‘Beauty Tech’ breakdown: These practices are straight from a Sci-fi film

Worth $320 billion in retail sales per year, the beauty industry is not only one of the fastest growing industries but also one of the most resilient.

The last 10 years have seen dramatic technological advancements that have snuck their way into all realms of society, especially in fashion and beauty. When you think about how today’s consumer has a deep need for instant gratification, it makes sense that digitalisation and beauty would team up for the ultimate collaboration – beauty tech.

“One could trace the birth of beauty-tech to as early as the first paint and photoshop apps, however, where it really took off was with the more recent advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR),” explains beauty-tech brand FOREO’s PR Manager for the MEA region, Daria Jelavic.

Technology in the beauty industry is set to develop even more, and besides AI and AR, there are several other therapies and innovations transforming the industry. Jelavic highlights these below:

RF therapy uses low-energy radiation to heat the deep layer of your skin known as the dermis. This heat stimulates the production of collagen to help improve signs of wrinkles and sagging skin. Research has found that RF therapy is usually safe, according to Jelavic, and can be effective at treating mild or moderate signs of ageing for those who aren’t embracing the beauty of the ageing revolution.

 A popular non-invasive skin treatment for acne, sun damage, wounds, and other skin problems. It uses light in the visible spectrum – including blue, yellow, amber, and red – as well as light beyond the visible spectrum to penetrate different depths of skin. As the light wavelength increases, so does the depth of penetration.

A lab in Madrid has begun 3D-printing human skin cells, which should streamline the testing of new beauty products, but in the meantime, the technology is making bespoke beauty and wellness treatments more affordable.

FOREO’s LUNA 3 is the world’s softest facial cleansing brush. It is made of hygienic silicone and features FOREO’s trademark T-sonic pulsations technology. The ‘T’ in T-Sonic stands for transdermal, since these pulsations travel through layers of the skin, stimulate blood flow, and bring oxygen to the surface, while removing impurities trapped within pores. LUNA 3 will remove up to 99.5% of dirt and oil preventing bacteria build-up and leaving your skin healthy and radiant within a few minutes.

One of the latest innovations in beauty, using electricity to promote skin cell growth, the procedure is non-invasive, injection-free, and painless. FOREO BEAR offers the unique, trademark Anti-Shock System – the only tech of its kind to measure the skin’s resistance to electricity and instantly adjust the microcurrent. Microcurrent facials tighten and smooth the muscles and connective tissues in the face by increasing cellular activity, and have been shown to reduce wrinkles, mostly around the forehead area. The treatment uses specific, low levels of electricity to stimulate the muscles, collagen, and elastin in your face, lifting it and making it look more rejuvenated.

FOREO’s UFO 2 delivers a full supercharged facial in only two minutes. It features instant warming to infuse active mask ingredients deep below the surface of the skin (where they work best), quick cooling to shrink pores and reduce puffiness, full-spectrum LED light to diminish signs of ageing and visibly revitalise skin, and T-Sonic™ massage to relax facial and neck muscle tension points while boosting skin’s radiance.

Home IPL hair removal devices apply very gentle pulses of light to the hair root. This makes the hair go into its resting phase; the hair you have falls out, and gradually your body grows less hair in that area. IPL works thanks to a pigment in the hair called melanin; much like a dark sheet on a hot day, the melanin helps the hair absorb the light from the flashes, stimulating it to go into its resting phase, leaving you with smooth, hair-free skin.