Beauty is in the palm of the beholder these days as devices play a growing role in how consumers care for their skin now—and in the future, according to many pundits.

As the marketplace continues to see new introductions from well-known personal care brands like Clarisonic and Olay, companies that rented floor space at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month seem to be setting their sights on the at-home beauty sector too.

One of those firms is mySkin Inc., which is touting OKU, billed as the world’s first iPhone-connected device that sees below the skin’s surface to analyze and address skin’s needs. Among the thousands of techies, media types and consumers who swarmed CES, many stopped by to see OKU—including Wired magazine and some big names in the beauty and skin care business, according to mySkin CEO and co-founder Rahul Mehendale (although he wouldn’t dish on specifics).

The OKU skin-scanning device connects to an iPhone to serve as a “personal skin coach,” helping develop a customized and effective skin care regimen for healthy, glowing skin, according to its creators. Taking its expertise from Dermograph—mySkin’s transdermal skin imaging system that is already used by spas and skincare brands—OKU bridges dermoscopy, spectroscopy and nanotechnology. Specifically, it uses multi-spectral light and sensors to virtually see below the skin’s surface and measure physiology around the skin. It then communicates with an app that translates the images into user-friendly advice that addresses the user’s skin care needs, showing areas for improvement and making personalized lifestyle and diet recommendations. mySkin also contends to have the world’s largest online social beauty platform where people can get scientific and unbiased skincare advice based on their skin profiles and socially generated experiences from people—known as SkinTwins—who have similar skin types.

The first version of OKU—which will come with a special anti-aging application aimed specifically at helping achieve and maintain a youthful and luminous glow—is currently on pre-order, with shipping set this Spring, according to company officials.

“Our goal was always to put power into the hands of the consumer,” Mehendale told Happi in a phone interview right after CES, where the company’s booth stood among a sea of companies touting fitness trackers and other health monitors.

Fitness trackers, such as FitBit and Nike’s FuelBand, have become wildly popular over the past few years, with more than 70 million sold last year alone, according to industry observers. And while recent reports have questioned the accuracy of these devices, the idea of monitoring one’s health and wellness with a digital device has legs, according to Euromonitor, which named “Wired and Well: Connected Health” a top 10 global consumer trend for 2015.

According to Euromonitor consumer trends consultant Daphne Kasriel-Alexander, consumer interest in preventive healthcare and human nature factor into the current fascination with monitoring one’s health digitally.

“The key thing about fusing wellness—including weight loss, exercise and beauty, etc.—is that people want to stay focused but they lack drive and motivation. They are seldom apart form their smart phones. So the aspects of being connected and taking care of health and beauty is a nice fit. They are already wired up,” she said.

Face Forward
Another beauty device that garnered attention at CES was the iDerma Facial Beautification System, the latest offering from Apira Science, the firm behind iGrow, a hands-free, in-home hair growth device cleared by the FDA.

According to Apria, iDerma achieves all of the benefits of a high-priced photofacial at home for a fraction of the cost of clinic-based therapy systems. It uses red and infrared LED light therapy to reverse and improve the visible signs of aging by stimulating deep cellular regeneration and can also help heal redness and inflammation associated with acne blemishes, leaving the skin refreshed, toned and clear.

Unlike wands and hand-held units, the iDerma has a patented full-face visor that combines more than 140 red and infrared LEDs with both narrow-angle and wide-angle lenses to cover the entire facial surface and provide consistently therapeutic light-therapy sessions. The result, according to the firm, is more supple and radiant skin and the diminished appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and facial rhytids.

Since the iDerma is a wearable device, it delivers improved performance, according to company officials.

“There are a lot of LED hand-helds, but those are inefficient. It defeats the whole purpose of providing a consistent treatment of the entire face,” Jeff Braile, president of the medical products division at Apira Science, told Happi.

During CES in Las Vegas, Apira showed off iDerma and announced an Indiegogo campaign too. The crowdfunding effort (which had reached 53% of its $60K goal as this issue headed to press) was set to close on Feb. 9, according to the firm, which expects the iDerma to be out by mid-summer.

In addition, the Boca Raton, FL-based is eyeing other skin maladies, like hyperpigmentation and acne.

“iDerma is the first of family of products for a variety of skin conditions,” said Braile.

Masks for the Masses
Another hands-off, at-home approach to skin care comes from La Lumiere, LCC, which rolled out illuMask in early 2014. Billed as the first anti-acne light therapy mask, illuMask uses patented technology to deliver all the benefits of light therapy in a mask that slips comfortably onto the face, just like a pair of glasses, for a 15-minute treatment, according to La Lumiere, which is headed by Jay Tapper.

