Is infrared the future of home beauty treatments?

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A walk through the busy booths of the Consumer Electronics Show affords a glimpse into the future.

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The annual CES convention, held in Las Vegas, is an epicentre of innovation spanning health tech, home devices, vehicles and much more.

In 2024, The New York Times reported the at-home beauty tool industry has grown four times faster than the broader skincare market. Sales of devices in the category are predicted to top $92 billion US by 2028.

This expansion and growing interest means that, among the robot lawn mowers, drone-shaped aircrafts, and AI-directed companions on display, there are an increasing number of beauty-targeting innovations at CES.

In 2024, global beauty brand L’Oréal became the first beauty company to open the event with a keynote address. This year, the company leaned into light, debuting two new innovations that are planned for 2027 release: the Light Straight + Multi-styler, and LED Face Mask.

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In a private showcase space hosted by the brand, a robotic arm glided the Light Straight + Multi-styler hairstyling tool along a small ponytail of human hair strands.

Appearing similar to a standard hair straightener, the device is rendered unique by its futurist, blush glow. Featuring glass plates in place of ceramic, near-infrared light is used to style and smooth rather than just direct heat.

“When you have a ceramic plate, you’re actually damaging the hair fibre on the surface because the temperature is too high,” explained Grégoire Charraud, L’Oréal’s global head of device engineering and product design. “Here we are projecting the energy directly in the fibre to remodel the hair temporarily. So that’s why it provides about three-times faster styling and two-times smoother results.”

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Ten years in the making through the L’Oréal research and innovation division, the new multi-styler device builds on the technology first released with the L’Oréal Professionnel Airlight Pro dryer two years ago.

Billed as the first curling and styling tool in the world to have this specific infrared technology, the as-yet unreleased tool will spare the heat-scorching temps of most straightening tools, which can go up to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The Light Straight + Multi-styler never exceeds 320F.

A futuristic prototype styler, the planned next step in the company’s infrared hair tool journey, was positioned nearby.

“This is the future because you have the best of both worlds,” Charraud said of the space age-looking gadget that will feature drying and styling capabilities.

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Red light technology

Next to the infrared devices, a model of a human head was on display.

Wearing a clear silicone mask, the face became aglow at the push of a button on a silver battery pack situated near the temple.

A face mask prototype for the company, the LED mask features a network of tiny lights that sit close to the skin and emit two wavelengths of light — red light (630 nm) and near-infrared light (830 nm).

Red-light masks, when worn consistently and of the correct strength, are said to have various benefits such as reducing the appearance of fine lines, improving circulation and boosting collagen.

The company partnered with iSMART Developments to tap into their revolutionary thin, flexible silicone masks. Its thinness, Charraud said, is a key element that will make it stand out.

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“When you have a bulky mask and you don’t have the LEDs sitting on your skin, you don’t receive the whole benefits of this LEDs,” he noted. “So with this technology, it’s almost like a sheet mask. You get directly the best of the LED directly onto your skin.”

L’Oréal took the mask technology one step further, unveiling a prototype for individual eye masks. Encased in a portable carrier, not unlike the charging cases popularized for use with wireless earbuds, the targeted eye masks will be reusable and rechargeable, offering red-light therapy on the go.

“I think it’s extremely clever,” Charraud said.

Is it worth the buzz?

According to Stanford Medicine, the use of “photobiomodulation, the use of light waves to change human biology, has boomed in recent years.”

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It’s something that Dr. Toni Burbidge, an associate dermatologist at the Skin Health & Wellness Centre and a clinical lecturer in the Division of Dermatology, University of Calgary can certainly attest to.

“I am definitely noticing more patients of all ages interested in at-home therapy devices, especially ‘red-light’ LED therapy devices,” the Canadian dermatologist says. “This is being driven by increasing public awareness of red-light therapy through advertisements of professional treatments in medical clinics, news articles, and social media.

“For example, #Redlighttherapy has tens of millions of views on TikTok.”

In a dermatological setting, infrared and red-light technology is used to treat acne, inflammation, hair loss, fine lines and wrinkles, the skin expert explains.

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“Typically, when treating fine lines and wrinkles it is used in combination with other treatments such as chemical peels, microneedling and a topical skin care regimen,” says Burbidge. “It can also be used in combination with special photosensitive creams to treat precancerous skin lesions.”

But light therapies used in a clinical setting are often stronger, and therefore more efficacious, than their weaker counterparts in at-home devices.

This point is what makes consistency with duration and frequency of use essential elements for home use.

“While at-home light therapy devices may not be as strong as professional devices, if they are used consistently as part of a comprehensive skincare regimen, they can provide mild improvements over time,” she says.

Aharris@postmedia.com

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