This is the Face Age blog, so weigh our column accordingly. We've kept competitor facts to what their own documentation and product pages say, and linked them so you can check. Vendors change units and endpoints often, so open the live docs before you sign anything.
One note on wording. Face Age analyzes visible skin concerns from a photo for shopping guidance. Not a medical diagnosis; does not replace a dermatologist. Some vendors use medical-sounding language on their pages; we don't repeat it here.
Key terms
- Analysis API: an endpoint that takes an image and returns scores or labels. You build everything around it.
- SDK: a package your developers install that renders a ready interface in the browser or app.
- Units / credits: prepaid currency some APIs deduct per successful call.
- QPS: queries per second, the throughput limit on a plan.
- Async task: you submit a job, get an ID back and poll until the result is ready.
Skin analysis API comparison at a glance
| Face Age | Perfect Corp (YouCam API) | Face++ (Megvii) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | SDK with scanner UI, quiz, products, routine, history | Analysis API plus developer tools and a JS Camera Kit | Skin analysis API returning labels and scores |
| Concerns (vendor's own count) | 13 concerns across 250+ attributes, Skin Age | 16+ concerns, 28+ measured readings, 0 to 100 scores | Skin type, eye bags, dark circles, wrinkles, acne, spots, pores and more by tier |
| Product matching | Built in, from your catalog | Optional Product Recommendation add-on | Not part of the API; you build it |
| Billing model | Plans on getfaceage.com/pricing | Prepaid units; cost depends on concerns, SD/HD and add-ons | Free key with shared QPS; pay-as-you-go or QPS plans |
| Free testing | Demo and trial; see pricing | 40 free units | Free API key |
| Install routes | Shopify app, WooCommerce and WordPress plugins, script tag, npm, React, Vue | REST API, sample code, SDKs | REST API; SDK licensing on request |
| Front end you still build | Little or none | Camera, results page, catalog UI | Camera, results page, catalog UI |
Perfect Corp (YouCam API): what the docs say
Perfect Corp sells its Skin Analysis API under the YouCam API brand. The product page lists 28+ readings across 16+ concerns, including spots, wrinkles, texture, dark circles, redness, pores, acne, oiliness, moisture, firmness, eye bags, radiance, skin age and skin type, each returned on a 0 to 100 scale. It mentions an API Playground, sample code, SDKs and a JS Camera Kit for capture.
The unit consumption page for AI Skin Analysis V2.1 explains the billing. You pay in units, and the cost per successful analysis depends on how many concerns you request (four bands, from 1 to 4 concerns up to 13 to 16), whether the image is SD or HD, and whether you add the Advanced Skin Report or Product Recommendation add-ons. Failed tasks don't consume units. The flow is asynchronous: you post a task, receive a task ID and poll until it reports success.
Perfect Corp announced the Advanced Skin Report and AI skincare recommendations add-ons in a blog post dated November 7, 2026. In that post they note that concern-to-product mapping is configured by you, and that you need a catalog only if you use recommendations.
Who it fits: a team with developers who want granular per-concern scores and masks, and who are happy to design the camera screen and results page themselves.
Face++ (Megvii): what the docs say
Face++ is Megvii's computer vision platform. Its Facial Skin Status Analyze page describes analysis of skin color, skin type, double eyelids, eye pouch, dark circles, wrinkles, acne and skin spots, and lists beauty product recommendation as a scenario. The pricing page says every account gets one free API key with shared QPS, and you upgrade to pay-as-you-go or QPS plans as volume grows. SDK licensing is handled through sales.
The Chinese documentation goes further. It splits skin analysis into Basic, Advanced and Professional tiers. Basic covers presence checks (blackheads, acne, spots, eye bags, dark circles, several wrinkle types, skin type, pores by zone). Advanced adds skin tone, skin age and red-zone sensitivity areas. Professional adds more detailed pore, acne and pigmentation readings. The China price list (updated June 6, 2023) quotes a per-call price for each tier in yuan.
Who it fits: engineering teams already comfortable with Face++ for other vision tasks, or teams that want a low-level response and plan to own all the shopper-facing work.
Face Age: what's different about the SDK route
Face Age doesn't hand you a JSON score and wish you luck. The integrations page lists seven install routes: the Shopify app, WooCommerce and WordPress plugins, an HTML script tag, the face-age npm package, and React and Vue components. You drop the scanner in as a section, popup or widget, pass your catalog, and the shopper sees results, matched products and a routine without your team designing those screens.
The analysis covers 13 visible concerns across 250+ attributes, with Skin Age, Skin Health and an Image Suitability Check. Not a medical diagnosis; does not replace a dermatologist. Developers can still get at the data: the SDK exposes the finished analysis and quiz answers in the browser, and webhooks post each completed quiz to your server. Results can also go to Klaviyo, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Omnisend, Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.
The trade-off is control. If you want to design every pixel of a fully custom results dashboard, a raw API gives you more room. If you want a working scan-to-cart flow on a store next sprint, the SDK is less work. Face Age's API and Enterprise plans are on the pricing page; we don't quote them alongside Shopify prices to avoid mixing lists.
How to choose: a practical checklist
Run through these before you book demos.
- Who builds the front end? If nobody on your team owns camera capture, lighting checks and a results page, a raw API turns into a project.
- Where do products come from? Product matching is built into Face Age, optional on YouCam, and absent from Face++. Someone has to own concern-to-product rules either way.
- How is usage counted? Units per concern band, per-call pricing and QPS plans behave differently at volume. Model your expected scans per month against each vendor's own calculator.
- What wording appears on screen? Check that the vendor's default copy fits a retail store. Avoid medical claims in your results UI.
- Where does data go? Ask about retention, where images are processed and what you must disclose in your privacy policy. Our guide to what your store's privacy policy should cover is a starting point.
Should a Shopify store use an API at all?
Usually not. A Shopify store gets the same Face Age features from the App Store app, installed without code, with products read straight from Shopify. Our post on the skin analysis API vs the Shopify app walks through that decision. The API route earns its keep on WooCommerce, headless builds, custom sites and mobile apps.
If you're still at the "which vendor category" stage, our broader AI skin analysis tools comparison covers platforms beyond APIs.
FAQ
What is the main difference between these three skin analysis APIs? YouCam API and Face++ return analysis data your team builds around. Face Age ships the scanner, quiz, products and routine as an SDK.
How are they priced? YouCam uses prepaid units with 40 free test units. Face++ has a free key, then pay-as-you-go or QPS plans. Face Age API pricing is on the pricing page.
Which API is fastest to launch on a store? Face Age, if you want a shopper-facing scan without building UI. Raw APIs give more control but need more front-end work.
Do any of these replace a dermatologist? No. Face Age analyzes visible skin concerns for shopping guidance. Not a medical diagnosis; does not replace a dermatologist.
Can a Shopify store use these APIs? It can, but the Face Age Shopify app has the same features and needs no code.
