5 personal care innovations that lived up to the hype in 2024

Many personal care products – the treatments and accessories that fill our medicine cabinets, home gyms and vanities – promise us innovation. However, few actually give. Companies that make cosmetics, supplements, exercise equipment, and other health aids tend to work hard on buzzwords without putting in the research to create something truly new. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t useful, forward-thinking personal care products out there, and this year has brought some noteworthy offerings. From high-tech trackers and functions that make peak performance possible to hair dryers that give your skin a break from burning, these five beauty products and health back up their big promises.

(Editor’s note: This is part of Popular Science’s 37th annual Best of What’s New awards. Be sure to read the full list of the 50 biggest news of 2024.)

Grand Prize Winner

Oura Ring 4 by Oura: A health tracker with a smaller profile and beefier features

It takes more money for an action browser to win a Best What’s New Award and more for the same brand to win twice. In 2021, we gave the Oura 3 fitness tracker a nod for its forward-thinking way of incorporating time tracking into its smart ring app. Oura Ring 4, which launched on October 3, is more than refreshing. This model is more comfortable due to the flat sensors inside the band. But Oura’s new Smart Sensing algorithm ensures that the team is slimmer than ever.

Sensors on the ring – red and infrared LEDs for measuring blood oxygen levels, green and infrared LEDs for monitoring heart rate and respiration, digital thermometer and accelerometer – turn on and off off depending on your performance and your unique body. The result is a ring that can last eight days on a single charge while improving accuracy over Oura 3. Oura App redesign is nothing to sneeze at. It provides a unique platform for turning the vast amount of Oura Ring 4 data into valuable information about sleep quality, recovery, stress, fitness and fertility. With a wide variety of ring sizes and fine-looking finishes, the Oura 4 ring may be the greatest. worn wearables we have tried.

Custom-Jet Oral Health System on Sale: Finally, a true alternative to flossing

It is a universally accepted fact that flossing is a pain in the rear. But while using liquid floss may be better than brushing and calling it a night, some dentists won’t take kindly to you replacing your floss with an appliance. The Proclaim Custom-Jet Oral Health System may be one exception. After all, the Pro may look like just another water flosser at first glance, but it’s in its league. The machine features a custom-designed mouthpiece—3D scanned in a dentist’s office and created by Proclaim—that places up to 60 water jets in the right places to clean between your teeth. and under your gums. A 360-degree power wash takes just seconds. You can interchange multiple mouthpieces with one device, so one unit can clean the teeth of the whole family.

Bond Shaper Curl We Build Treatment with Olaplex: A quick fix for damaged curls

Over the past few years, Olaplex has become synonymous with bond repair treatments—products that promise to reverse the broken bonds between keratin proteins that make hair dull, dry, and brittle. The new Bond Shaper Curl Rebuilding Treatment uses a proprietary peptide to strengthen curls. The same damage that can make straight hair look rough can change the shape of the hair shaft and even make it look thinner. Bond Shaper penetrates the hair to build curl-shaping disulfide bonds. This quick and painless in-salon treatment leaves curls looking bouncy and healthy, making it the first in-salon power bond repair treatment we’ve seen that doesn’t focus on making the hair as smooth and soft as possible.

Pod 4 in Eighth Sleep: Individual temperatures that feel right

The sleep aid market is evolving, but this smart mattress topper stands out. Much more compact than a fitted sheet, Pod 4 quietly circulates water as you sleep to cool or warm you by 10 degrees. It’s more efficient than blasting heat or AC, but it’s not the only option. to be done. The top is divided into two independent areas, which allow people sleeping together to set the right microclimate on each side. The Autopilot algorithm uses data from 36 top-of-the-line biometric sensors to update the temperature throughout the night to improve sleep quality. Users can also tap the invisible buttons on the top two sides to change the temperature without opening the Sleep Eight device.

Supersonic Nural by Dyson: An incredibly smart hair dryer that protects your scalp

These days, Dyson is better known for its game-changing hair dryers than its vacuums. Now, the company is turning its attention to an often-overlooked part of the haircut process: the scalp. The Dyson Supersonic Nural delivers all the power people have come to expect from the brand’s hair dryer but with one high-tech upgrade. This device has sensors that prevent you from overheating your hair and scalp. It measures the distance between the dryer and your head with a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor – a technology commonly found in autonomous vehicles and robots that slows down objects and watches how quickly the wave returns. As the dryer gets closer to the hair and skin, it lowers its temperature automatically to improve the health of the hair and skin without compromising drying speed.

Enjoy the Holidays with PopSci Gift Ideas

Shopping for anyone? The PopSci team’s gift ideas for the holidays mean you’ll never need to buy a last-minute gift card.