There are approximately 5.6 million active Shopify stores worldwide as of 2026. Add WooCommerce, Tiendanube, and custom storefronts, and the number of online shops competing for the same buyers is staggering. Meanwhile, 71% of shoppers now prefer interactive try-before-you-buy features over static product images.
The gap between what shoppers expect and what most stores deliver is expensive. Online apparel return rates average 24 to 26%, with luxury and swimwear categories spiking to 50%. Processing a single return can eat up to 65% of the item's original price. And beauty brands report conversion rates of only 3 to 4% on average.
Virtual try-on changes those economics fast. AR experiences can boost conversion by as much as 94%. And the global virtual try-on market hit $15.29 billion in 2026, growing at 26.5% CAGR.
A plugin is the fastest path to those numbers. Unlike a full SDK integration that requires developer resources and months of build time, a well-designed virtual try-on plugin installs from a CMS marketplace in minutes and starts converting the same day.
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A virtual try-on plugin lets online store owners add AR-powered product visualization to their shop without writing code. Banuba, Perfect Corp, and ModiFace are the three vendors most often shortlisted by e-commerce teams in beauty, eyewear, and accessories. Banuba stands out for merchants who need multi-category coverage, self-service product digitization, and native CMS installs across Shopify and Tiendanube with plugins for other CMS' in development.
TL;DR
- This review targets e-commerce managers, store owners, and product leads evaluating which virtual try-on plugin to add to their online shop.
- We compare Banuba, Perfect Corp, and ModiFace on CMS compatibility, product categories, setup complexity, pricing access, and data privacy posture.
- Banuba is the best fit for merchants who sell across multiple product types (makeup, glasses, jewelry, headwear, nails, hair) and want a no-code install with self-service SKU management.
- Perfect Corp works well for beauty Shopify stores comfortable with consumption-based billing.
- ModiFace is limited to brands operating within L'Oréal's partner ecosystem.
What we looked for
We assessed each solution against six criteria tuned specifically for plugin buyers, not SDK developers:
CMS compatibility. Does it install natively on Shopify, WooCommerce, Tiendanube, or other platforms? Or does it require custom code?
Product category coverage. Makeup only, or also eyewear, jewelry, headwear, nails, hair color, and contacts?
Setup and SKU management. Can a non-technical store owner upload products and go live without a developer or third-party asset creation service?
Pricing transparency. Is there a free trial? Is billing clear or consumption-based with variable costs?
Data privacy. On-device processing (no customer data stored) or cloud-dependent?
Deployment reach. Web, mobile browsers, in-store mirrors, or limited to a single channel?
Banuba: the most complete virtual try-on plugin
Banuba's Virtual Try-On Plugin is powered by TINT, the company's AR try-on platform built on top of the Face AR SDK and its patented face tracking engine. What makes Banuba different from its competitors in the plugin space: it was built as a no-code product from the start, not retrofitted from an enterprise API.
How it works
Installation takes under five minutes for Shopify and Tiendanube merchants. The plugin is available directly from the Shopify App Store and the Tiendanube marketplace. While plugins for other CMSs are in development, Banuba's team handles integration for WooCommerce, WordPress, Cafe24, Shoptet, OpenCart, and Wix stores. No coding skills required in any scenario.
Product digitization is self-service. Merchants upload SKU parameters through the built-in Admin Panel. For makeup, you fill in the color, finish, and product type. For eyewear, you upload one picture of the frame. No 3D modeling team, no outsourced asset creation, no delays.
Under the hood
The plugin's rendering quality comes from the same engine that runs Banuba's full SDK stack. Key technical specs:
- Face tracking: patented Face Kernel technology that builds a 3D mesh directly from the camera feed (skipping the standard 2D-to-3D conversion step), with 68 anchor points, 3,308 vertices, and stability even with up to 70% occlusion
- Hand tracking: ring, bracelet, and watch try-on via the hand tracking engine
- Processing: entirely on-device; no customer biometric data is collected, stored, or sent to servers
Product categories
Banuba covers more categories than any other virtual try-on plugin on the market:
- Makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, contour, highlighter, foundation)
- Eyewear and sunglasses
- Colored contact lenses
- Hair color (natural, neon, gradient, per-strand)
- Jewelry (rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets)
- Headwear (hats, bandannas, tiaras)
- Nail polish (matte, glossy, per-finger)
- Skincare effect prediction
Proven results
- Océane: add-to-cart rate jumped from 3% to 32%, sold a month of stock in one week
- Boca Rosa: $900,000 in sales over 4 hours during a pre-launch livestream, 1.7M virtual try-on sessions
- Looké: first AR makeup app in the country, 55,000+ downloads in year one
- Smitten Cosmetics: 50 new salon partners in 3 months, expanded into the UAE and the Philippines
Limitations
- For merchants needing full SDK-level customization beyond the plugin's UI, Banuba offers the Face AR SDK separately.
Perfect Corp: Shopify-native, beauty-focused
Perfect Corp's YouCam Virtual Try-On is a Shopify app that covers makeup and glasses. It carries a "Built for Shopify" badge, signaling compliance with Shopify's integration standards.
What it does well
- Shopify-native install with auto-generated code segments for minimal setup
- Live cam and photo mode for real-time product visualization
- Before-and-after comparison view
- Backed by the YouCam ecosystem
Where it falls short
- Category scope: primarily makeup and glasses. Jewelry, headwear, nails, and hair color try-on are available through enterprise APIs, not through the standard Shopify plugin.
