The new age of beauty is upon us as beauty apps aim to deliver what consumers have been craving in the market: constant and easy-to-access information, personalized beauty and more convenient ways to shop. In just the past month, app developer ModiFace has released three different augmented beauty apps, made in collaboration with big name beauty brands, including L’Oréal’s Matrix, Allergan’s Juvederm and Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty. Consumers no longer have to visit stores to seek out the expertise of salespeople, the information they need is now available at their fingertips, conveniently in the form of an easy-to-use beauty app. Not to mention, apps also allow users to conveniently shop whenever and wherever.

One of the most innovative categories in the beauty app world includes apps dedicated to the easy scheduling and booking of last minute spa, salon, makeup and nail artist appointments at a salon or at home. One example is the popular app, StyleSeat, which matches salon appointments with consumers based on need and style desire in many major cities.

In addition to apps that allow users to virtually try on makeup or hair color prior to investing in the products, there are also a slew of other beauty apps available that are revolutionizing the industry with their forward thinking technologies. For example, there are apps that can diagnose a person’s skin to recommend a personalized skin routine for the user, while there are other apps that can provide recommendations of color cosmetics that would complement a user’s skin color, such as Plum Perfect.

As consumers’ shopping habits continue to evolve with mobile devices, it will be important that marketers embrace and invest in digital innovation, particularly investing in beauty apps. Beauty apps can be a core differentiator when it comes to building brand awareness and loyalty.

In a new report by Kline & Company, Going Digital: Who’s Who in the World of Beauty Apps, 65 beauty apps are analyzed with profiles on the most successful 23, identifying characteristics that make them stand out in the beauty app world. See the above slideshow for a sampling of the apps explored in the report. For information on the report, contact [email protected] or click here.