Learning about yourself — including your skincare and beauty needs — is a life-long journey.
I wanted an easier way to understand my skin and get personalized makeup insights without spending hours at a beauty counter, or money on products I might end up regretting once I walked out of the store.
That’s how I came across Revieve, a software company that uses AI and augmented reality to deliver personalized recommendations for skincare, makeup, hair care and more. The company partners with brands and retailers, integrating its tools into both online and in-store experiences.
How does Revieve use AI?
Revieve is a Finland-based company, launched in 2016 by co-founders Sampo Parkkinen, Gavin Weigh and Samuli Siivinen. Developed with input from dermatologists, it draws on a dataset of five million images and uses computer vision models to analyze your face and skin, then generates personalized recommendations based on that data.
The company’s first AI features initially launched in 2021 and included an AI-powered skincare “coach.” Since then, the company has expanded its offerings to include several AI-powered tools, such as the AI Skincare Advisor, AI Makeup Advisor and AI Foundation Matching, that analyze your skin tone, texture, facial marks and other features using a diagnostic engine that evaluates hundreds of metrics to deliver real-time feedback.
Revieve uses infrastructure like Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to provide a level of detail for its visualization process. I reached out to the co-founders for more information on their AI, but didn’t hear back at time of publication.
How to use Revieve AI for skin analysis
I was bummed that I never got a response after multiple attempts to get in touch with the sales team for a skin and/or makeup demo. That being said, this is how to use Revieve AI based on my experience with one of Revieve AI’s partners, a UK-based health and beauty retailer, Boots, which offers the Boots Skin Analysis tool.
Using Revieve’s technology, the Boots.com site walks you through a wellness and beauty check.
1. Before heading to a partner’s website, make sure your hair is pulled back and there’s nothing on your face such as makeup or glasses. You’ll be prompted to take a short quiz to share more about your skin and your concerns.
2. Grant camera access or upload a photo. I had a really hard time finding a photo of myself without glasses, so I opted for the AI scan of my face. The scanner gave me feedback about lighting and positioning to be able to analyze my face clearly. Once you get three green checks, it’ll snap your photo.
3. Next, the AI scan will analyze across metrics from the image captured or an uploaded photo. This generates an overall score, areas of concern and product recommendations from the partner site. AI also jumps in here to share why certain products may work for you and builds a routine based on the data shared.
4. You can store your AI analysis and rescan later. As your skin changes, the AI updates with you. You can save and track your progress.
While I didn’t get the chance to speak directly with the Revieve team, I gathered insights from the company’s website, partner skin analysis tools and its YouTube videos.
Should you use Revieve?
I think Revieve is similar to a lot of other AI diagnostic tools, particularly in the areas of health, wellness and beauty. It sells its software to other companies to fit into their own customer interactions, rather than building a specific AI tool marketed directly to consumers.
Did I actually learn something new about my skin? Not really. Out of the 16 categories, Revieve’s software gave me an unexpectedly high score (79) in what I’d consider my biggest concern — dark circles — and the two areas I’d marked as “needs help” on my initial questionnaire ended up ranking lower than the rest.
It felt like the analysis was pushing me toward buying its recommended products — something I wasn’t eager to do. Most of the suggestions were drugstore brands I could easily find at any major retailer, and more importantly, I didn’t agree with how the system scored my results.
My takeaway: Revieve’s system seems to lean on positive psychology, offering a confidence boost for so-called “problem areas” rather than an accurate diagnosis — and then steers you toward products tied to what you listed in your initial questionnaire.
I also have no clue where my scanned image ended up. Revieve’s privacy policy states that the selfie is deleted permanently after the user session unless you opt in, and any stored images or data scores are kept securely with limited access within your geographic region.
For something fun and tech-related marketed toward younger generations on social media, I can say it’s a nice-to-have feature. But if you really want to understand your skin, you’re still better off visiting a store and talking to an actual human who can look you in the face.
