The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has brought many groundbreaking innovations to the world, like Chat GPT. But when it comes to truly personalizing user experiences, AI has only just begun to tap into its full potential. In the beauty industry, the newly patented “Skin Atlas” system from Haut.AI is paving the way for a new era of efficiency and innovation in skin analysis, all while safeguarding consumer privacy—an ever-present challenge in AI development.

Last month, Haut.AI, a leader in advanced skin analysis technology, announced it had been granted a United States patent for its Skin Atlas system. The company developed an advanced technology that uses AI to provide detailed skin analysis and personalized skincare recommendations by combining facial image capture with sophisticated algorithms. The technology is unique in that it provides a digital skin analysis with full anonymization, ensuring user privacy. Haut.AI’s technology removes personal identifiers and non-skin-related data from facial images while maintaining analytical accuracy.

“What really sets Skin Atlas apart is its focus on privacy without compromising the quality of analysis,” Haut.AI founder and CEO Anastasia Georgievskaya tells BeautyMatter. “Most traditional skin analysis tools still rely on processing the original, identifiable image, which can raise privacy concerns. With Skin Atlas, we’ve created a solution that anonymizes the image before analysis even begins, removing all identifiable details like eyes, hair, and background while retaining the critical skin-related data.”

Georgievskaya explains that the development of Skin Atlas began when she and her team noticed that processing original images for skin analysis wasn’t as efficient as it could be. Selfies taken by consumers that were being uploaded to AI tools often included irrelevant information like hair or background data, which don’t contribute to the skin analysis, and frequently slows it down. Other technologies run into issues with their AI getting "distracted" by non-skin-related elements, which can introduce biases or interfere with the analysis.

Haut.AI wanted to streamline the process by focusing purely on the skin and removing everything else from the image. According to Georgievskaya, this anonymization actually improves the accuracy of the analysis.

“By filtering out irrelevant information, the AI can focus solely on the skin and its features, leading to faster processing times and more precise assessments,” she says.

Skin Atlas was developed to address consumers' increasing demand for personalization and privacy. “It gives users confidence that their personal data is protected while still delivering top-tier skin analysis, making it ideal for brands that want to offer cutting-edge, privacy-conscious solutions to their customers,” says Georgievskaya.

So, how does Skin Atlas work? Consumers take an image and upload it to the cloud for processing, where Haut.AI’s proprietary anonymization technique strips these facial images of all personal identifiers and non-skin-related data, leaving only the essential skin pixels that the Skin Atlas needs for analysis. The anonymized photos are then analyzed to generate personalized skincare recommendations.

Georgievskaya envisions this technology being applied in the beauty industry in several ways, starting with product development.

“Brands can leverage anonymized data throughout the development cycle—from testing products before launch to monitoring their real-world performance post-launch,” she says. “The anonymization process allows companies to collect data securely and efficiently, potentially reducing the costs associated with obtaining consent for personal data.”

Reducing the cost of product development allows brands to run more studies, generate better insights, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of their products.

Skin Atlas also has consumer-facing applications—specifically for privacy-conscious consumers, which is quickly becoming the norm. Today’s consumers want to know exactly where their data is going and how it’s being used, and they want the brands they support to make data privacy a top priority.

“This technology offers digital skin and hair analysis with full privacy protection, giving consumers peace of mind,” says Georgievskaya. “We believe this added sense of security will drive greater adoption of these tools, enabling brands to gather valuable insights and deliver more personalized and effective products to their customers.”

Skin Atlas’ anonymization method takes several steps to protect consumer privacy. Initially, the technology detects facial keypoints to standardize the image while separating skin pixels from non-skin pixels, which is crucial for accurate analysis. The system then generates photo-realistic skin patterns to fill the non-skin areas, creating a completely anonymized image. At this stage, irrelevant data that could introduce bias or slow down the system, such as hair and background details, are removed, ensuring that only relevant skin information is analyzed. The system uses advanced algorithms to segment and reconstruct the skin regions, enhancing the anonymization's efficiency and accuracy. Once an image is converted into the Skin Atlas format, the technology securely analyzes it with speed, precision, and total privacy.

Building and maintaining consumer trust is one of the biggest hurdles hindering widespread AI adoption. Anonymization of images is one way to make consumers feel more safe.

“When consumers know that their images are being anonymized and that personal identifiers aren’t being shared, they feel more comfortable using digital skin analysis services,” says Georgievskaya. “The more secure consumers feel, the more they are likely to adopt these services, which in turn allows brands to gather more insights and offer better, more personalized skincare solutions. Ultimately, this will help foster stronger consumer trust in AI-powered skin analysis technologies.”

Skin Atlas is a first-of-its-kind technology for the beauty tech industry, but it certainly won’t be the last. The company anticipates its competitors will adopt similar privacy-preserving methods if they want to stay competitive.

“As privacy regulations continue to tighten, brands will need to find solutions that comply with these standards while still delivering the high-quality, personalized experiences consumers expect,” says Georgievskaya. “We anticipate that the success of Skin Atlas will inspire a broader shift in how data privacy is managed across the beauty tech industry.”

Developing this revolutionary technology wasn’t without its challenges. Because Skin Atlas removes important facial features—like eyes, lips, and eyebrows—the company needed to prevent the system from making errors in results.

“To tackle this, we incorporated generative AI techniques to generate skin textures where needed,” says Georgievskaya. “This ensures that even without the usual facial features, like lips and eyes, the skin remains realistic and the system doesn’t make mistakes. It is a breakthrough in maintaining both the accuracy of the analysis and protecting user privacy.”

According to Georgievskaya, Haut.AI has already previewed this technology to several clients and received a "very positive" response. She expects some of the company’s clients to begin using the Skin Atlas technology within the next quarter, with broader adoption continuing through 2025 as more brands recognize the benefits of integrating it into their AI-powered skin analysis apps from Haut.AI.

The development of skin analysis tools like Skin Atlas offers significant opportunities for both e-commerce and clinical skin analysis applications. For beauty brands and retailers, it enables personalized product recommendations without compromising user data. In clinical settings, the technology provides precise skin assessments while maintaining user privacy.

Haut.AI’s emphasis on data privacy is its main differentiator in the beauty tech space, aligning perfectly with the global shift toward stricter privacy standards. As AI continues to evolve, the complex patchwork of state, federal, and international privacy regulations will only grow and expand. In an era where data breaches and privacy concerns are at the forefront for both consumers and brands, this emphasis on protecting data has never been more important. Haut.AI aims to be a leader in this space over the next few years and become a one-stop solution for beauty tech that prioritizes data privacy. The company plans to offer cutting-edge tools for skin and hair analysis that empower brands to deliver hyper-personalized experiences at scale using anonymized processing—without compromising accuracy.

“We believe that the introduction of Skin Atlas will push other players in the beauty industry to reconsider their approach to data privacy, especially in facial analysis,” says Georgievskaya.