Instead of applying liquid or powder to conceal spots or wrinkles, the new technology is based on the idea of wearing a tailor-made sheet produced by a special printer.

Panasonic Corp. is developing what it calls the “makeup sheet,” an ultra-fine film that the company says can mask a person’s skin problems by covering the face with it.

According to the company’s announcement on Dec. 1, a smart “mirror” developed for the makeup sheet system assesses five categories of the skin’s condition such as blotches, wrinkles and transparency with a built-in camera under a light-emitting diode (LED) light.

Within about two minutes of the analysis, the inkjet printer developed for the system prints a sheet up to 10 centimeters square that best matches skin color and the size of wrinkles.

Spraying water on one side of the sheet allows it to be stuck on to the skin, and other cosmetics can be applied on top of it, according to Panasonic. It can be easily removed with water.

Under the project, Panasonic draws on technology used in chips, organic electro-luminescence and other fields.

The company is looking for a cosmetics maker to translate the technology into a marketable product.

“We want to see the makeup sheet become part of our daily life by around 2020,” said Panasonic’s Sachiko Kawaguchi, who is in charge of the project.

Conventional ideas of skin-care products and cosmetics are undergoing transformation in other areas such as “cosmetics garments” that have already hit shop shelves.

Teijin Ltd., a leading fiber maker, announced in November last year that it has developed what it described as the country’s first cosmetics garments designed to keep the skin moist.

The product, named Raffinan, is made of fiber soaked in malic acid.

The company said it keeps the skin in the healthy condition of being mildly acidic by retaining moisture.

Teijin said the Raffinan material retains its ability even if it is washed 50 times or so.

Descente Ltd., a sportswear maker, has rolled out T-shirts and tank tops made of the material since March under the brand name Uroute.