An AI tool that reads your skin?! Benefit launches new pore analysis tool

I think it’s safe to say that everyone is on the hunt for perfect, healthy and glowy skin. Whether you do an 18-step skincare routine every night or indulge in the best LED face masks, it turns out analysing your pores with AI could be the answer!

Cosmetics company Benefit has just launched the world’s first AI-powered Pore Analysis Tool or P.A.T for short. In partnership with the leading augmented reality and artificial intelligence beauty tech solutions provider, Perfect Corp, the Benefit P.A.T provides fast, personalised skincare education in real time.

Benefit is best known for its POREfessional collection, including its popular face primer, toner, cleanser, mask and more. The Benefit P.A.T has been created to help people understand their pores better. Why, you might be asking – well, learning more about your skin means you can find the right products to keep it looking smooth, bright, healthy and spot-free.

So, what exactly is P.A.T? It’s a digital tool that uses AI to detect and analyse your pores. As stated by Founder and CEO of Perfect Corp, Alice H. Chang, “the custom development of AI-tech paired with Benefit’s P.A.T. gives people everywhere the chance to take a proactive approach to their skin health, learning about their pores and getting personalised product recommendations in a fun and convenient way.”

To do this, you can open the P.A.T page on your phone or laptop. Using your device’s camera, P.A.T. scans your face in real time, measuring levels and degrees of concern like pore size, uneven texture and clogged pores. The scan happens in about three seconds so you can find out what condition your pores are in immediately, and it gives you advice on how to treat them.

After the scan, P.A.T will show you the results and it’ll still use your camera so you can zoom into the areas where it says to focus on, which will be marked by a number of dots.

I decided to give the P.A.T a go to see how it performed and how effective it was. After having a few minor issues of trying to fit my face in the frame (you need to get quite close and not move around too much like I did!), the P.A.T scanned my face and generated my results very quickly.

My results came back and it turns out that I have large pores, which could be a sign of genetics, ageing, sun damage or makeup and skincare that clogs the pores. In the camera view, my face had a sprinkling of purple dots around my forehead, nose and cheek area which are the areas that need the most care and attention. P.A.T recommended toning treatments to tighten my skin and minimise the size of my pores.

So, will people use the Benefit Pore Analysis Tool? For those who put a lot of time and effort into their skincare, I think it gives helpful feedback and advice on how to take better care of your skin. As AI continues to develop, I think this new feature from Benefit is an interesting way to show how the beauty and fashion industry could use AI in the future.