Beauty gadgets: should you believe the hype?

Sales of beauty devices are soaring, but are they a sound investment or a waste of time? amy lawrenson reports on the tech that really delivers…

in 2018, we spent a huge £834.2m on beauty devices – a figure set to grow as advancements in at-home beauty tech continue. ‘ With the rise of smartphones and wearable devices, technology is filtering into all aspects of our lives,’ says Victoria Buchanan, senior futures analyst at The Future Laboratory. These new tools span skincare, body care and make-up, and aim to achieve expert results at home, but it’s key to invest wisely. Laurence Newman, CEO of Currentbody, says, ‘Look for appropriate standards, such as CE and FDA, as there are so many fakes. If it’s cheap there is usually a reason.’ Swerve the gimmicks with our guide to the savviest gadgets…

Be Your own Facialist

Rejuvenate skin with LED The rise of ‘skinfluencers’ means we’re no longer simply cleansing, toning and moisturising. Nowadays, we’re slathering on retinol, cocktailing acids and dosing up on LED ( light-emitting diode) via at-home devices that borrow technology from NASA research. ‘I’m addicted to LED and if you’re unable to get professional treatments, at-home is the next best option,’ says facialist Tarryn Warren. ‘LED activates the mitochondria (energy cells) and wakes up the skin. If you want to heal marks, reduce spots and stimulate collagen for smoother skin, it’s great.’

Simply put, different colours of LED light have different wavelengths, targeting our skin cells at varying depths. Red light comes in an array of wavelengths – amber works near the surface to tackle sun damage, while classic red goes deeper to stimulate collagen production. Blue light, meanwhile, hits just under the surface of the epidermis, killing the bacteria that can form spots. One gadget that uses both red and blue LED is Spectralite™ Faceware Pro, £430, created by New York dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross, who prefers LED blue light therapy over harsh acne-targeting topical treatments, as it doesn’t dry out skin. Used for three minutes every day, you should start to see results after two weeks, with more notable improvements in 10. And you’d be in good company: it’s now a top seller on Net-aPorter, where facial tool sales were up by 189% last year.

Another LED high-achiever is Celluma Lite, £764, which counts Nikki Deroest (Bareminerals’ make-up artist; Rosie Huntington-whiteley is a client) and clinical facialist Kate Kerr as fans. ‘ You need a device that has the power to deliver results. Celluma is one of the few that is powerful enough to do this at home,’ says Kerr. A more affordable option is Project E Beauty LED Photon Therapy, £99.99.

Give your face a workout Kick muscles up a gear with microcurrents that trigger the production of plumping collagen and elastin. Nuface’s original 

device, £315, is prized by dermatologists and its new travel-sized Nuface Zip, £150 (out in April), works similarly by zeroing in on fine lines to lift and tighten. Skin specialist Debbie Thomas is a fan, but says, ‘Before you splurge on a gadget ask yourself if you will commit to regular use of it. The claims made for any device are only achievable if used as directed.’

Prevention better than cure? How about preventing skin problems before they arise? ‘Beauty consumers are seeking out tailored skincare solutions, which is driving the rise of predictive devices. Diagnostic tools give users data specific to their skin, so they can act accordingly,’ explains Victoria Buchanan. The most notable new tool is Foreo’s Luna Fofo, £79, which has two sensors to measure skin hydration, while offering helpful advice via an app.

The future of face masks Neutrogena is putting its money on 3D printing. The brand unveiled its Maskid app at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, with a US launch scheduled for this year. You simply take a selfie, upload it to the app and the Maskid will map facial dimensions to create a bespoke face mask. Split into six zones, it can be customised with five mix and match ingredients, including vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.

Brilliant Body Boosters

Get the needle Beauty Bio’s GLOPRO, £199 – a microneedling device with red collagen-boosting LED – isn’t just for the face. This handy tool has a body attachment, £55, for tackling stubborn areas of loose skin and cellulite. Aesthetic doctor David Jack rates the home dermaroller. ‘It creates a small amount of irritation and mild injury, enough to potentially cause a little collagen deposition,’ he says. The micro channels caused by the roller also allow any serums applied within five minutes of treatment to work deeper and more efficiently.

Target-zone tone-ups Speedy toning is the aim of Sensica Sensifirm, £299.99. Using radio frequency technology, this hand-held device heats up to stimulate skin, activating collagen production and decreasing fat cells. To be effective it does, of course, need to be combined with healthy eating. Beat the bloat If water retention is your bugbear, Body Ballancer is the Rolls-royce of at-home treatments, with a price to match – £5,700+VAT. Slip into the inflatable ski-like trousers and the 24 air chambers inflate and deflate to mimic lymphatic drainage massage, increasing circulation and accelerating the removal of excess fluid. It tackles typical areas of congestion, such as the thighs, hips and tummy, and can be used up to 90 minutes daily. If you need a lottery win before investing, book a treatment at a clinic while you wait for your numbers to come up (from £90 for 45 minutes).

Hair raising If there isn’t much groundbreaking new tech in the world of laser hair removal, that’s because the products on offer are already so effective. The best is probably Silk’n Infinity, £229. Using a combination of galvanic and optical energy, it opens pores, allowing pulses of light to hit the hair follicle more effectively and so permanently remove them. It can be used on virtually all skin tones and hair types (even blonde and red), and takes just 20 minutes to do the whole body.

glam squad superheroes

Swishy hair to go Ghd continues to dish out good hair day vibes with the Glide, £125 – its first hot brush tool that makes smooth styling a doddle. Used on freshly dried or secondday hair, it gives smoother, glossier strands – that still have body – in minutes. The ceramic brush head uses 185°C heat to set your style without frazzling hair.

Shake up your make-up After much petitioning, Clarisonic has launched a foundation brush attachment (£32) for its cult cleansing device. With 18,000 ‘microblends’ a minute, this buffs on your base with airbrushed precision. Load it with liquid foundation, then use circular motions to blend on to your face.

The future is… flawless The Opté Precision Skincare System is like a precision printer for your skin. The device records the exact pigmentation of your skin and pinpoints blemishes, then 120 thermal inkjet nozzles – each narrower than a human hair – deliver tiny jets of customised make-up to seamlessly conceal the marks. No word on the launch date yet,

led heals marks, reduces spots and stimulates collagen for smoother skin. it’s great