- CMS coverage: the plugin is Shopify-first. WooCommerce, Tiendanube, Cafe24, Wix, and other CMS platforms require API integration, which pulls the experience out of the no-code plugin territory.
- Pricing: consumption-based billing. The pay-as-you-go model starts cheap but scales with traffic, which can produce unpredictable invoices during sales events or viral moments.
Best for
Beauty-only Shopify merchants who need a quick makeup and glasses try-on and are comfortable with usage-based pricing.
Banuba's virtual try-on plugin for makeup in action
ModiFace: enterprise beauty, gated access
ModiFace, acquired by L'Oréal in 2018, is one of the oldest names in beauty AR. The technology powers try-on for Lancôme, Maybelline, Garnier, NYX, and Essie, among other L'Oréal brands.
What it does well
- High rendering quality for lipstick, hair color, and nail polish
- Available across web, iOS, Android, and miniprograms on Meta, Google, and WeChat
- On-device face tracking for privacy
Where it falls short
- Access is gated. SDK and plugin access is limited to L'Oréal partners and enterprise clients. Independent brands, indie developers, and marketplaces cannot self-serve.
- No public CMS plugin. There is no Shopify app, no WooCommerce extension, no CMS marketplace listing. Integration happens through enterprise agreements.
- Beauty-only scope. Makeup, hair, nails, and skin analysis. No jewelry, eyewear (beyond partner-specific deployments), headwear, or accessories.
- No public pricing or free trial.
Best for
Brands inside L'Oréal's ecosystem that need premium beauty rendering and do not need multi-category or self-serve access.
Best Virtual Try-on Plugins Comparison Table
This table is structured around the five universal constraint dimensions plus plugin-specific columns for CMS support, product categories, and UX patterns.
When to pick each plugin
Pick Banuba when you sell more than one product type (beauty + eyewear, beauty + jewelry, or any combination), run your store on Shopify, Tiendanube, or another CMS, want to manage products yourself through an Admin Panel, and need flat pricing that won't spike during a promotional event. The virtual try-on plugin is also the only option here that includes AR mirror support for physical retail, alongside the web.
Pick Perfect Corp when you run a Shopify beauty store with a small catalog (makeup and glasses only), want a recognized Shopify App Store listing, and are comfortable with variable billing that scales with usage.
Pick ModiFace when your brand is already a L'Oréal partner, you need only beauty categories, and you have an enterprise procurement process in place. It is not a realistic option for indie brands or self-serve merchants.
Key variables to weigh:
- Catalog breadth: if you plan to add jewelry, headwear, or accessories later, choose a plugin that already supports them
- Traffic spikes: flat-fee billing absorbs promotional surges; per-call billing amplifies them
- Technical team: if you have no developers, prioritize a true no-code install
- Growth path: Banuba's plugin sits on top of the same engine as its full Face AR SDK, so you can graduate to deeper customization without switching vendors
Reference
Banuba. (n.d.-a). Virtual try-on plugin: AR shopping for eCommerce. https://www.banuba.com/ar-virtual-try-on-plugin
Banuba. (n.d.-b). Océane success story. https://www.banuba.com/blog/oceane-success-story
Banuba. (n.d.-c). Virtual try-on helps beauty brand earn $900,000 in 4 hours. https://www.banuba.com/blog/virtual-try-on-helps-beauty-brand-earn-900.000-in-4-hours
Banuba. (n.d.-e). 50 new salons and 9-figure investment. https://www.banuba.com/blog/50-new-salons-and-9-figure-investment
Charle Agency. (2026, January 28). 50+ Shopify statistics for 2026: Revenue, market share & growth data. https://www.charleagency.com/articles/shopify-statistics/
L'Oréal. (2023, December 20). Discovering ModiFace. L'Oréal Group. https://www.loreal.com/en/beauty-science-and-technology/beauty-tech/discovering-modiface/
Rawshot. (2025, December 20). Online fashion industry statistics — Report 2026. https://rawshot.ai/statistic/online-fashion-industry
Shopify App Store. (n.d.). YouCam Virtual Try-On. https://apps.shopify.com/youcam-makeup-official
Synctrack. (2025, December 18). Ecommerce return rates 2025 data: Guide by category & country. https://synctrack.io/blog/ecommerce-return-rates/
The Business Research Company. (2026). Virtual try-on technology global market report 2026. https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/virtual-try-on-technology-global-market-report
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Start with CMS compatibility. If the plugin does not install natively on your platform, you are buying an integration project, not a plugin. Next, check product category support: a makeup-only plugin will not help if you add glasses or jewelry next quarter. Finally, clarify the pricing model. Flat-fee plans protect margins during traffic spikes; per-call billing does not.
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Three models exist. Flat-fee plans charge a fixed monthly or annual rate tied to your plan tier and product categories, with no cap on the number of shoppers who use it. Consumption-based pricing bills per API call or active user, which is cheap at low volume but scales linearly. Enterprise annual licenses are negotiated privately and are not publicly available.
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For Shopify merchants expecting growth or planning promotional events, Banuba's virtual try-on plugin is the safest bet. The flat-fee model absorbs viral traffic without surprise costs. The plugin powered 1.7M try-on sessions in a single 4-hour event for Boca Rosa without per-session charges.
