Beeuty vs L'Oréal Skin Genius: App With History or Free Web Scan?

The short answer

Skin Genius is the better choice for a one-time, no-commitment look at ageing signs: it is free, it runs in the browser, and L'Oréal states the selfie is deleted after the analysis. Beeuty is the better choice when you want a broader read (skin type, blemishes, redness, hydration as well as lines), brand-neutral advice, and a history you can compare against.

The deeper difference is the business model. Skin Genius exists to recommend L'Oréal Paris products, and it says so. Beeuty is a free app with an optional subscription, and its routine builder does not sell any brand's products. Neither model is wrong, but it changes what the recommendations mean.

Details below come from the Skin Genius pages on L'Oréal Paris websites and Beeuty's App Store listing, last checked 21 October 2026.

What each tool actually is

L'Oréal Paris Skin Genius is a web-based skin analysis on L'Oréal Paris country sites. You upload a selfie taken in natural light without makeup or glasses, then enter your age, skin type and sensitivity. The tool reports on skin attributes including fine lines, eye wrinkles, wrinkles, firmness, pore quality, pigmentation and radiance, shows strengths and areas of focus, and recommends a routine built from L'Oréal Paris products. The page states that the selfie is not stored and is deleted after the analysis. It is fully free; the business model is product sales. The tool does not describe saving results or comparing scans over time, and it notes that it is not the same as a live consultation.

Beeuty is an iPhone and iPad app (iOS 16.4 or later). One selfie produces a 0–100 skin score, an estimated skin age (Glow Age), skin type, Fitzpatrick phototype, and a face map covering blemishes, pores and texture, fine lines, sun damage, hydration and redness. It then builds a routine by ingredient rather than by brand, offers an ingredient guide and an Ingredient Check that reads any product's label from a photo, and keeps a history of scans so the score trend is visible. Free to download with an optional PRO subscription; analysis photos are deleted after 30 days; results are stated to be cosmetic estimates, not diagnoses.

Side by side

Last checked 21 October 2026. Country availability of Skin Genius varies; the UK and US L'Oréal Paris sites host it.

Where Skin Genius is the better choice

• Nothing to install. It runs in any browser, on a laptop or an Android phone. Beeuty is iOS only.
• Immediate deletion. If you do not want a photo kept at all, even for 30 days, Skin Genius's stated policy is stricter.
• Completely free. There is no premium tier because the product is the product catalogue.
• A big-brand research base. L'Oréal has decades of skin-ageing data behind its attribute definitions, and the tool asks for context (age, skin type, sensitivity) that a single photo cannot provide.
• You like L'Oréal Paris products. If you were going to buy from that range anyway, a routine assembled from it is convenient.

Where Beeuty is the better choice

• Breadth. Skin Genius is an ageing-signs tool. If your concern is breakouts, redness, oiliness, dehydration or simply knowing your skin type, Beeuty covers those; see the acne and blemish map and hydration check.
• History. A single read tells you where you are. A series of reads under the same light tells you whether anything is working. Skin Genius does not describe saving results; Beeuty is built around the trend.
• Brand-neutral advice. Beeuty's routine is organised by ingredient, so you can buy whatever brand you trust, and the Ingredient Check reads any label.
• Phototype and skin type from the photo. Skin Genius asks you to type in your skin type; Beeuty estimates it, which helps if you have never been sure (or take the skin type quiz).
• Guided capture. An app can frame the shot and nudge you toward consistent lighting; a web upload takes whatever you give it.

Who should pick which

Pick Skin Genius if you want a free, one-off look at lines, firmness and pigmentation, you are not on iPhone, or you shop L'Oréal Paris anyway.

Pick Beeuty if you want the whole picture rather than ageing signs alone, you want to see change over an 8 to 12 week routine test, or you want advice that is not tied to one brand's shelf.

Use both if you are curious how two different models read the same face. Take the selfies in the same light on the same day, and remember that neither number is a diagnosis; our guide to how accurate AI skin analysis is explains what a photo can and cannot show.

Looking for a Skin Genius alternative?

The usual reasons people look past Skin Genius are the single-brand recommendations, the narrow ageing focus, and the lack of history. Beeuty answers all three on iPhone and iPad. If you need a browser tool instead, Lumino is a no-install web scanner we cover in our seven-app comparison, with the caveat that its privacy and medical-scope statements are less visible than L'Oréal's.

Whatever you choose, the photo you take has more effect on your result than the model does. Same window, same time of day, bare skin, no filter. The skin score guide covers how to turn that into a trend you can trust.