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HPC Today vol. 15(3) 202046
A CHANGE IN PARADIGM
Covid-19 has changed the way we live our lives and the
beauty industry is no exception to its impact. With consumers
spending more time at home than ever before, many large
cosmetic companies are reporting a huge decline in sales.
(1) The habit of applying make-up before a busy day has
substantially reduced, as more people work from home with
less critical need to look professional. Going out in public
frequently involves wearing a face mask, a not very appealing
adornment, and lip products have lost their “raison d’être,”
as the lower half of the face is covered. (2) Even applying
foundation is becoming more redundant, as imperfections are
less visible to the eye of the others and transfer to face masks
is cumbersome.
As consumers stockpile essentials to get them through
the Covid-19 crisis, the reality is that make-up and beauty
products are simply not on the list. This was clearly outlined
by the shift in sales observed at Amazon and the purchase
intent of consumers surveyed in several markets (4). Job
losses and wage cuts have left consumers with less income
for luxuries and there is less temptation to buy with no chance
to try the product in store. (5) Trends show that a natural
look is favoured over a full-face of make-up, as
consumers adapt to the ‘new normal’ with not
much more than a swipe of mascara.
While all this is true, there is another consideration
– the use of make-up during a pandemic can give
a sense of control during a time of uncertainty. The
positive impact of wearing make-up is also well
documented, recognised to increase condence
and boost the mood of the consumer. These
attributes are much needed in times of crisis and
can bring a sense of control which should not be
overlooked. (6)
In contrast to the use of make-up, the popularity
of video conferencing has sky-rocketed during
the Covid-19 pandemic. Video communication
platforms such as Zoom reported a spike of 200 million users
in March 2020 versus only 10 million users in December 2019.
(7) Global companies have turned to these platforms to keep
their businesses alive and virtual business meetings are now
the ‘new normal.’
Virtual business meetings held on Zoom or Microsoft Teams
can be considered the new windows to our “corporate world,”
but can these new working environments genuinely transcribe
the vibrant colours of make-up?
INFLUENCE OF MAKE-UP ON GAZE DURING VIRTUAL
MEETINGS
Previous investigations have reported correlations between
the duration of xation and attractivity using eye-tracking
technologies with photographs (8,9). With the aim to probe
the relevancy of make-up in the new context of working from
home with online platforms, we conducted a pilot exploratory
investigation using an eye-tracking device. Three viewers,
not aware of the scope of the experiment, took part in virtual
meetings on two occasions where their eye movements were
recorded. Figure 1 illustrates the overview of the experiment
MAKE-UP
Role of make-up in the context of Covid-19?
CYRIL MESSARAA, MICHELLE MANGAN, MICHELLE CROWE
Oriflame Research and Development Ltd, Bray Business Park, Kilruddery, Co.Wicklow, Ireland
Keywords:
• Covid-19,
• make-up,
• claims,
• attractivity
• eye-tracking
Abstract:
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on both make-up sales and traditional business set-up. With virtual
meetings becoming the new norm, a pilot exploratory investigation was conducted to probe the relevancy
of make-up whilst working from home via online platforms. An eye-tracking device was used to record the
time viewed (seconds), fixation (frequency) and revisits (frequency) of the audience on models wearing
make-up or not, during video calls. Results showed that an increase in gaze can be conveyed by a
webcam whilst wearing make-up, which can lead to heightened attentiveness from the audience. The
application of lip colour seemed to catch the attention of the gaze earlier and to divert audience attention
downwards from higher areas of the face. Opportunities to revamp claims for colour cosmetic products
following the impact of Covid-19 is also discussed.
Figure 1. Overview of the experiment set up.
47HPC Todayvol. 15(3) 2020
MAKE-UP
areas of the face. Results
also indicate that make-
up could, in theory, attract
and divert attention from
unwanted items, as it has
been demonstrated in
previous investigations
on visible imperfections
or skin unevenness
(10,13). By emphasising
the eye and lip area or
covering undesirable skin
features using colour
cosmetics, the audience
is more likely to focus
their attention on more
appealing face features.
An advantageous feature
of online meetings
is their ability to be
recorded, as a new way
to take minutes and keep track of what was discussed.
In such context of “immortalising” our online appearance
and behaviour, to appear as the best version of ourselves
should prevail. With increased report of “Zoom fatigue” – or
tiredness from the lack of nonverbal cues in online meetings
(14) – applying make-up may not sound as trivial and may be
regarded as a small extra step to further bridge the gap with
real-life interaction.
