A Genuine Review of the RoseSkinCo Lumi IPL Device

At home IPL treatment devices have taken off on social media recently. The Lumi from RoseSkinCo is one I often see pop up in influencer ads and sponsored posts. I’ve personally had the Lumi for over a year now, and I’m happy to share my research and experience so far!

I’d like to start off by making it clear that this review is not sponsored, incentivized, or affiliated with RoseSkinCo in any way. In full transparency, I received the Lumi for free in 2022 as part of an ad campaign. I created several videos for RoseSkinCo before amicably ending the partnership. I've since declined offers to work with them again. Please consider this review a resource to learn more about the Lumi IPL, how it works, and whether it's an investment you want to make. I’ll cover the pros, cons, and all the in-betweens. So let’s dive in!

What is IPL Hair Removal?

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. As the name suggests, IPL devices use gentle pulses of light to target melanin, or pigment, within the skin. The heat from the pulses eventually damages the hair follicle, causing the hair to grow back slower. Professional IPL treatments are clinically backed as an effective method of hair removal. IPL is NOT the same as laser hair removal- it’s generally less effective, less precise, and less expensive.

IPL At Home

Handheld IPL devices, like the Lumi, are significantly weaker than their professional counterparts. This makes them safe for use at home- no appointments required! Devices vary brand-to-brand, but you don’t typically need eye protection, cooling gel, or other special treatments.

The Lumi from RoseSkinCo

The Lumi is the second iteration of IPL hair removal devices from RoseSkinCo. It’s almost always on sale for a cool $170, though the full price is supposedly $230. It comes with a five star rating on RoseSkinCo’s own site and a 90 day money-back guarantee.

The Claims

The Lumi claims to be FDA approved for use on any and all body hair. It claims permanent hair removal with noticeable results in as little as 3 weeks. Full results appear somewhere between 6 and 12 weeks. They also say it’s painless and that you can treat your entire body in 30 minutes. We’ll fact check these claims below.

Using the Lumi

The Lumi IPL device is incredibly easy to use. It only has two buttons: a power button and a pulse button. Turn the device on and adjust the intensity (there are six levels) by clicking the power button. Hold it down to turn the device off. The pulse button does what you'd think- it triggers an IPL pulse from the device. Holding the button activates repeated pulses with "glide mode".

The Lumi is not chargeable and needs to be plugged in during use. Despite this, it's lightweight and easy to maneuver,. It also has a built-in fan to keep the device cool, which is a little noisy and not very effective.

Treatments are simple: press the flash window flat against your skin, and click (or hold) the pulse button. It flashes, you move the device, and repeat! Easy peasy. Higher intensity levels will increase the wait time between pulses.

How long does a treatment take?

CLAIM: “Full body treatment in just 30 minutes”
reality: False

On the highest setting, my underarms take just under two minutes each.

The downtime between pulses gives you time to move and place the IPL device, but also makes the process much more tedious. I’ve never had the patience to thoroughly treat both of my legs in one sitting. Sorry RoseSkinCo, but the 30-minute-whole-body-treatment claim is not holding up.

Does IT hurt?

claim: “pain-free”
Reality: partially true

It can hurt, but doesn't always. The Lumi gets hotter the more you use it, which means the flashes feel hotter, too. This can get a bit uncomfortable in sensitive areas like your underarm. The worst pain it’s inflicted upon me felt like a hot rubber band snap- enough to startle me, but far from unmanageable. It’s much less painful than my professional laser treatments. I also exclusively use the Lumi on the highest intensity setting, but the lower levels are obviously more gentle 🙂 I've found that less stubble = less discomfort.

does it work?

CLAIM: permanent hair removal in 12 weeks
result: partially true

It’s first important to note that IPL is not classified as permanent hair removal by the FDA. IPL is a method of permanent reduction in hair growth. You’ll notice on the RoseSkinCo site that any time the FDA is mentioned, their language changes from “hair removal” to “hair reduction”.

I also went ahead and pulled up RoseSkinCo’s FDA summary. While the Lumi is approved for permanent hair reduction, the paperwork states these results were measured starting at 6 months- that’s pretty far off from their initial 3 week claim. It’s also a full 12 weeks past their money-back-guarantee ends.

Another thing to consider is RoseSkinCo’s advertising budget. They’ve sponsored and incentivized tons of written and video reviews, which is not inherently bad! Just do your due diligence and check for those FTC compliancy disclosures. Things like #gifted, #ad (obviously), or #partner are all good indicators that you should take testimony with a grain of salt. On their website, search for reviews that were verified by Shop (they’ll have a giant verification badge).

my lumi ipl results

I can only speak to my personal experience with the Lumi, so keep an open mind. I managed around 3 treatments per week on the highest intensity setting. Despite this, I saw little change in my overall hair growth over several months of pretty regular underarm treatments.

Now, bare with me: When you get professional laser, you go through a "shedding" phase after each treatment. It's where the hair that was under the skin works its way out, and is a good indicator that that particular hair won't be coming back. I experienced some verrrry mild shedding after Lumi treatments. It was only like, three hairs each time, but did make me feel like the Lumi was working. Hairs were dying! It was progress!

Despite that, the progress was a bit too slow to really get excited over. I couldn't say for certain whether there was any difference in my hair growth, and that was enough for me to get discouraged.

Based on other non-sponsored reviews I’ve read, the Lumi requires a lot of consistency and patience. Some people see results over an extended period of time, while others aren’t convinced there’s a difference in their hair growth at all. And like all IPL, the Lumi works best on people with light skin and dark hair.

Is the Lumi IPL Device Worth it?

The Lumi is best for the girlies who don’t mind playing the long game. It takes a lot of time, patience, and consistency to see and maintain results. Don't get it to prep for next month's vacation- next year might be a safer bet. That being said, it could be incredibly worth it for people who already spend a lot of time and money shaving. You could consider it an investment in your future self.

Also, there are a lot of IPL options out there! The Lumi is on the lower end of the price range, but if you’re serious about IPL, Braun tends to be the gold standard. If you choose to purchase the Lumi, make sure it’s on sale and check for additional discount codes (most influencer ads come with one).

So, what do you think?

Would you try at-home IPL like this? Are you sold on (or dubious about) the Lumi?

Let me know if you have any questions about the Lumi IPL Hair Removal Device and my experience with it! I’m happy to help in any way I can.

As always, thank you so much for reading. I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

Lindsay