On its smooth, silicone and metal surface, the Foreo UFO looks too good to be true. A cleaner, easier sheet mask that only takes 90 seconds?
The UFO is Foreo’s newest launch in their range of beauty tech devices. It promises a facial-quality experience in 90 seconds, with disposable serum-drenched discs, one for daytime and one for night accompanied with programs designed for each mask.
The masks rest on top of a metal disc that’s surrounded by silicone, which heats up and serves to open your pores and help you absorb more product, quicker. The metal itself is surrounded by a ring of LEDs that communicate the device’s settings, and also serve as light therapy while in use.
The first one is obvious: the fact that there are only two mask options available, at least right now. No two peoples’ skin is the same, and not everyone’s problems will be met by Foreo’s limited selection. But the potential to expand and basically become the Keurig of face masks is there, and it’s exciting.
The second, smaller issue I had was with the ring itself. It’s clear plastic and looks symmetrical at first glance, but in fact, one side is larger than the other to securely fit into the silicone lip with the mask in place. I had some trouble the first time using it, as it just wouldn’t fit under the silicone, until I realized I just needed to flip it over. So, why not just... build the ring into the mask itself?
After 90 seconds, it’s hard to say if the benefits outweigh the 20+ minute wait time of a traditional sheet mask, but my skin felt great. The serums on the Make My Day and Call It a Night masks are nice, smell good, and didn’t leave my skin feeling overly tight or sticky. And, if the option to have clay masks or any other annoying wash-off mask be compressed into a disk you place on the UFO, that’s incredibly promising. It allows you to add a masking step into your routine without having to block out a Netflix show’s-worth of time.
But, like the aforementioned Keurig, the issues stem from the built-in exclusivity of the product (not to mention the price isn’t exactly cost-effective when you take into account the ability to buy sheet masks off Amazon for $1 that work well. So, how much is your time really worth?). The Foreo UFO makes sheet masking accessible to more people because it takes away the downtime and frivolity of spending 20-30 minutes with a dripping-wet piece of cotton on your face. But at what cost?
A lot of beauty tech that’s out right now is disappointing. It’s attempting to fix specific problems instead of universal ones (like a giant, plastic mask just to zap pimples or a smart hairbrush to tell you about your hair) which I feel is what the tech industry should be doing, and why the UFO is so interesting. The UFO’s abilities and advantages are out to fix issues that anyone that regularly uses sheet masks goes through.
That being said, once I can buy a week’s worth of masks at a time, you know I’m going to. And, I think I’m even more excited for a version 2.0.