After careful hands-on testing, we feature our favorite gear and gadgets as Mashable Selects products in our dedicated shopping guides.

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The beauty industry keeps pumping out more new products than any one person can handle. Keeping track of all those releases is a full-time job in and of itself (take it from us).

The beauty market is only growing(opens in a new tab) by the year, and while there is something special about a shiny new release — especially one that gets plastered all over TikTok — if you have any regard for your wallet whatsoever, buying everything that hits the market is simply not sustainable. That's especially true when it comes to higher-priced items, like beauty tech gadgets.

Whereas you may feel more on even footing when it comes to what foundation or moisturizer you're a fan of, beauty tech products are still relatively new on the scene, which means it's a bit harder to know whether it's truly worth dropping a couple hundred bucks on that LED light therapy mask that claims it'll give you the best skin of your life.

Luckily, you don't have to gamble too much, since we test quite a bit of beauty tech, from the up-and-coming to the internet-famous. With experience on our side, we've rounded up the best of the best from the beauty tech world, so you can skip the gimmicks and spend money on products that'll actually work.

What exactly is beauty tech?

There are a few definitions floating around out there, but for our purposes, beauty tech is any skincare, makeup, hair, and wellness tech device. In other words, the gadgets.

Beauty is a pretty expansive category, so there are different kinds of tools you'll find under the larger beauty tech umbrella, including:

Skincare: This is maybe the buzziest of the beauty tech sub-categories, offering more and more at-home skincare solutions in the form of microcurrent devices and LED light therapy treatments with products like the NuFACE(opens in a new tab) and the Dr. Dennis Gross mask(opens in a new tab) (yes, the one that looks like a yassified Michael Meyers mask). You'll notice that a common theme in this category is that price tags tend to be in the hundreds of dollars.
Haircare: This can include your standard curling irons, hair straighteners, and blow dryers, but is increasingly including more innovative tools, like the hot air brushes and of course, even more versatile hot air stylers like the Dyson Airwrap.
Cosmetics: This is still a burgeoning field, but you'll find anything from heated eyelash curlers to custom lipstick shade makers and 3D printers — even those TikTok filters that tell you how to apply your makeup can fall under this category. These products, though inventive, don't exactly fit seamlessly into most people's daily routines, thanks to their loftier prices, general availability, and the simple fact that they don't drastically improve on existing products — like a normal eyelash curler or lipstick — that do the job just fine and for less cash.

In this roundup, we focus on skincare and haircare, and we only included our very favorite products. We're always testing the latest tech though, so be on the lookout for more beauty standouts in the future.

Why should I buy beauty tech products?

We'll be straight up — not everyone is going to find that buying into these products is worth the investment. If you clicked on this article though, we're assuming you're at least curious about what beauty tech offers that a more traditional skincare or haircare routine might not.

Typically, skincare or hair tech can help elevate your routine. LED light therapy isn't essential for clearing acne, but it certainly help the process along in conjunction with a well-rounded and dutiful skincare routine. Similarly, nothing too high tech is needed to achieve bouncy blowouts, but hot air tools can get you those results with slightly less effort and damage done to your hair.

All in all, these items do fall more on the luxury end of things, but you can also think of it in terms of the services they're meant to replace. Sure, you might not need to spend $50 or more on a hot air brush, but if you'd take at least a few trips to Drybar in a year, you're easily spending $200 on just a few blowouts you could achieve from the comfort of your home, for a lower cost over time.

Similarly, a single trip to the aesthetician or dermatologist can easily run you in the hundreds, so investing in a light therapy wand like the $149 SolaWave wand(opens in a new tab) might be more worth the cost.

Picking the best beauty tech for you

At the end of the day, a beauty regimen is a highly personalized process. Before buying any beauty tech, you'll want to seriously weigh what your skin and haircare needs are, and how these products address those needs.

It's also worth noting that while there can be a consensus on whether a product is overall working or not, it's not uncommon to see varied results. While we have chosen products we think most people will enjoy, you can also scroll to the bottom of this article to see the specific hair and skin profiles of the people who tested these products.

TheraFace PRO (opens in a new tab)

Best all-in-one skincare tool

theraface pro with attachments on an artistic tan background

Credit: Therabody

Buying Options

$399 from Therabody

Check out our full review of the TheraFace PRO.

A massage gun company might not be the first place you think to look for the best skincare tech, but the TheraFace PRO(opens in a new tab) made us think twice.

At $399, you might pause before adding the TheraFace to your cart — and we get it, it is a splurge. But it's also an 8-in-1 skincare tool, with a facial cleansing head, three percussive therapy heads, a microcurrent attachment, and an LED light therapy ring that can perform three different types of light treatment. For an additional $99, you can also grab the hot and cold rings(opens in a new tab), which can help increase blood flow, decrease puffiness, and basically act as stepped-up face rollers.

