How Darmé's skin readings work
Last updated: September 29, 2026
Darmé turns one front-facing photo into 16 cosmetic skin readings. This page explains where they come from, what changes them, and what they cannot tell you.
Where the readings come from
The readings are produced by Perfect Corp's AI skin analysis. Perfect Corp reports that it was trained on more than 70,000 images. Darmé sends your photo to Perfect Corp only after you agree, and only for your analysis. Perfect Corp deletes uploaded files within 30 days. Darmé shows the results as Perfect Corp returns them.
Each reading is shown on a scale from 0 to 10. A higher score means the concern is less visible in the photo.
Your face photo is analysed by this dedicated skin-analysis engine, never by a chatbot. Darmé's Coach, which uses OpenAI, receives text only: never your face photo.
What the research says
Two peer-reviewed studies from 2022, by the same team at Wake Forest School of Medicine, tested Perfect Corp's skin analysis app on an iPad Pro:
| Study | Compared with | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cook et al., *Journal of Dermatological Treatment*, 2022 (doi:10.1080/09546634.2022.2127305) | A board-certified dermatologist ranking the same photos on 14 skin characteristics | 69% agreement overall. Highest for redness (83.7%) and wrinkles (81.6%); lowest for oiliness (53.1%). The authors report high re-test reliability |
| Cook et al., *Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology*, 2022 (doi:10.1111/jocd.15434) | VISIA, a clinical facial-imaging system, on 50 dermatology patients | 67.7% agreement on spots, wrinkles, redness, texture and pores |
Both studies were funded by Perfect Corp. They tested Perfect Corp's own app in 2022, and the analysis Darmé uses today may differ from that version. The study summaries describe the re-test reliability as high without giving a figure. Perfect Corp's product page gives 95% test-retest reliability, a measure of how closely two analyses of the same face agree; that figure is Perfect Corp's own.
In plain words: the readings agree with a dermatologist's eye most of the time, and more for some concerns than others. Treat them as a consistent way to track your own skin, not as a dermatologist's opinion.
The 16 readings
| Reading | What it looks at in the photo |
|---|---|
| Fine lines | Visible lines and wrinkles |
| Visible pores | How noticeable pores are |
| Skin texture | How smooth the skin surface looks |
| Breakouts | Visible blemishes |
| Shine and oil | Visible oiliness |
| Radiance | How even and bright the skin looks |
| Under-eye bags | Puffiness under the eyes |
| Dark spots | Spots and uneven colour |
| Dark circles | Darkness under the eyes |
| Upper eyelids | How the upper eyelids look |
| Lower eyelids | How the area under the eyes looks |
| Firmness | Visible firmness |
| Moisture | How hydrated the skin looks |
| Redness | Visible redness |
| Tear troughs | The hollow between the lower eyelid and the cheek |
| Skin type | Oily, dry, normal or combination, by area of the face |
What changes a reading
- Light: dim or coloured light, or light coming from behind you.
- Distance and angle: your face should fill most of the frame, looking straight at the camera.
- What's on your face: makeup, filters and beauty modes, glasses, and hair over your forehead.
- The camera: a different phone can give a slightly different result.
Two photos taken minutes apart can give slightly different readings. That is why the 28-day skin test asks for photos in the same light each time, and why Progress compares only the same reading and the same area of the face.
What the readings cannot tell you
- They describe how skin looks in a photo. They are not a diagnosis, and they cannot tell you why something changed.
- They cannot detect skin disease or tell you whether a mole or a spot is harmful. If a spot changes, bleeds or worries you, see a dermatologist. Darmé's dermatologist finder can help you find one near you.
- A single reading means less than the direction of several photos taken the same way.
Skin tones
The first study above included people of various ages and skin types, but neither study reports results separately by skin tone. Perfect Corp has not published accuracy results by skin tone that we can cite. Until it does, we cannot tell you how much readings differ between skin tones. When we can publish those results, they will appear on this page.
How Darmé uses the readings
- Free: your four lowest readings after a successful analysis. Full access shows all 16.
- The Coach: uses your readings with your answers and the products you own to suggest a routine.
- Progress and the 28-day test: compare the same reading and face area between your photos.
Your photos
Your photos are private to your account. You can delete them at any time, and they are deleted automatically after 3 years without using Darmé. The Privacy Policy explains the details.