Tapper already has played a key role in commercializing a string of hit products and has sold several businesses to big-name companies in the consumer products sector, including Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Hallmark. When he was approached by a plastic surgeon about creating a light-based product that they could use at home, the “challenge intrigued me,” he told Happi.
“All light therapy devices are wands and sticks. No one had made a wearable light therapy device…I was able to visually connect dots,” said Tapper, admitting, however, that actually making the mask proved harder than coming up with the idea.

Tapper and his partner built the first prototypes by themselves; “Duct tape has started every one of my businesses,” he quipped. But the “a-ha!” moment came from a lightweight pair of goggles Tapper saw in his dentist’s office. He tapped a freelance designer from Oakley to get the optimal fit and soon moved onto manufacturing. Eighteen months from that the conversation with that plastic surgeon, illuMask was ready for market.

“Speed is an entrepreneur’s best asset,” Tapper said. “It is what differentiates me from all the other companies.”

La Lumiere sells both the illuMask Anti-Acne Light Therapy Mask and the illuMask Anti-Aging Phototherapy Mask, which addresses tone, texture and hydration. And what sets both these SKUs apart is the price point. Both are $30 for 30 treatments—which makes it a more affordable option than dermatologist visits and on target for the mass market too.

Upon launch, illuMask quickly captured consumers’ attention at Ulta and Walmart, according to Tapper—and La Lumiere attracted investors too.

The company secured a $20 million Series B financing in November, from, among others, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), the venture capital subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

“This funding will help our technologies to reach exponentially more people,” Tapper said in a press statement when the financing was announced. “We’re confident in the market potential, La Lumiere’s intellectual property and our numerous competitive advantages.”

La Lumiere is using the cash infusion to advance marketing and distribution, including a substantial advertising campaign, as well as funding its R&D pipeline. 

When Tapper spoke with Happi last month, he pointed to the success of its new direct response ad campaign; just two weeks in, illuMask had already become No. 1 acne item at Ulta, Target and Walmart, he said.

And Tapper’s just as bullish on the company’s future. Sales ended just shy of $10 million last year (wholesale), and he’s expecting “three to four times that” in 2015.

Future Forecast
According to Kline & Company, in the US, the size of at-home beauty devices at the manufacturer level was estimated at just over $650 million in 2014, up mid-single digits over the prior year. Cleansing devices are the most popular, however anti-aging devices are slowly catching up, marked by the flurry of new launches. 

According to Karen Doskow, director, consumer products at Kline, devices that treat hyperpigmentation are expected to be a huge success due to the growing popularity/demand for skin care products that treat the condition.

Beauty, personal care and tech companies alike are clearly being enticed by the prospects of at-home beauty device sector—but the sector is destined to change as more companies join the fray.

“Overall, in the US, the at-home beauty devices market is projected to grow at mid-single digits, supported by the introduction of more devices from marketers such as LightStim, Clarisonic, Iluminage Beauty, and Silk’N, said Doskow. “However, the market is expected to be more competitive and saturated thus slightly slowing growth too.”

Still, leaders in the space, like Clarisonic, are confident there’s plenty of room for growth.

“We have seen a growth in our customer base, but it’s actually been with an older consumer. When we first launched, the perception was that Clarisonic was for those who suffered from acne, or oily skin—mostly a concern for younger consumers,” said Stuart Leitch, general manager, US for Clarisonic.

According to Leitch, older consumers who see how Clarisonic can be incorporated in an anti-aging routine, with products like the brand’s Luxe Brush Heads and Sonic Radiance Brightening Solution, and “our clinicals that show cleansing with Clarisonic aids in the delivery and penetration of topical anti-aging treatments.”  (For more on the latest brush heads and topical offerings from Clarisonic, see “Beauty Toobox,” below.)

In addition, the company is reportedly “exploring the men’s market,” and has already begun taking steps into it with device colors and packaging designed to appeal to men, according Leitch.

And there’s even more consumers to capture, according to Clarisonic.

“Despite the growth we’ve seen across multiple demographics, there’s still a large gap between the perception within the beauty industry that everyone uses a cleansing device, and the actual number of consumers who have purchased a device,” Leitch said.  “15% of luxury skincare shoppers own a cleansing device…so as far as we’re concerned, the market is still wide open.”