iPhone Beauty Apps: Over 7 million downloaded

“Seven to 10 million iPhone or iTouch users have already downloaded a beauty-related app or indicated they are very interested in doing so. And we’re just starting to see big brands get involved, which will be huge,” said Sunil Verma, a founder of Mobclix, a mobile ad exchange network. Download the Face of your Dreams, New York Times, 11/25/09 (article found via Cosmetics Makeovers. Post ranked higher on Google than the NYT article itself)

Brands are all over apps. According to the article they are becoming more utilitarian and part of everyone’s lives. They resonate best with teenagers (14 – 17) but plenty of growth is expected among older woman. Are they really going to become every women’s best friend? Are we going to be innundated with millions of beauty apps like we are with products? Are they the new "micro site"/promo sites for brands? Is this the next must have after a website, Facebook fan page and a Twitter account? I am afraid  yes, yes, yes. Apps are the mobile way of consuming content instead of web browsing. At first I thought it was a fad, but now it is definitely here to stay. The challenge is to create dynamic apps that don’t require too much maintenance like web 1.0 sites used to.

Here is a list of Aps listed in the article: Make up, Sally’s Spa, Return to Beauty, iSurgeon.

Brands with apps: Lancome, L’Oreal Paris, Avon, Mark.

Images: Used in header from NYT article by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times. Mark Get the Look from  DeCare Systems Ireland website.