From hair to skin, light is the new key ingredient for beauty

Modern beauty demands, along with increasingly advanced innovations, have made at home beauty routines exceptionally sophisticated. Today, it is no longer unusual to pair the most innovative anti wrinkle serum with a light therapy mask that penetrates even deeper into the skin. Applying cream has gained its technological continuation, while drying and styling hair are becoming ever more advanced with increasingly less damage.

Just how far this technology has progressed is best demonstrated by two L’Oréal devices recently awarded at CES® 2026 in Las Vegas. Their key technology could encourage us to start counting light among the active ingredients in skin and hair care.

At the center of this story are two devices that rightly won the CES® 2026 Innovation Award: the Light Straight + Multi-styler and the LED face mask. Although at first glance they belong to different categories, hair styling and skin care, they are connected by the same innovative and gentle idea: infrared and LED light technology can deliver better results with less stress on hair and skin.

Light as the foundation of a better beauty routine

For more than a century, L’Oréal has built its identity at the intersection of science and aesthetics, but rarely has that connection been so literal. As Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO for Research, Innovation and Technology, emphasized at CES, beauty today is no longer just a matter of the formula in a bottle. It is the result of algorithms, sensors and optics just as much as chemistry. Beauty routines are now entering an era of precision technology.

“At L’Oréal, we have always believed that beauty is deeply connected to scientific discoveries that have been at the heart of our company since its founding more than 115 years ago. Today, we tirelessly combine the latest scientific and technological achievements with our creativity to create innovative beauty experiences that are more effective and tailored to individual needs.”

Light Straight + Multi-styler promises the end of the era of burnt hair

Straight, silky hair is a desire for many, but the path to it often ends with brittle, dry strands. If you have ever used a classic flat iron, you know that quiet sense of unease: each pass of the plates leaves the hair perfectly straight, but also raises the question of what is happening beneath the surface of the hair fiber. Traditional devices often operate at temperatures above 200 °C, causing breakage and loss of shine.

The Light Straight + Multi-styler turns this approach upside down. Instead of extreme heat, it uses patented infrared light that heats the hair from the inside, more evenly and gently. The glass plates never exceed 160 °C, and according to L’Oréal’s tests, hair is twice as smooth and styled three times faster compared to leading premium devices.

A hair straightener that learns your routine

However, this device is not just a “smart straightener”. Thanks to built in sensors and machine learning algorithms, it learns how you use it and adapts to your hand movement, hair type and styling method. It straightens, curls and smooths with equal ease, making it the central tool of an entire hair styling routine. A global launch is expected after development is completed, by the end of 2027, but it is already clear that this is a device that could redefine the standards of heat styling.

LED face mask, 10 minutes to younger looking skin?

As hair has received its light driven revolution, skin has not been left behind. LED therapy is already well known in dermatology clinics, but L’Oréal is now bringing this technology from medical offices straight into the comfort of the home.

The new LED face mask, developed in collaboration with I-Smart Developments, looks futuristic but is designed for maximum practicality. It is ultra thin so as not to pull on the skin while worn, flexible for easier adaptation to the face, and made of silicone that perfectly molds to the contours. Inside the mask is a transparent base with an integrated microcircuit that precisely controls two wavelengths of light, red and near infrared. Both are known for their ability to stimulate skin regeneration and rejuvenation.

Simple daily use

Each session lasts exactly 10 minutes, is automatically time limited and completely non invasive, which means you can use it while drinking your morning coffee or watching your favorite series in the evening. The launch is planned for 2027, following regulatory procedures for the US market, but the message is already clear: anti aging is no longer just a cream, but also precisely controlled light therapy.