmetic giant's first-ever tech company purchase. This strategic move integrated ModiFace into L'Oréal's Digital Services Factory, positioning it as the core of the group's digital research and development. While it now primarily powers L'Oréal's 34 international brands, including Maybelline and Lancôme, the acquisition was also seen as a way to gain control over a technology that was being used by major competitors. Post-acquisition, ModiFace continues to operate from Toronto, collaborating with L'Oréal's Advanced Research division to innovate at scale and shape the future of the beauty industry. The company has also expanded its reach through partnerships, such as providing the technology for the first virtual cosmetics try-on on Amazon.

Keywords: augmented reality beauty, artificial intelligence cosmetics, virtual makeup try-on, skin diagnosis technology, beauty tech, Parham Aarabi, L'Oréal acquisition, digital beauty experience, facial feature tracking, AR cosmetics, AI beauty advisor, virtual hair color, beauty retail technology, e-commerce beauty tools, personalized cosmetics, online makeup shopping, smart beauty mirrors, digital shade finder, beauty industry innovation, mobile beauty app