FOREO Luna Play Exfoliator Review

When I reviewed Clarisonic about two years back, I mentioned being very interested in the Foreo Luna device. While I do like the Clarisonic, I had a few valid complaints about it that the Foreo Luna seems to provide solutions to. My main issue with the Clarisonic Mia 2 has been the constant loading of battery and the fact that brushes may be abrasive (+ that you need to replace them) that do not work great for sensitive skin for daily usage. Enter, Foreo Luna: No replacement brushes. Works great for sensitive skin. And only needs to charge once per year!

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When I found out about the new FOREO Luna Play, that’s about the size of a macaron and saw the affordable price tag, I got excited! But after reading that it only has up to 100 uses and is not rechargeable (and has no access to change batteries), I got a bit hesitant to buy it.

This will come out a bit hypocritical because as you see, I did buy the device. But that doesn’t stop me from feeling a bit disappointed in FOREO as a company for creating an electronic device, that’s much like “play and toss” and contributes to electronic waste. (Unless the devices find their way back to Foreo?) I really don’t like the electronic trash we people cause (new iPhones every other year, anyone?) and I really hate to be a part of it. I try to buy new if and only the device becomes totally unusable even after a change of batteries. And sadly, of all the reviews you’ll find on the FOREO Luna Play, I’ll be the first to even bring up this to discussion – very much why I bought it was so I could speak up about this!

But I didn’t want to sell my Clarisonic or purchase the FOREO Luna device (which is expensive) only to realize it’s no better or more gentle than the Clarisonic. So from that perspective, the Luna Play is an excellent introductory gadget with a decent price tag that will help you decide on whether to invest or not.

Foreo | Luna Play

The Luna Play includes FOREO’s T-Sonic pulsation technology that has been clinically proven to remove 99.5% of dirt, oil and makeup residue. This helps to clear away dead skin cells and enhance absorption of skincare products and diminish the appearance of pores and refine skin texture.

It comes in 7 colors and has a unique silicone design that’s quick drying and nonporous to prevent bacteria build up – the device is 35X more hygienic than nylon-bristled brushes. The size of a small sweet dessert makes it very travel-friendly too. The FOREO Luna Play includes the design for normal to sensitive skin, with 2-zone facial brush features: one finer touch-points which cleanse sensitive/normal skin on larger areas like the cheeks and forehead, while thicker touch-points provides a deeper and precise cleansing for areas like the T-zone.

Look & Feel

I jumped on the “Save The Sea”-campaign, where 100% of net proceeds go towards the restoration of marine ecosystems (thinking it would compensate for my vanity), and also includes deluxe samples of their day and night cleansers. They also sell kits like these. It comes in this bright aquamarine color with two turtles printed on. The device itself is totally water-proof and sealed. The start button is on the back side and has only one speed. The silicon and its bristles are very soft, and at first use, you would think they don’t clean at all. But they do leave your skin soft!

The Foreo Luna Play comes charged with 100 uses. That about 3 months worth of cleansing if used once daily. I haven’t used it strictly daily, but definitely at least once per week or more, and I’m surprised it’s still going strong in the middle of November when I got it in July.

My Experience

I have to say that I’m very impressed by the Luna Play, and the FOREO-technology in general. This is the first mechanical device that I’ve been able to use day and night, days in a row, without the slightest hint of aggravation on my skin! But with that said, I’m speaking for sensitive skin in general. As it did not work out for a friend of mine. So if you got extreme skin sensitivities/issues, or thin skin, then maybe a very gentle cloth or chemical exfoliator once or twice a week are a better investment. But if you got this skin type, maybe you already knew that?

The bristles cover a good amount of surface and you’d think it’s too small, but I love the size! I’m a bit unsure if the thicker bristles do much, as it seems like the thin ones are enough. But I can imagine they do better with rougher skin like ones found on men.
I’m kind of sad that this one is not rechargeable! As I would be happy just sticking with this one. Of course, there’s the FOREO Luna Go, which is just slightly larger in size. However, I cannot forget that the whole point of switching to Foreo was to minimize the charging quantity. And the Luna Go has only 30 uses per charge; unlike the Luna Mini, that has 300 uses per full charge.

