Image analysis in the cosmetics sector

Firmer skin, thicker hair? These and other consumer wishes are catered for by various care products, the development of which is usually complex and very expensive. It is vital for market success that the intended effect can be proven and ideally also quantified.

This is where the Visual Healthcare Technologies department at Fraunhofer IGD comes into the picture, providing support based on its many years of experience in the field of cosmetic image analysis. Working with photographs of various body regions of human volunteers, we establish relevant parameters for the determination of skin properties and/or hair growth.

To accomplish this, we use a wide variety of image processing methods and automatically extract measured values such as

• number and depth of wrinkles,
• discolorations of the skin and skin spots,
•  number, density and length of hairs.

Neural networks, classical methods of image processing and statistical procedures provide concrete indicators that objectively describe and verify temporal changes in skin or hair growth. Moving beyond the individual test subject, we also analyze trends within larger study populations and identify, for example, weak and strong responders in relation to a specific care product.

Our services also include the analysis of cosmetic photos taken as part of wider studies and the generation of reports according to customer specifications. Furthermore, we develop analysis software on behalf of our customers, which can then be used in their own R&D departments.