In other words, you can use the TheraFace PRO on the daily, and on those days when you want to spend some extra time and energy on your skincare routine. Senior reviews editor Miller Kern enjoyed using each of the tools, and found that not only was the TheraFace a great tool in its own right, but helped amplify the effects of her existing skincare routine. Besides the price, her only complaint was that because the tool isn't waterproof, she couldn't do her skincare routine in the shower.

There's no denying it's an investment, but as Miller put it in her review, "It's also a hell of a lot cheaper than getting regular professional facials, and I truly feel like I've received a spa treatment every time I use the TheraFace PRO."

SolaWave Advanced Skincare Wand (opens in a new tab)

Best affordable skincare tech

Credit: SolaWave

Buying Options

$149 from SolaWave

Check out our full review of the SolaWave Advanced Skincare Wand.

Typically, you're going to have to wait at least a few days to see results with a new skincare product, be it a new moisturizer or microcurrent device. Yet when our reviewer used the SolaWave Advanced Skincare Wand(opens in a new tab) for the first time, she noticed almost immediately her face had de-puffed some.

With regular use over a couple weeks, she also noticed that old acne scars and redness diminished, and overall her skin felt and look more hydrated. That's thanks to the wand's red light therapy(opens in a new tab), which is a type of treatment that addresses all of the above skin concerns, plus wrinkles and fine lines. Initially, a dermatologist's or aesthetician's office was the most common place to get LED light treatment, but at-home devices like the SolaWave have made getting the treatment far easier, and especially in the SolaWave's case, far more affordable.

To use, you'll start with a freshly cleansed face and ideally hydrated skin and work five minute sessions, three to five times a week. As your face adjusts to using the wand, you can work up to longer and more frequent sessions. The wand turns on as it makes contact with your skin, and slowly gliding it over your face in an outward and upward motion — the microcurrent emits a gentle tingling and warming sensation, and you walk alway with skin that looks and feels more hydrated.

Considering most red light or microcurrent devices can easily be $200-plus, the SolaWave's price point — and results — are hard to beat.

Dyson Airwrap Complete (opens in a new tab)

The best luxury hair tool

dyson airwrap with all its attachments and carrying case

Credit: Dyson

Buying Options

$599.99 from Dyson

Check out our full review of the Dyson Airwrap Complete.

Despite what everyone on TikTok would have you believe, you actually don't have to spend $600 on the Dyson Airwrap(opens in a new tab) to achieve great hair. However, if you tend to go for blown out, big bouncy curls, and super smooth looks, the Airwrap does provide one of the healthiest ways to get those styles and all with one tool. Plus, it feels really luxe when you're using it.

With that in mind, we do have to dispel a few ~~myths~~ misunderstandings we've seen around the internet. For starters, the Airwrap isn't super simple to use right out of the box. Yes, the Coanda technology uses air to wrap your hair around the curling barrels, but it does take some maneuvering to hold your hair just right so it a.) actually wraps around and b.) grabs a good-sized section that'll hold the curl. Next, all-in-one doesn't equal easy storage. The carrying case, though expensive feeling, is massive, and is likely to take up just as much, if not more space than your standard blow dryer and curling iron.

Still, there are some major pros of the Airwrap that are undeniable. The three different heat settings and three air speeds allow you to really pay attention to how much damage you want your hair to take on during the styling process, and it did feel way more gentle than traditional hot tools (or the Revlon One-Step for that matter). For people who heat style frequently, the Airwrap could make some major differences in hair health. The smoothing attachments, from the brushes to overall dryer and round brush, are stellar, and giver seriously polished looking hair. Overall, hair enthusiasts with some cash to spare might not find the Airwrap replacing every tool in their arsenal, but they are likely to enjoy the styling process.

Revlon One-Step Volumizer Hot Air Brush (opens in a new tab)

Best for the at-home blowout

black and pink revlon one-step hot air brush

Credit: Revlon

Buying Options

$69 from Amazon

Check out our full review of the Revlon One-Step.

Chances are, if you're a person with an internet connection, you've heard of the Revlon One-Step in some capacity. The hot air brush rose to fame online as The Dyson Airwrap Dupe and while it's not really a one-to-one dupe, it does deliver some seriously impressive results.

It's also not a replacement for a hair dryer, and is best used on mostly dry hair to minimize damage and achieve a lasting style. What it does eliminate is the need for fumbling around with a round brush and hair dryer, and its 4.25-inch barrel provides some serious volume. Even if your hair styling skills max out at straightening your hair, you'll be able to use the One-Step with ease to achieve the volume, bounce, and flip inherent to any quality blowout.

And it works quick — when I tested this product, it took me 10 to 15 minutes to style my hair. Though my hair isn't particularly thick, it is long, and I couldn't believe the effort-to-reward ratio. With that said, this hot air brush will also not hesitate to fry every last strand of your hair if you're not careful, so use a heat protectant, work on the lowest heat possible, and try to avoid too many passes over one section. Even with that in mind, we wholeheartedly recommend this tool for people on a budget and blowout fans alike.