by Beauty tech has fast become a leading trend over the past year or so. When beauty salons and spas were forced to close down because of the pandemic, women were left with no other choice than to find alternative solutions to the beauty treatments they had become so accustomed to. Of course, the beauty industry immediately jumped into action, with beauty brands realising just how much potential at-home beauty tech had to offer. For the consumer however, there are concerns about how much it might cost, how easy the technology is to use, and whether it gives the results they’re after?
In this article, we want to take a look at the developments that have emerged in the beauty tech industry and answer some of those key questions for you. After all, it’s Mother’s Day soon, and as a mum myself I know how essential a good bit of skincare kit is to help hide those tired eyes, brighten dull skin, and to just generally make you look and feel as though you’re more than ‘just a mum’. So, come with us as we dig deeper into the beauty tech gadgets that are taking your skincare regime next level.
What Is Beauty Tech?
First things first, let’s take a look at what beauty tech actually is. In basic terms it is exactly as the term suggests… beauty technology. As in technology that assists you with an element of beauty, whether that be skincare, makeup, hair care or personal care etc. this is next level beauty.
Beauty is very much a personal thing. We all have different ideas of what beauty means to us and likewise we all have different beauty needs. Skincare in particular is very much a personal thing, and from my own personal experience I know how much trial and error there can be in trying to find products that suit my skin, which can get very costly.
These days self-care and beauty regimes are more than creams, lotions, and supplements. Advancements in technology mean that we can now use high tech gadgetry to personalize our entire beauty experience, and that is super exciting. Just take a look at some of these incredible innovations:
- Personalized Facial Treatments – The Luna 3 by FOREO Sweden is a beauty tech gadget that allows the user to personalize their skincare through the use of an app and a T-Sonic facial cleansing brush and firming massager. This 2-in-1 device both cleanses your face while at the same time diminishing fine lines and other signs of aging. The FOREO app gives you access to facial massage techniques and a guided cleansing routine, making it feel like you have the skills of a professional at your very own fingertips.
- Virtual Make Up Sessions – Visage Technologies have developed their beauty tech to include FaceTrack, a precise face-tracking technology that tracks 99 facial points in real time. What this results in is an almost mirror like realistic AR beauty experience for applying makeup.
- At Home Lip Colour Creator – YSL’s ‘Rouge Sur Measure’ is a lipstick game changer. The user can use it to create up to 4000 different lipstick shades and colour match it for example to a dress they own or to complement their skin tone.
- Crypto Beauty – Brands have recognised that girls are gamers too, and as such have bought beauty into the virtual gaming world. Both Givenchy Beauty and Clinique now offer crypto rewards to offer beauty exclusives within the metaverse. And Nars and Dior Beauty have partnered with the South Korean metaverse Zepeto to enable AR assisted custom try-ons.
- Pantone Skin Tone – Pantone is best known for its colour matching system, which is used worldwide as a colour standard for brand identity, trend forecasting, colour psychology, and product colour consulting. But things just got even more interesting, because now they are offering the Pantone Skin Tone Guide, encompassing tech that is programmed with over 110 unique skin tone colours to accurately match services and experiences. You will never buy the wrong foundation ever again!
These trends in beauty tech are pushing the boundaries of the beauty industry. But there is only one direction this can go, and that is onwards and upwards. This is the future of beauty and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Investing In Skincare
OK, so these innovations are all well and good, but let’s talk cost. Surely, products and tech as impressive as this are going to be expensive, right?
Well, yes and no, because we need to think of this in the bigger picture. Let’s take the Luna 3 I mentioned earlier as an example. This skincare gadget will cost you around about £130. Not overly expensive, but possibly more than you might usually consider spending on a beauty gadget for use at home. But the thing is, this is a one-time investment for a lifetime of results. Every time you use this device, you are reducing its cost per use, right? Now, compare this to the treatments you may have been having pre-pandemic at your local beauty salon. You’d easily be spending about £30-£40 on a 30-minute facial. If you went every month, that’s costing you £360-£480 a year. Do you see what I’m getting at here?
A foundational skincare device, such as the Luna, will remove up to 99.5% of impurities from the skin, and with regular use can reduce the signs of aging, clear up blackheads, tighten skin, lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and restore the skin’s natural radiance. That is one awesome glow up, and all for the price of what you would have been paying for a couple of month’s worth of professional beauty treatments. You do the maths!
Your skin requires a lot of attention and so it is worth investing in. Treat it well and it will reward you, however you must do your research. Gadgets that mimic the performance equivalent to or even better than what a beauty clinic would achieve is the best investment you could make for your skin and the results will speak for themselves.
It’s Time To Treat Mum To A Bit Of Self-Care
So, how does all of this tie in with Mother’s Day then? Well, according to data from Statista, our retail spending on Mother’s Day gifts has increased post-pandemic. We missed our mums when we couldn’t see them and now it’s as if we feel we need to make up for it. But what do you buy the mum who seemingly has everything?
As a mum myself, I’ve had various gifts over the years. From handmade objects (cute when they’re very little, but let’s face it they always end up in the bin), mugs with ‘world’s best mum’ emblazoned across them (I now have a cupboard full of them, when all I really want is some nice matching modern ones), and of course bunches and bunches of flowers (lovely granted, but I’ve always had issue with gifting something that dies). I personally think the best gift of all is something that involves being pampered combined with a little bit of peace and quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I love my not-so-little darlings, but honestly… some time to myself, to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, without being badgered for snacks/Wi-Fi codes/lifts is the best present I could ask for.
I think it’s important to point out that it shouldn’t only be Mother’s Day that us mums cut ourselves some slack. All too often we place ourselves at the bottom of the pile, our needs coming way down the list of priorities, to the point we feel burnt out, tired like all the time, stressed, and fed up. It’s no wonder our skin is looking and feeling so terrible. Gifting a beauty tech gadget for Mother’s Day is a way of showing a mum that we are looking out for them, not just on that day, but long term, all the time too.
According to Motherly’s State of Motherhood survey, 93% of American mothers say they feel burned out in some way. And it’s no wonder really. When you become a mum, it can be easy to forget the woman you were before having children. And while of course you wouldn’t change things for the world, it’s also important to acknowledge and to not lose sight of the fact that you are still that woman from before. Yes, you have to play the part of multiple roles – mum, spouse, colleague, daughter, friend, organiser, cleaner, cook etc etc. – but you as a person is still very much present and she needs looking after. I like to remember the saying that you should always put on your own oxygen mask first. That you cannot expect to be able to look after anyone else if you are not firstly looking after yourself. And part of looking after yourself is taking the time to treat your body with the respect and care that it deserves… every day!
Beauty tech, like all technology, develops faster and faster with each passing year. The mind boggles at what will come next, but what we can safely say is that every new innovation will benefit us greatly, and will make our beauty regimes simpler, cheaper, quicker, and most importantly of all, more effective than they have even been before.
*Article written in collaboration with FOREO Sweden. All views and words are my own.