OPPORTUNITIES TO REVAMP PRODUCT CLAIMS
Despite the negativity surrounding make-up sales during
Covid-19, the pandemic brings a new wave of opportunities
for companies to upgrade product communication. With the
increase of wearing face masks in public, the need for transfer-
proof performance is now critical for consumers. One quick
way to solve this problem is the use of setting sprays which
instantly guarantee a long-lasting make-up effect. Will there
now be a rise in the sales of setting sprays to help prolong the
wear of make-up?
set up and flow. The computer with the eye tracker set up was
controlled remotely by the operator in order to have only one
person facing the computer (the viewer) for social distancing
purposes.
As outlined in Figure 2, the application of foundation, mascara
and lipstick led to a boost in viewed time, frequency of xation
and revisits in comparison to a bare skin condition. These
results imply that the increase in attractiveness imparted by
colour cosmetics can – to some extent - be conveyed by a
webcam and thus lead to heightened attentiveness from the
audience during virtual business meetings. Similar ndings
were shown using an eye-tracking approach before and after
make-up application, though on a more conventional set
up using photographs (10). At a time when maintaining the
attention of the audience
is more challenging than
ever, make-up could,
beyond mere condence
boosting (11), have a
new reason to justify its
use during the Covid-19
crisis or in more general
remote working routines.
When looking at the
lip area specically,
results indicate that the
audiences’ rst gaze
onto the lips occurred
ten seconds earlier on
average when wearing
lipstick versus bare
lips. This suggests a
particularly “catchy”
visual effect of red
lipsticks through the
lens of the webcam, as
outlined in gure 3 below.
As lipsticks are usually the most vibrant colour cosmetics
applied to the face, results indicate that this effect can likely
be genuinely transcribed via webcam, at least for red shades.
This could place greater importance on applying make-up
with vibrant colours to the face over nude colours, as the latter
would be hardly visible through a webcam.
Figure 4 below outlines the distribution of
audience gaze before and after application
of make-up on the two models. In both
cases (before and with make-up) the
flow of gaze remained the same, with the
audience focusing primarily on the eye
area before shifting gaze to the nose and
nally lips. This typical distribution of gaze
echoes existing ndings on photographs
from the literature (10,12). However, the
application of make-up induces a broader
distribution of gaze, with eyes remaining
the primary area of focus though with a
higher interest in the nose and lips area,
compared to a bare skin condition. The
application of lipstick seemed to ‘drag’ the
gaze downwards with less focus on higher
Figure 2. Mean make-up gain
adjusting for viewer preference and
the other model. Results shown
for time viewed (seconds), xation
(frequency) and revisits (frequency).
Gain normalised over a length of 60
secs. The error bar represents one
standard deviation.
Figure 3. Mean make-up gain
– specically on the lip area -
adjusting for viewer preference and
the other model. Results shown
for rst gaze (seconds), xation
(frequency) and revisits (frequency).
Gain normalised over a length of 60
secs. The error bar represents one
standard deviation.
Figure 4. Total time viewed (sec) shift from the eye area towards other areas observed before
and after application of make-up.
48 HPC Today vol. 15(3) 2020
Cyril Messaraa holds a Master in Cosmetic
Science by apprenticeship from the ISIPCA
and the University of Versailles, France.
He joined the clinicial testing facility of
Oriflame Research and Development in 2014 where he
began project managing in-vivo clinical studies alongside the
implementation of new methodologies.
Michelle Mangan is an expert in claims
substantiation and scientic communication
for colour cosmetic technologies. Michelle
researches and translates the science
behind colour cosmetic products to create
innovative product stories and claims for
next generation NPD launches. Michelle is particularly
passionate about social media and is inspired by viral trends
and sharable content.
Michelle Crowe has worked in the cosmetics
industry for over 15 years and is an expert
in formulation development across all key
colour formulation technologies, especially
lips. Michelle is passionate about developing
new products, looking at latest industry
trends and of course developing incredible new shades.
