Face the Future: Mary Kay’s AI Foundation Finder Poised to Disrupt the Beauty Game

Mary Kay Inc., a global leader in direct selling and skin innovation, announces the launch of its cutting-edge AI Foundation Finder – an intuitive technology designed to help consumers effortlessly find their foundation match, while empowering Mary Kay independent beauty consultants to guide their customers in finding the right match – right from their phones.

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A first in the direct selling industry, this AI Foundation Finder uses advanced artificial intelligence to scan a customer’s face on their mobile phone and provide personalized shade recommendations in just seconds. What sets this AI-powered tool apart is that it is informed by a scientifically developed scale offering an inclusive and nuanced understanding of human skin tones. The technology captures the user's skin tone using their camera and then matches it to the most accurate Mary Kay foundation shade by analyzing the user’s skin tone and the corresponding RGB values of the Mary Kay foundation products¹. Mary Kay holds exclusive rights to the tool, making it a true direct selling industry disruptor².

“AI Foundation Finder fuels our vision to be a beauty disruptor in the direct selling space and beyond,” said Dr. Lucy Gildea, Mary Kay’s Chief Brand and Scientific Officer. “We are pioneering AI shade matching globally, helping consumers meet their foundation match within the diverse range of foundation finishes in the Mary Kay® Flawless Face portfolio. Embracing beauty tech marks a unique opportunity to elevate the category and cultivate our next-generation beauty community.”

The AI Foundation Finder aligns with a rising demand for hyper personalized, tech-enabled beauty solutions amid broader cultural and technological shifts. As the #1 Direct Selling Brand of Skin Care and Color Cosmetics in the World by Euromonitor International for three consecutive years³ in 2023, 2024, and again in 2025, this launch further reflects Mary Kay’s commitment to digital innovation, inclusivity, and empowering our beauty entrepreneurs around the world.

“The launch of our AI-powered Foundation Finder reflects a continued commitment to innovation in personalized beauty,” said James Whatley, Mary Kay’s Chief Information Officer. “By leveraging an exclusive AI technology in the Direct Selling channel, we’re able to provide shade recommendations in seconds, while making the consumer experience intuitive, inclusive, and enjoyable. Our Mary Kay independent beauty consultants will now have a powerful digital partner that elevates their business, enhances customer trust, and reimagines how beauty is delivered in a tech-enabled world.”

The tool is now available in select markets and will be rolling out globally in the coming months. For more information, please visit here.

AI Foundation Finder Highlights:

• Beauty tech: The user’s camera captures real-time tracking of the user’s input video or images with precise detection of 151 facial feature points.
• Inclusiveness: The Mary Kay AI Foundation Finder is based on a proprietary 10-shade scale designed to accurately represent a wide range of human skin tones with inclusivity and precision in mind.
• Performance: In our consumer tests, 83% of consumers expressed that they would be likely to purchase their recommended match. In the Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant (IBC) tests, 100% of the Mary Kay IBCs said they would be very likely to use the tool in their business.
• Access: AI Foundation Finder is integrated into the online shopping experience, accessible from www.marykay.com or through the iCatalog, consumers can easily scan and instantaneously find their foundation match.
• Privacy: The AI Foundation Finder does not store or process biometric data.

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. That dream has blossomed into a global company with millions of independent sales force members in more than 40 markets. For over 60 years, the Mary Kay opportunity has empowered women to define their own futures through education, mentorship, advocacy, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in preserving our planet for future generations, protecting women impacted by cancer and domestic abuse, and encouraging youth to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on X.

1		RGB code stands for red, green, and blue code. It is a color model used in digital imaging and computer graphics to represent colors. Each color is represented by a combination of red, green, and blue values, typically ranging from 0 to 255.
2		Mary Kay Inc. holds the exclusive rights to the tool for the first 12 months from launch.
3		“Source Euromonitor International Limited; Beauty and Personal Care 2025 Edition, value sales at RSP, 2024 data”

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