The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
Will the new Chanel Lipscanner app change the way we shop for make-up?
The new software allows you to scan any item around you in order to find a corresponding lipstick shade, but how accurate is it? We put it to the test
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Online shopping is nothing new, but when it comes to make-up, the pandemic has completely changed the way we shop.
As we can no longer head to a beauty counter or play with samples on the shelves at Boots, buying beauty bits such as a foundation that matches your skin tone exactly or the perfect nude lipstick can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Especially if you feel you’re always in-between shades, or can’t quite figure out your undertone. One of the biggest problems with make-up shopping online is that if the colour or shade doesn’t work for you, returning it is often not an option, so you’re stuck with something you’ll never use again.
Read more: We tried the Il Makiage foundation to see if it’s worth the hype
However, some of the world’s biggest cosmetic brands have invested in specialist technology that allows you to try on products without ever leaving the sofa.
Mac, Maybelline, Charlotte Tilbury and Bobbi Brown, to name a few, all have virtual try-on services, some with just lipsticks, others across foundation, eyeshadow and highlighting products too. It typically involves uploading a picture to their website or using your webcam to try on different shades in real-time with the help of artificial intelligence.
Chanel is the latest brand to get in on the AI action, having created its debut Lipscanner app. It features a colour scanner that allows you to find a lipstick shade from the brand’s 400-plus collection, simply by scanning shades, pictures or even nature around you using your phone, before virtually trying it on to see how it suits you and adding it to your shopping basket if you’re a fan.
We loved the idea that you could scan your favourite bag, flower or book and find the corresponding lipstick shade. And if you’ve ever spotted someone in a magazine wearing what looks to be your dream lip colour, without knowing what it was they were wearing, this app could solve your woes.
It’s not the first of its kind, however. US-based app Flawless by Mime operates in a similar way, identifying shades from a picture you upload and then recommending various make-up products such as nail polish or lipsticks from a variety of brands.
You can read reviews from other users who have tried it, and it will recommend a retailer to shop with, however, unlike Lipscanner, it doesn’t offer a virtual try-on service.
As an industry leader in luxury beauty, a Chanel lipstick is certainly an investment, costing upwards of £30, so if you get it wrong, it’s a costly mistake. We’re hoping this new Lipscanner app will ensure you can still enjoy make-up shopping in a pandemic and get it right every time.
Ahead, we breakdown exactly how the innovative technology works and just how accurate the colour-matching tool is.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Chanel Lipscanner app: Download for free on Apple store
How does it work?
Put simply, the French beauty brand has created a recognition engine that allows you to scan anything around you – it could be a pair of shoes, nail polish or a bouquet of flowers – and it will suggest the closest shade of Chanel lipstick that matches it.
If it’s an item that has more than one shade, there’s a colour-picking feature that allows you to select the exact shade you’re looking to match, before it analyses it and recommends a lipstick.
Rather than just presenting you with one lipstick that matches what you’ve scanned, it suggests two or three finishes – matte, satin, metallic or gloss – depending on what that shade is available in.
You can then use the virtual try-on setting to test it on your lips and take a selfie with a three-second countdown, which you can share with friends, on social media or save to your camera roll.
If you’re happy with your match, you can then shop the lipstick in your preferred finish direct via the Chanel website.
According to the brand, “The app offers an intuitive, seamless and rapid experience, enabling users to scan any colour and visualise Chanel’s interpretation on themselves.”
It’s a cleverly designed app that reportedly took months of development to create an algorithm that could work on thousands of different facial images and take into consideration skin tone and lip shape. Future lipstick product launches will also be added to the app, which will be continuously updated.
How accurate is it?
Once you’ve downloaded the app, navigating your way through is easy. As soon as you open it the camera is on and it encourages you to take a photo or choose one from your library.
Firstly we scanned a bouquet of faux flowers that have a vibrant orange rose that’s vivid but hard to imagine in a flattering lipstick shade.
In less than a second it analysed the photo, before telling you to tap the screen to select a colour, we chose the darker outside petal shade, which is a marmalade orange.
It then takes you through to a matte, satin or glossy lipstick that was spot on, complete with shade name and number. Simply click try it on and it opens up your camera ready for a selfie.
The try-on feature is our favourite, it’s fun to play with different colours and while the picture quality isn’t as good as our usual iPhone camera, it gives a very accurate depiction of what the lipstick would actually look like on your lips.
It fits exactly to your lip shape and just looks like you’ve applied it in person. When we tried out the different finishes, it does a stellar job at representing a gloss, satin or matte finish.
We also loved the added detailing with the try-on feature that meant as you moved around, smiled, opened and closed your mouth, the lipstick moved with each movement too, which added to its likeness of wearing the actual product.
Along with the flowers, we also scanned our current favourite nail polish, Nails Inc “caught in the nude tulum beach” (£8, Feelunique.com) which is a glossy brown, and again it brought up a near-exact match, which looked amazing as a glossy lip, and a shade we’ve never have found on our own.
Other items we scanned included a baby pink drawstring bag, which is a shade that’s tricky to master as it can often make you look washed out. When we tried on a satin version of the shade, it wasn’t a colour that worked well with our skin tone, but knowing that and not buying is just as helpful as finding a shade that works.
The verdict: Chanel’s Lipscanner app
We’re bowled over by the ingenious design and accurate colour matching Chanel has perfected. Just as it says, it’s a seamless, quick experience and is a useful and playful way of experimenting with shades you’re unsure of.
Obviously, you are restricted to Chanel lipstick matches, and it can’t identify more unique colours, such a bright green plant leaf, as it doesn’t have a lipstick in that shade, but if you’re looking for a new nude, pink, red, orange or purple, it’s ideal.
Overall it’s so helpful to decipher between two similar shades, or if you’ve yet to find a colour that matches exactly your favourite accessory or piece of jewellery. It’s particularly useful as Chanel lipsticks have a luxury price tag, so if you’re umming and ahhing or dying to buy your first ever lipstick from the brand, this is the best personal shopping assistant you’ll find.
To see the app live in action, head over to our IndyBest Instagram page