When a woman puts on makeup and looks in the mirror, it is as if she is seeing a different person, according to Japanese scientists.

Researchers who teamed up with Japan’s Kanebo Cosmetics Inc said they found a link between makeup and human brain mechanisms.

“It’s only human beings who look into a mirror every morning,” brain scientist Kenichiro Mogi told a news conference. “In addition, they even put makeup on.”

In their study of 17 women in their 20s and early 30s, they discovered that the human brain reacts almost as if the person is looking at a stranger’s face when seeing their own with makeup on, Mogi said.

Kanebo executive Toru Matsuo said: “We are coming to understand how women use cosmetics as a powerful weapon when presenting themselves and in taking a role in society.”