The best beauty tools that really work, from acne devices to hair removal lasers

Score: 88/100

The Déesse Pro isn’t just a quick fix – it combines EMS, radio-frequency and red-light therapy to firm skin and smooth fine lines, long term. Every tester saw a difference in just two weeks, with noticeably firmer skin and softer lines. Our experts praised its smart multi-motion tech for targeting tricky areas around the face and neck. A few panellists wanted more guidance on how to use it, but a quick online search brought up everything they needed – including a full how-to video.

Score: 74/100

Our testers said their skin felt firmer and tighter after each session with this toning device, which uses electrical therapy to deliver an instant lift. The gentle buzz and warming effect also created a spa-like experience. Effective and easy to use, its compact size and long battery life make it ideal for travel.

Score: 92/100

The first LED mask with under-eye cooling tech, this scored 4/5 in the lab for improving texture and reducing fine lines, redness and pigmentation. One tester saw red patches vanish by day three – well ahead of the brand’s claims – and the glow faded when she stopped using it, proving it was down to the device. The six-minute treatment time and no-fuss setup (no app required) make it easy to stick with, while the cooling pads add a spa-like element to the experience. Some wanted better low-battery alerts, and it’s not the easiest to store, but every tester saw visible results.

Score: 80/100

Our runner-up impressed across the board, reducing the appearance of scars, brown spots, lines and wrinkles over a four-week period. Testers praised its ease of use, comfort and long battery life. Their skin looked more radiant after use, and there were benefits for rosacea and redness sufferers as well. The speedy three-minute treatment time made it easy to fit into people’s routines, too.

Score: 92/100

This is one of the best scores we’ve ever seen in our lab for a beauty gadget. The claims are bold (it promises to reduce blemishes by 44% and inflammation by 87% after 12 weeks) but it delivered. Everyone who tried it said they’d continue to use the device because it genuinely cleared up their spots. They said it stopped breakouts in their tracks and stopped them getting more angry, painful or obvious – the perfect emergency service if you’ve got an important event coming up and your skin isn’t playing ball.

Score: 74/100

Most testers told us this helped to clear their breakouts and inflamed spots. “I tested it on oily areas and it worked really well, seeming to make my pores less greasy and appear smaller – great during a sweaty heatwave,” one told us. Everyone liked that it’s hands free and it works quickly. “I’ve tried every spot treatment under the sun, and this is the only thing that’s really cleared the acne on my chin and kept it clear; I saw positive results after just a week!” said another tester. Some found it hard to use around the nose, however, as the design isn’t the most ergonomic.

Score: 95/100

When something knocks Dyson and ghd off the top spot, you know it’s worth shouting about. Enter: the BaByliss Air Power PRO – a compact but powerful hairdryer that left our testers seriously impressed. Its ultra-streamlined airflow ensures fast, precise styling, and despite its punchy performance, it’s super lightweight. It comes with three handy attachments (two nozzles for thick and fine hair, plus a diffuser for curls), and switching between them is “very intuitive,” according to one tester. There are also three airflow settings, four heat options, and a cold shot to lock in your style.

Score: 88/100

Lightweight, foldable, and ready to throw in your carry-on, this hairdryer keeps your bounce intact, wherever you are. From boardroom-sleek to beachy and tousled, its three magnetic attachments (diffuser, precision and smoothing concentrators) make styling effortless – and suitcase-friendly. “This left my hair smoother, with zero damage,” said one tester – we suspect this is down to the ionic technology that boosts shine while keeping hair feeling healthy. With four heat settings, three speeds and a clear LED screen, our panellists loved how easy this was to use.

Score: 92/100

Using a concentrated airflow, Dyson’s latest hair tool – one of a new wave of wet-to-dry stylers alongside the ghd Duet – promises to take hair from soggy to sleek, minus the hot plates and heat damage. It was a big hit with testers, leaving strands silky smooth. It even pauses automatically when you leave it down. However, it did struggle with shorter layers due to the large plates (or ‘arms’ as Dyson calls them).

Score: 92/100

Another trailblazing gadget that dries and styles in one, our testers were suitably impressed. It left hair looking fully styled without the need to straighten separately (in most cases), so lengths were less exposed to heat damage over time. Panellists also praised the speedy drying time and glossy after-effects. Similarly to the Airstrait, the chunky plates make it trickier to style fringes and short hair.

