Japan firm rolls out smile-rating app

How do you know if you've got that winning smile? There's an app for that.

Japanese cosmetics firm Shiseido says it has come up with a system to rate a person's smile by measuring facial movements.

Users look into a tablet device with the app, and it gives them a reading on the quality of their smile on a scale of zero to 120.

The app can also tell them how their smile is seen by others in various categories— trustworthy, elegant, attractive, beautiful, positive, friendly and lively.

"But even if you have a 120 rating smile, it doesn't mean it's the best smile," a company spokeswoman told AFP.

"For instance, a smile could be perceived as more elegant even when the overall rating is 80."

Starting from July, Shiseido will start testing the app on 5,000 Japan Airlines flight attendants, who will use it daily for several months.

Their feedback will be used to improve the app, which Shiseido is targeting at the hospitality industry.

Details about possible pricing have yet to be decided, the spokeswoman said, adding that it could be launched commercially as early as next year.