Cosmetic firms make products to be selfie-ready

For years CoverGirl has checked the performance of its foundations in different lighting — in bright sun or under the fluorescent bulbs of an office, for example. Recently, the company added another test for its makeup — the iPhone challenge.

"We've got one type of consumer who is constantly taking pictures, and what really matters to her and her social group is how she looks in a selfie," said Sarah Vickery , CoverGirl's principal scientist. "It's something we really have to pay attention to."

Most makeup companies have products that play with light, offering photo finishes or airbrush effects that claim to make wearers camera-ready. But a handful of brands are beginning to design and tweak their wares to stand up to the specific challenges of phone photography -among them, that a flash can make foundation look white, or that in daylight selfies, cool colours can look warmer.

Warmer may sound better, but cool shades are more flattering on some complexions and can make teeth look whiter. "We don't see this as just a passing fad," said Lisa Lamberty, vice president for global and regional colour cosmetics at Avon, which has also begun to look for benefits it can offer the selfie genera tion. How makeup looks on social media can radically affect its sales. On the strength of an Instagram post by Dose of Colors featuring its Black Rose liquid matte lipstick, the funky beauty store chain Ricky's NYC "sold every last piece in a matter of days," said Richard Parrott, the president of Ricky's. He scours Instagram daily, looking for new brands to stock. Last month, Ricky's opened Hashtag (it uses just the symbol) in SoHo, which exclusively sells the company's Instagram beauty discoveries.

For brands in this game, the focus is on foundation, which can cause the biggest selfie fails. In July, CoverGirl introduced its Outlast Stay Luminous Foundation, the first product it tested using an iPhone 5 and 6. Scientists spent nearly two years cycling through 43 iterations of the product before settling on the final version.

Why so many? Even before you factor in the selfie challenge, foundation is considered the toughest makeup to formulate. Every shade is a delicate balance of four pigments: black, white, yellow and red. At Smashbox, a brand born in a photo studio, researchers are at work on a foundation and a bronzer they hope will look good in every light, said Jill Tomandl, VP for product development and innovation.