Nowhere is that trust more fragile or more decisive than with foundation. A mismatch doesn’t just lead to disappointment; it breaks confidence, erodes loyalty, and can cost brands far more than a single return.
That’s why shade matching has quietly become one of the most critical tests of a beauty brand’s credibility.
And it’s where Arbelle’s AI-powered Shade Finder is setting a new benchmark – delivering over 90% consumer satisfaction and driving double-digit growth in conversions for cosnova, Europe’s best-selling colour cosmetics company by volume.
More shades don’t solve the problem – better guidance does
For years, brands believed that inclusivity was a numbers game. Add more shades, widen the range, and the inclusivity box is checked.
But (too much) choice without guidance can still leave customers lost.
The real challenge isn’t offering 50 shades; it’s helping every shopper find their shade with confidence, whether they’re browsing online or in-store.
That’s where Arbelle’s Shade Finder comes in. It combines AI-driven tone analysis with an intuitive virtual try-on experience, guiding consumers to their ideal match in seconds. And doing so with accuracy they can trust.
For cosnova, that meant a leap from uncertainty to confidence, reflected in the results:
● 90% consumer satisfaction with shade matches
● 20% increase in add-to-cart rates
● Over 45,000 consumer sessions analysed for market intelligence
These aren’t vanity metrics. They reflect what happens when a brand stops treating personalisation as a marketing perk and starts treating it as a business strategy.
And underlying this is a simple truth: when customers feel supported in their decisions, they buy with confidence – and keep coming back.
Trust is built on representation, not rhetoric
One of the most persistent issues in beauty tech is bias, often unintentional, but deeply consequential.
Because accuracy alone isn’t enough if technology doesn’t work for everyone.
AI tools trained on narrow datasets risk alienating the very consumers brands are trying toserve. Cosnova understood this and took a different path: from the ground up, the Shade Finder was trained with real, diverse consumer panels, with a particular focus on people of colour.
That decision wasn’t about optics. It was about reliability. Because trust isn’t built by telling consumers you care about inclusivity – it’s built when the technology proves it works for them, too.
Data that drives decisions, not just matches
There’s another layer to this story that’s just as important as the 90% satisfaction rate: the data behind it.
With more than 45,000 consumer sessions analysed, Shade Finder has become far more than a product-matching tool. It’s a source of strategic intelligence.
It can help your brand understand how shoppers in different markets interact with products, which shades perform, and where redundancies exist. That means product launches can be guided by evidence rather than assumptions – cutting waste, refining assortments, and aligning supply with real demand.
From personalisation to performance
The lesson here goes beyond one brand or one solution. Shade Finder’s results underscore a larger industry truth: personalisation isn’t just about delighting consumers – it’s about unlocking revenue that’s otherwise left on the table.
While recommending the right products for each customer, Arbelle’s Shade Finder also builds confidence, fosters loyalty, and gives brands the intelligence they need to grow smarter.
And perhaps most importantly, it makes advanced personalisation accessible to the mass market – not just a premium feature for luxury consumers. That’s a crucial shift in an industry where trust and inclusivity increasingly define success.
For beauty brands, the message is clear: the right technology can do more than help customers find their match – it can transform how they connect, convert, and compete.
See how Cosnova achieved 90% satisfaction and double-digit conversion growth with Arbelle’s Shade Finder. Read the full case study
