Applications
Lakmē introduces an AR & AI-powered virtual tool – DefineU
Mumbai: The House of Lakmē, India’s first and largest makeup and skincare brand, has partnered with Perfect Corp, leading AI and AR beauty and fashion technology provider, to introduce DefineU – an innovative and personalised virtual makeover experience for its customers using the MultiSlayer Sticks. Through this groundbreaking collaboration, the brand offers an immersive and customized journey for its consumers by harnessing technology to revolutionize beauty.
MultiSlayer Sticks help in eliminating a time-intensive, multi-step make-up routine with a singular, gender neutral product in stick form. These sticks are in two variants – MultiSlayer Cover Sticks, ft. six shades of foundation in a stick and MultiSlayer Face Sticks ft. 11 shades of blush, highlighter, and contour. For anyone looking for a lifted, snatched or a sculpted look, the MultiSlayer Sticks makes definition easy with DefineU, available on www. Lakmēindia.com.
The tool provides beauty enthusiasts with an unparalleled level of engagement, redefining the way they explore and experience products. With Face Analyzer technology, DefineU scans a user’s face and identifies their unique face shape with precision and accuracy. Leveraging this insight, the tool recommends the perfect makeup look tailored to the user’s unique features. This expertise is further enhanced by Virtual Makeup Try-On technology, allowing consumers to virtually sample the Lakmē MultiSlayer Sticks and their shades in real-time.
Since its launch at Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI in March 2024, DefineU has offered an immersive and engaging experience. In a short span of time, the AR-powered interface has witnessed an adoption rate of 11 per cent, with the average time spent on the platform being 2 minutes and 22 seconds. Over 100,000 visitors have since then used the AR-powered interface to recreate beauty looks using the Lakmē MultiSlayer Sticks, customized to their face shape.
Commenting on the partnership Lakmē VP Sunanda Khaitan said, “The House of Lakmē has always been a trendsetter. This time around as we debut an innovation in beauty tech with DefineU, we are aiming to change the way consumers approach beauty, by creating high performance and effective solutions. Complemented by our game changing Lakmē MultiSlayer Sticks, one can now participate in a comprehensive beauty experience at the intersection of product and technology to express themselves. We have engaged Perfect Corp.’s state-of-the-art AR and AI technologies to bring this to life.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Lakmē, one of the most iconic and loved brands to help enable a personalized, seamless, customer-centric shopping experience for users.” said Perfect Corp country head, India Tanuj Mishra. “Leveraging the power of AR, we’ve created DefineU, a groundbreaking virtual try-on tool. This collaboration brings cutting-edge technology to the forefront, empowering consumers with a beauty experience that surpasses expectations and sets new standards in the industry.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
