Boots Smooth Skin (iPulse) IPL device - first impressions

Update: If you've landed here from Google, looking for honest and thorough reviews and opinions on IPL devices, you'll find a wealth of information here on the LBR via our IPL tag.


Disclosure - this unit is a PR sample, we did not pay for it

My first treatment session with the Boots Smooth Skin iPulse unit was completed yesterday afternoon.

The Boots Smooth Skin will be a familiar sight to many. It has been on sale at Boots since last year, and has set in train plenty of speculation and curiosity owing to its promise of permanent, painless hair reduction. It originally cost £299.99 and was offered at £249.99 during promotional offers. The full price has since gone up to £324.99.

Needless to say I was more than happy to avoid the £325 outlay in order to give the system a try - I'd been wanting one since they came out, although on my budget it wasn't going to happen any time soon.

As regular readers will know, I am also currently trialling Philips Lumea, a rival home IPL device, so there is a comparison element to my reviews here.



I want to point out that comparing my Smooth Skin experience with the Philips Lumea trial is not really a fair test. I use the Lumea on my armpits (small and straightforward) and the Smooth Skin on my bikini line (more contortions needed, more sensitive area).

However, I must say that so far the user experience of the Lumea is definitely my preferred option. The reasons for this are a) no need for conductive gel, which is messy and awkward and b) a larger window on the headset, meaning that the Lumea covers more ground more quickly.

Another notable factor is discomfort. As mentioned, I'm not sure is a fair comparison, because of the difference in treatment areas. Lumea didn't hurt at all when I used it, though I had it on a fairly powerful setting. However the Smooth Skin did actually really STING, especially on the areas where the hair was thickest. I started out on the most powerful setting ("fair") in accordance with my skintone, and then switched down to "medium", though it still smarted quite a bit. Next time I will use "dark" and hope that alleviates the problem, but as there are only three settings, if it doesn't I'm a bit stuck.

So as far as user experience goes, the Lumea is ahead of the game, though admittedly under biased conditions.

For general build-quality and customer support, there isn't much to choose between the two units. Both are solid, pleasant to handle and thoroughly backed up with instructions, multimedia guides, precautionary caveats, etc. As you'd expect from the large corporations that produce them, both seem to have been researched to the back teeth and made pretty much foolproof for the consumer market.

Aesthetically, I do prefer the Lumea. It has a familiar "hairdryer" feeling in the hand, and I like the reassurance of knowing that the power-adjust button is right there under my thumb if I need it (Smooth Skin's controls are on the base unit). Also the lack of a cord makes it much more portable and easy to store (although the Smooth Skin was supplied with a natty faux-leather vanity case for discreet storage, which I like a lot).

The most important thing to remember if you're trying to choose between these two is that the claims for the two products are not the same. Lumea offers an easy hair-free result ONLY if you repeat the treatment every fortnight. If you stop, the hair comes back. This is because the light energy is only powerful enough to put the follicles into a dormant state, not to disable them altogether. Smooth Skin is strong enough to damage follicles enough for permanent hair reduction - i.e. you should be able to stop using it for good at the end of the treatment period and the hair won't grow back.

There have been some criticisms of the Smooth Skin's 10,000 flash lifespan (after that, you have to pay out again to replace the head unit). But (if it does what it says) there will come a point where you never need to use the thing again, and hopefully that'll be well within 10,000 flashes. Lumea contains 40,000 flashes, which should buy you 5-7 hair-free years. (Still not bad!)

Lumea has not been safety tested for use on the face, and is so far only suitable for use by women. Smooth Skin can be used on the face, and by men on their backs and shoulders (though not face), so if you're considering home IPL for those purposes, Smooth Skin is your product.

I haven't seen any results yet from Smooth Skin (it should take a few more sessions to see visible hair loss). Lumea has produced definite bald patches on my armpits after two sessions.

Stay tuned for more results, and as before, please do ask me any questions and I will do my best to find the answers for you.