Inclusive Beauty Search by Pinterest

On Pinterest, in the past month alone, there were over 120 million searches for hair and over
five billion pins created, related to hair. With millions of people coming to the platform for beauty
inspiration, Pinterest realized an opportunity and responsibility to redefine representation online
for everyone. We spoke with Annie Ta, Inclusive Product Lead at Pinterest to tell us how this AI
(Artificial Intelligence) works.

In August of 2021, Pinterest introduced their latest advancement in inclusive beauty search with
the rollout of “hair pattern search”, a first-of-its-kind technology, created with black, brown and
latin “pinners” in mind, that empowers users to search for hair inspiration across hair types.
Through computer vision-powered object detection, hair pattern search enables pinners to
refine hair searches by six different hair patterns: protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and
shaved/bald.

Pinterest worked with BIPOC creators and pinners like editorial hair stylist and Global Artistic
Director of Amika, Naeemah LaFond to help build and design the product. A champion for
diverse hair representation, LaFond advised on the overall user experience and language used
in the product.

“This new tool will mark a much needed milestone for racial equity in the world of coding. Just
the simple idea that I don’t have to work twice as hard to find a hairstyle because of my hair type
is a game changer. I’m sure that in the coming years we will find ways to even further improve
the process, but I’m excited that with Pinterest we’ve taken one huge step forward”, says
Naeemah LaFond.

Another great Pinterest-exclusive feature allows pinners to refine their beauty-related searches
based on a set of skin tone ranges. Applying this filter updates your search results to show
content that is similar to the skin tone range you’ve selected. Coming soon to Canada, AR Try
On (Augmented Reality) lets you try on lipstick or eyeshadows that match your skin tone using
your phone camera.

Whether you are searching looks for your client or yourself, AI and AR just made it a whole lot
easier!