Holding a cellphone, Tong Lingshan puckered her lips and looked closely at the screen. "This one's good," she murmured, while tapping several times.
In just seconds, Tong tried on three lipstick colors, picked her favorite and placed an online order, all thanks to Chinese tech company Meitu.
Established in 2008, the firm has grown into one of the biggest tech companies in China, with its apps installed on more than one billion unique devices.
Meitu's products are all about looking good: a selfie app that removes blemishes and brightens teeth, a virtual makeup app that lets users try on and purchase cosmetics, and cellphones optimized for taking selfies.
"Beauty is pursued by people all over the world," said Wu Xinhong, CEO of Meitu.
The company began its global expansion in 2016 and now has more than 500 million overseas users, with 27 percent of daily active users coming from overseas in 2016.
The BRICS summit will be held in September in Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province, where the company is based.
"The summit will certainly draw more attention from our BRICS partner countries to Xiamen, as well as the city's largest technology company, Meitu," said Wu.
BEAUTY FOR BRICS
In a year and a half, Meitu has built a presence in 25 countries and regions including Brazil, Russia and India, and seven bases outside the Chinese mainland.
BRICS countries are an important part of that global expansion. According to company data, Brazil is its fastest-growing market worldwide, with users surging 800 percent in 2016, and India is its largest market outside of China in terms of users.
"Each market has its own unique preferences in terms of how people want to express themselves through their photos, videos, and personal style," said Fu Kan, a member of the company's global team.
"For example, a woman in India may have a very different definition of beauty, and ultimately is being inspired by different beauty trends, than a woman in Brazil," Fu said.
To localize the user experience, Meitu has a global team of about 100 people -- only three of whom are Chinese -- in 11 countries and regions, according to an August interview with Cai Wensheng, Meitu's board chairman.
Fu and his colleagues work to create local makeup effects, local content including makeup tutorials, and local partnerships with "beauty influencers."
The team has designed sparkly virtual makeup looks for the Brazilian market during Carnival, and colorful cosmetics for Indian users who love to dress in bright colors on important occasions.
Meitu created a lighter version of its apps for India, where many users do not have the bandwidth to install and use heavy apps.
"As the BRICS summit draws near, we are looking forward to sharing our progress and impact in shaping the beauty technology ecosystem in each of the BRICS countries," Fu said.
