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Iluminage Touch Permanent Hair Reduction System vs Ulike Air 10 IPL Hair Removal Device
Which one has the downsides you can live with?
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The short answer
Iluminage Touch Permanent Hair Reduction System ranks higher (#2 vs #3 of 8) and scores better on comfort (pain, heat), skin-tone range. Ulike Air 10 IPL Hair Removal Device wins on results (as reported), speed & coverage, durability & flash life.
The biggest complaint about the Iluminage Touch Permanent Hair Reduction System is short cord, bulky dock; for the Ulike Air 10 IPL Hair Removal Device it's results vary between people. Pick the one whose catch bothers you less.
Side by side
| Iluminage Touch Permanent Hair Reduction System | Ulike Air 10 IPL Hair Removal Device | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank in at-home ipl hair removal | #2 | #3 |
| Price tier | $$$ | $$ |
| Type | IPL | IPL |
| Amazon 1–2★ share | 23% | 13% |
| Overall score | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Results (as reported) | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Comfort (pain, heat) | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Speed & coverage | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Skin-tone range | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| Durability & flash life | 3.0 | 3.5 |
Price tiers: $ under $150 · $$ $150–350 · $$$ over $350. Highlighted = clearly better (a score gap of 0.3 or more, or a 1–2★ share at least 3 points lower). Scores are explained, with sources, on each product's page.
Top complaints
Iluminage Touch Permanent Hair Reduction System
- Short cord, bulky dock
Byrdie lists the short cord as a con. Forbes says the charging station is quite large.
Source: Byrdie, Forbes Vetted - Few Amazon ratings, many 1-star
The Amazon US listing has only 37 ratings, 19% of them 1-star. Amazon shows no review summary for it.
Source: Amazon.com product page - Very bright flashes
InStyle warns of super-bright flashes and says to use safety goggles where included.
Source: InStyle
Ulike Air 10 IPL Hair Removal Device
- Results vary between people
In Wirecutter's three-month panel, some testers saw major hair-growth reduction while others saw minimal to no change. Amazon's summary says some owners say it works well while others report it doesn't function properly (functionality is a mixed topic, 675 mentions).
- Irritation for some
A few GH testers had irritation, including hives, after use, and GH suggests skipping it if your skin is sensitive. Byrdie notes it occasionally pinches skin. (InStyle's tester, by contrast, never had tender skin.)
Source: Good Housekeeping, Byrdie - Single big head, noisy fan, frequent sessions
Wirecutter found its one head too big to hold evenly on concave or convex spots. Women's Health says the cooling fan is a bit noisy. InStyle notes you need to use it every other day to see results, and both legs took about 20 minutes.
Who should pick which
Pick the Iluminage Touch Permanent Hair Reduction System if
Deeper skin tones that most IPLs exclude (per Forbes and Byrdie)
Blonde or red hair (InStyle, Forbes)
People who want a painless feel
Skip it if: You want quick results (6 weeks for InStyle's tester); You're short on counter space (large charging station, per Forbes); You want lots of owner feedback (only 37 Amazon ratings)
Pick the Ulike Air 10 IPL Hair Removal Device if
Comfort, thanks to the cooled head
Thick or stubborn hair (dual-flash mode)
Gliding over legs with auto-flash
Skip it if: You have very dark (Fitzpatrick VI) skin, or blonde, red, gray or white hair (Forbes); Your skin is on the sensitive side (GH); You want one head small enough for knees and ankles (Wirecutter)
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