Her drive for creating cosmetics is to blend science and
innovation with colour to create amazing new products.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Article/2020/04/20/L-Oreal-Q1-2020-results-down-4.8-during-
coronavirus (last checked on June 8th 2020)
2. Japan lipstick sales fall as PPE masks become essential item:
https://www.globalcosmeticsnews.com/japan-lipstick-sales-fall-
as-masks-become-essential-item/ (last checked on June 8th 2020)
3. Goodbye lipstick effect, hello mascara index – how Covid-19
may have changed the beauty landscape for good: https://www.
globalcosmeticsnews.com/goodbye-lipstick-effect-hello-mascara-
index-how-covid-19-may-have-changed-the-beauty-landscape-
for-good/ (last checked on June 8th 2020)
4. How COVID-19 is changing the world of beauty, McKinsey &
Company May 2020 report.
5. Makeup sales take a hit as interests shift in the work-from-home
era: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/09/business/makeup-sales-
decline-coronavirus/index.html (last checked on June 8th 2020)
6. Why it’s totally ne to wear makeup during a pandemic: https://time.
com/5816846/coronavirus-makeup/ (last checked on June 8th 2020)
7. How Zoom became so popular during social distancing: https://
www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/how-zoom-rose-to-the-top-during-
the-coronavirus-pandemic.html (last checked on June 8th 2020)
8. Fink B., Matts P.J., Klingenberg H., Kuntze S., Weege B. and Grammer
K. J Cosmet Dermatol, 7(2), 155-161 (2008).
9. Leder H., Mitrovic A. and Goller J. i-Perception, 7(4), 1-12(2016).
10. Cul G. J Am Acad Dermatol, 62(3), poster abstracts (2010)
11. Nash R., Fieldman G., Hussey T., Lévêque J.L., Pineau P. J. Appl Soc
Psychol, 36, 493–504 (2006).
12. Chelnokova O. and Laeng B. J Vis, 11(13), 27(2011).
13. Murakami-Yoneda Y., Hata M. , Shirahige Y. , Nakai K. and Kubota Y.
(2015). J Chem Dermatol Sci Appl, 5, 134-14 (2015).
14. The reason Zoom calls drain your energy: https://www.bbc.com/
worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-
exhausting (last checked on 11th of June 2020).
Although transfer-proof claims are
common amongst foundations or BB
Creams, other product types will also
have to adapt. This will particularly
relate to the development of lipsticks
which traditionally transfer easily to
other substrates e.g. when drinking
from a glass.
Long wear claims have been considered
a must-have for many years, especially
in hot or humid climates where face
products are prone to melting or fading.
This will not change following the
impact of Covid-19, but there is some
room for advancements in terms of
product efcacy and communication.
Instead of ensuring that face make-up
lasts over long periods of time, the story
can now encompass long wear with the
use of face masks. Loss of coverage or fading around the mouth
or nose area will not be a desired look and consumers will not
want to touch-up their make-up every time they wear a mask, as
shown by gure 5 with masks worn for a period of 30 minutes
with bare skin, regular make-up and transferproof make-up. It
could be worthwhile to communicate that these products will not
stain textiles, as many consumers have turn to home-made face
masks to combat the global shortage.
Another opportunity lies in the eyelash and eyebrow make-
up products segment. Whilst wearing a face mask, the eyes
stand as the most visible features of the face, as the lower half
is completely covered by a mask. This gives companies the
opportunity to become clever with their product communication,
emphasising the impact or intensity of these products.
CONCLUSION
The preliminary data outlined in this article fuels ideas on
how make-up can reinvent its purpose as part of a working
from home routine, with increased visual attention from the
audience during virtual team meetings. Furthermore, a shift in
the area stared at seemed to occur following the application
of make-up and suggests that lipsticks in particular may have
a “catchy” effect upon gaze and drag the attention of the
audience towards the lower part of the face during video calls.
It is yet to be determined whether companies will go one step
further and coin new communication phrases in reference to
Covid-19 or working from home routines. Will we see the rise of
‘mask-proof’ claims or will all new make-up launches be ‘webcam
tested’? There is a clear opportunity to reignite make-up sales
through novel consumer benets and engaging communication
where “Beauty also lies in the webcam of the beholder.”
REFERENCES
1. L’Oréal Q1 sales shrink: Makeup ‘most affected’ whilst haircare
and actives bloom: https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/
Figure 5. Face mask prior
application of make-up (top),
after wearing regular make-up
with no transfer-proof benets
(middle) and after wearing
make-up with transfer proof
benets (bottom).
MAKE-UP
