Shiseido’s New “TeleBeauty” App , A Virtual Makeup Solution for Online Meetings

Shiseido, in collaboration with Microsoft Japan has developed, and recently began testing of, “TeleBeauty”, an app that automatically calibrates skin tone and applies digital makeup to the face during video-conferencing. The aim is to support women who actively pursue their careers remotely, be it from home or otherwise, and consider cosmetics part of their image management. With the technical assistance of Microsoft Japan, Shiseido has developed a trial model of this app for “Skype for Business”. The pilot is to run during the “Work Style Reform Week 2016” held by Microsoft Japan from Monday, October 17 to Friday, October 21, supported by several collaborators. Another test will be held with the participation of 100 Microsoft Japan employees between September and November 2016.

With today’s progressive diversity of work styles, “teleworking”, a flexible way of performing duties regardless of the time and place, is spreading fast. Many people take advantage of this style in order to achieve greater business efficiency or to circumvent locational restrictions when, for example, providing child and/or elderly care. Noticing this trend, we conducted a survey among telecommuting women. The results revealed a feeling of annoyance with having to apply makeup for one or few online meetings while working from home. They also expressed that they don’t like their personal and private space being seen through the monitor and that sometimes, due to camera quality or room lighting, they feel uncomfortable with the appearance of their skin on the screen.

“TeleBeauty” has been developed based on insights Shiseido has gained through its long experience and work in the industry. Experience gained through makeup techniques owned by Shiseido artists, makeup simulation technology developed by Shiseido R＆D (proved at the stores since 1999), and trend information.

In addition to its main feature of applying makeup, the app can also correct the skin tone and blur the background. As the makeup smoothly follows the user’s facial movements, it is hard to guess that it is a simulation and not real makeup. This easy-to-use app saves the telecommuters both time and effort.

Download Small Image[14.7KB] Download Large Image[1078KB]

Main features of “TeleBeauty”
● “Automated Makeup”
　One-click to reflect 4 types of makeup patterns to the face on the screen. Choices are as follows.

1. Natural (natural makeup)

Download Small Image[6.3KB] Download Large Image[267KB]

2. Trend (2016 trendy makeup)

Download Small Image[6.3KB] Download Large Image[267KB]

● “Adjustment of brightness and color of the face” to avoid a unsatisfying appearance of the skin, calibrates depending on the PC camera performance, lighting, color of clothes or background, etc.
● “Correction of skin texture” to naturally blur the visible pores, wrinkles and shadows depending on makeup and lighting
● “Option mode” to control the thickness of makeup around the eyes and mouth

Comments from Shiseido
・Online meetings offer us the ability to deepen communications by talking face to face. We have developed “TeleBeauty”, a tool to smoothly and visually carry out the meeting, hoping to help women work actively with confidence. We also hope that by doing makeup with “TeleBeauty” they will also find the fun in makeup, both online and off.
・The concept was co-created by Shiseido’s Advertising ＆ Design Department, makeup artists, engineers of the makeup simulator and our partner, HAKUHODO Kettle Inc. We finally accomplished the development with the cooperation of Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.

Comments from Microsoft Japan
Microsoft Japan has been supporting customers’ “Work Style Reform” by taking advantages of our Information Communication Technologies (ICT). We have been promoting teleconferencing as a way to help people work actively anytime, anywhere. The way of “working actively anytime, anywhere” has become possible thanks to the flexibility of telecommuting. Adding a new and fun factor to remote connection created by Shiseido’s “TeleBeauty”, we expect that teleworking will become a more stimulating, enjoyable and exciting way of “working more actively” and we hope this will lead to the creation of a new working culture.




For your information:

● About Microsoft Japan’s “Work Style Reform Week 2016 – Telework makes your way of working more active!”
“Work Style Reform Week 2016” is Microsoft Japan’s company-wide event aiming for “the contribution to the promotion of teleworking in Japan”. They divide the concept of teleworking into 3 categories, “practicing”, “learning” and “supporting”, and solicit for collaborating organizations (companies, autonomous communities, incorporated associations, etc.) to successfully carry out the event, which will be held during the period of Monday, October 17 to Friday, October 21, 2016.
https://www.microsoft.com/ja-jp/business/telework/workstyle-innovation-week-default.aspx

● About Skype for Business
Skype for Business is an online meeting service offered by “Office 365”, an integrated information sharing cloud service, which is widely used as an IT infrastructure for teleworking. This is a communication platform equipped with enterprise-grade security, compliance and manageability and provides managing functions on workers’ presence, instant messaging (IM), telephone calls, online meetings and enterprise voice (VoIP) that integrates companies’ infrastructure of internal and external telephone communication. It contributes to the innovative changes of work style at organizations as well as the promotion of teleworking as a communication infrastructure to “work actively anytime and anywhere”.
https://www.skype.com/ja/business/skype-for-business/

* Please note that the information described in this news release is that available at the time of publication and may be different from the latest information.