Pinterest launches ‘inclusive beauty search’ for hair types

Pinterest has launched an “inclusive beauty search” feature that enables users to search for hair inspiration with Black, Brown and Latinx people in mind.

Through “computer vision-powered object detection”, the hair pattern search enables people to refine hair searches by six different hair pattern types: protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and shaved/bald.

Over the coming weeks, Pinterest said its users, known as Pinners, can search for a broad hair term like “summer hairstyles”, “glam hair”, or “short hair” and narrow their results by selecting one of the six hair patterns to find hair inspiration that is most relevant to their style and preference.

Pinterest has detected a hair pattern (e.g. coily, curly, protective) in over 500 million images on its platform.

This new technology builds on Pinterest’s industry-first inclusive product feature skin tone ranges first launched in 2018.

Pinterest’s Head of Inclusive Product Annie Ta said: “Our mission on the Inclusive Product team is to help everyone feel like Pinterest is a place for them. As a visual discovery platform, we have an opportunity and responsibility to do a better job of increasing representation in the products we build.

“That’s why we built hair pattern search using computer vision technology to help identify hair patterns in images. By doing this, we hope we’re able to use technology for good and make it easier for people, no matter who they are, to find hair inspiration for them on Pinterest.”

Pinterest’s Inclusive Product team, which is meant to bring fairness to AI, worked with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) creators and Pinners like Editorial Hair Stylist and Global Artistic Director of Amika, Naeemah LaFond to help build and design the product.

LaFond advised on the overall user experience and language used in product alongside NXTLAB who ensured the inclusion of a diverse set of users and perspectives in the development process.

Hair pattern search is available in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and on iOS and Android and will roll out to international markets over the coming months.