Score: 95/100

With wider plates, the new ghd Chronos Max is a game-changer for thick hair – picking up more strands at once to slash styling time, which is a dream on hair wash night. Testers loved how quickly it worked, with one saying it “massively” reduced straightening time, and it heats up in 35 seconds, making things even speedier. While designed for thicker hair, even our beauty director, who has finer strands, was obsessed, calling it a shortcut to serious volume. The ultra-gloss coating on the plates earned praise too, gliding through without snagging and leaving hair super shiny in a single pass.

Score: 91/100

Gtech might be best known for vacuums and lawnmowers, but it's just pulled a Dyson and turned its tech smarts to hair tools. Testers loved how lightweight and travel-friendly this straightener is and, more importantly, how it smoothed curls in one swipe, leaving even dry or damaged hair looking healthier. It heats up fast, styles with ease and delivers salon-worthy results at a purse-friendly price. The only gripes were the bottle green and white colourways (they weren’t to everyone’s taste) and a slightly sensitive temperature dial. Overall, though, this is a seriously strong debut.

Score: 90/100

ghd’s latest launch was a hit with our panel. With just one button, this sleek styler takes hair from wet to dry in record time – it uses smart sensor tech to maintain a lower, hair-kind 120ºC. It smooths, straightens and volumises in one go – no need for a separate dryer and straighteners – and the snag-free ceramic bristles with barrel brush design mean you can nail a bouncy, salon-style blow dry with one hand. Testers across all hair types were won over by the glossy, flicked-out finish, but it worked particularly well on thick, coarse hair.

Score: 86/100

Our panel found ghd's first professional hot brush simple to use, lightweight and comfortable to hold. It glides easily through hair, leaving it smooth and shiny – as if you’ve been for a blow dry. Thanks to its consistent 185C heat, testers achieved their sleek styles in record time (faster than with straighteners in some cases) and it significantly reduced flyaways.

Score: 85/100

Our winning wand is a game-changer when it comes to personalising your curls. It features "StyleAdapt" technology, which claims to adjust the heat settings to suit your hair. In the lab, the temperature settings proved to be extremely accurate, and all our testers were happy with how effortlessly it created long-lasting, glossy curls or waves.

Score: 83/100

Let this self-rotating curler take the reins and create gorgeous, wavy hair for you. It won serious praise for ease of use from our panel. With three different heat settings, you can decide just how intense you want your curl to be. One tester described it as a ‘godsend’ for those with arthritis, MS, or limited mobility, as it eliminates the need to manually twist hair around the barrel. It's so good, in fact, that this black colour way has sold out, but we've found a pastel alternative of the same model if you click the link.

Score: 93/100

Promising visible results in just two uses, we had high hopes for this IPL device – and it delivered. Most testers saw noticeable hair reduction by week eight, and some noted how well it worked on paler hair (notoriously tricky for lasers to tackle). Everyone reported less regrowth after 12 weeks – one person even claimed it made their “hobbit feet” hairless. It’s quick, easy to use, and the ‘stamp and glide’ feature made treating larger areas (like the legs) a total breeze.

Score: 90/100

This gadget scored top points for comfort and can be used on the face, irritation-free. Everyone was pleased with how quickly it reduced hair regrowth, seeing effects after just three weeks. Convenience was a major plus; there’s a range of settings to target different parts of the body with no need to swap heads, and it's light and easy to travel with.

Score: 97/100

One of the highest scorers we've ever seen at the Good Housekeeping Institute, this toothbrush punches well above its price tag. Every tester found it easy to use, effective at plaque removal, and loved how powerful it was. The design was a hit too – from the 30-second pacer to the pressure-sensing lights and the sleek travel case. Gentle yet seriously effective, it left testers with gleaming smiles long after the trial was over, and they all said they’d continue to use it.

Score: 93/100

Our runner-up uses rapid sonic vibrations to push toothpaste and air into hard-to-reach areas, removing plaque, reducing staining and freshening breath. Testers liked its cleaning power, overall design and long battery life.

Score: 84/100

This Oral-B water flosser blew the competition out of the water thanks to its plaque-busting oxyjet tech (this adds fine bubbles to the water to boost cleaning power). Testers loved the three attachments so you can customise the intensity (the whirlpool tip even doubled as a tongue cleaner), and the quiet motor and long battery life were also plus points. You’ll need to refill it mid-use, but only once – a small trade-off for seriously fresh breath and that clean mouth feeling.

Score: 83/100

The smaller tank made this one easy to handle and refill, and the six pressure settings meant everyone could find their flossing sweet spot. It was easy to angle around the mouth, reaching those tricky areas often missed by your brush and clearing out any lingering debris.