SHERIDAN, WYOMING – April 11, 2026 – Shoppers browsing for lipstick, foundation, or eye makeup can now test dozens of Maybelline products on their own face without touching a tester, reducing the guesswork that leads to costly returns and mismatched shades. Maybelline's Virtual Beauty Studio offers an augmented reality try-on experience accessible directly through its website, covering lip, eye, and face categories across a broad range of shades and product types.
How the virtual try-on works
Users can access the tool through three input methods: a live camera feed, an uploaded personal photo, or a selection from a set of pre-loaded models. Maybelline recommends using the live camera in a well-lit room with existing makeup removed for the most accurate shade rendering. Once a starting point is set, users browse product categories and select items to layer onto their image in real time.
A built-in slider allows side-by-side before-and-after comparison, and the tool supports simultaneous comparison of up to four products at once. This means a shopper can place four different lipstick shades on their image at the same time and evaluate them against one another before committing to a purchase. The experience supports both individual product trials and full-face looks combining lip, eye, and face products together.
Products available for virtual testing
The lip category includes the Super Stay Teddy Tint Liquid Lip Tint in 20 shades, the Super Stay Vinyl Ink Longwear Liquid Lipcolor in 20 shades, the Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in 30 shades, and the Super Stay Ink Crayon Lipstick. Eye products available for try-on include the Lash Sensational Sky High Washable Mascara in Burgundy Haze, the Color Tattoo Eye Stix multi-use eyeshadow stick and liner, the Master Precise All Day Liquid Eyeliner in Satin Black, and the Superfluff Brow Mousse in Medium Brown.
On the face side, the Super Stay Lumi-Matte Foundation in 24 shades, the Sunkisser Multi-Use Liquid Blush and Bronzer, and the Instant Age Rewind Eraser Multi-Use Concealer in 20 shades are all accessible through the virtual studio. The breadth of shade ranges — particularly the 30-shade lipstick range and 24-shade foundation lineup — reflects the practical challenge the tool is designed to address: identifying the correct shade without a physical swatch.
AI tools beyond try-on
The Virtual Beauty Studio extends beyond augmented reality try-on into AI-driven quiz and finder tools. The Foundation Finder uses AI to analyze a user's skin tone from their image and recommend a matched foundation shade, removing reliance on in-store assistance or trial-and-error ordering. A separate Mascara Quiz guides users toward a mascara formula based on their lash goals, whether that is volume, length, or definition.
Additional quiz tools include the Babelline Makeup Personality Quiz, which pairs users with a makeup routine suited to their lifestyle, and a Brow Quiz. A Microsoft Teams Virtual Makeup integration is also listed, allowing users to apply virtual makeup appearances within video call environments — an extension of the technology beyond retail shopping into everyday digital communication.
Why it matters
For consumers, the ability to virtually test up to four products simultaneously before purchasing directly reduces the financial risk of buying the wrong shade online. Foundation and lipstick mismatches are among the most common drivers of beauty product returns, and the AI Foundation Finder specifically targets the shade-matching gap that has historically required either in-store expertise or repeat purchases to resolve.
For Maybelline as a US-focused mass-market brand, the tool addresses the structural disadvantage of e-commerce versus physical retail, where testers are unavailable. Shoppers in regions where Maybelline products are sold through online-only or limited-tester retail environments gain access to a comparable pre-purchase experience. The platform also serves users with accessibility needs who prefer remote shopping, offering both model-based and live-camera options to accommodate different comfort levels with self-image use.