It’s easy to use, and I personally haven’t had a problem with the on/off switch, though I’ve read about a few cases. I was a bit worried that the optimal cleanser would be to use FOREO’s own cleansers, but it has worked really well with the basic gel and foaming cleansers that I own, like the CeraVe Foaming Cleanser.

At first, I thought the one speed wouldn’t be enough, and heavily leaned towards buying the Luna Mini 2 with its multiple speed-selection. But after using the Luna Play, I’ve realized that one speed is actually enough… It’s not like it’s a LELO toy exactly… Now they still sell the original Luna Mini with one speed for a discounted price than the Mini 2, but note that it has less brush coverage!
My boyfriend has not tried it yet, but the choice of being able to share the device within the household – thanks to the anti-bacterial, quick-drying silicon – without feeling like it’s unhygienic is a big plus for me!

I apply the cleanser all over my face with some water (for extra protection: I sometimes use an oil before or mix it in with the cleansing gel). Wet the Luna, and then pump a dollop on the device itself and press the on-button. Circulate about 1-2 minutes (the Luna Play does not come with a timer) and finish with a splash of water to my face.

SWEDISH

Jag måste säga att jag är väldigt imponerad av Luna Play och FOREO-teknik i allmänhet. Detta är den första mekaniska skrubb som jag har kunnat använda morgon och kväll, flera dagar i rad, utan en minsta antydan till aggressivitet på min hud! Men med det sagt, så talar jag för känslig hud i allmänhet, då denna tyvärr funkade inte alls för en vän till mig. Så om du har extremt känslig hud, eller tunn hud, då kanske en mycket mild duk eller mild kemisk peeling (AHA/BHA) en gång i veckan är en bättre investering.

Borsten omfattar en bra mängd yta och man skulle kunna tro att den är för liten, men jag älskar storleken! Jag är lite osäker på om de tjockare “stråna” gör så mycket, eftersom det känns som de små tunna är tillräckliga. Men jag kan tänka mig att de gör bättre med grövre hud som hos män.

Det är nästan synd att denna är inte uppladdningsbar! Då jag tycker storleken är tillräcklig. Naturligtvis finns det FOREO Luna Go, som är om inget annat precis lika stor. Men jag kan inte glömma att hela poängen med att byta till FOREO var att minimera laddningstiden. Och Luna Go har bara 30 användningar per laddning; till skillnad från Luna Mini som har hela 300 användningar per full laddning.

Den är lätt att använda, och jag personligen har inte haft några problem alls med on/off-knappen, men jag har läst om ett fåtal fall. Jag var lite orolig att den optimala ansiktsrengöringen skulle vara att använda FOREOs egna ansiktstvättar, men det har fungerat riktigt bra med en enkel rengöring som ACO eller CeraVe.

FOREO | Day & Night Cleansers

Some kits with the Luna Play includes FOREO’s own cleansers. I happened to use them up and throw away before I made pictures. Which is too bad, as I could’ve shown you the texture, but now I’ll have to try to describe them instead.

Day Cleanser – Awakening Radiance Yogurt Day Cleanser

The Day cleanser has a yellow hue and feels like an oily cream cleanser. It doesn’t foam, but somehow creates a barrier between the skin and the Luna, making it easy to glide and circulate the device. I didn’t like it at first, but then grew to kind of love it.

It contains probiotics, but also milk proteins, so not a vegan product. While I may feel like there’s a grey area when it comes to insect byproducts, I don’t feel the need to smear other mammals secrete on me. The cleansers are quite expensive too, and so I would not repurchase from on those two points. With that said, the skin looked to have a glow about it after the use, but I doubt it was the milk proteins that helped with that. Would love to see FOREO make a vegan product.

Night Cleanser – Celestial Melting Gel Night Cleanser

The Night cleanser comes out silver, and looks very much “celestial”, with tiny black meteorite grains. This was the only one that actually created any foam. But to say that it foams would be to over-exaggerate. The cream transforms and becomes white, but does not necessarily “bubble up” so to speak.

It’s described to contain meteorite powder to sound fancy, but like I said, it’s more like grains than a fine powder. When used with only hands, the grains feel rough. It made me a bit worried that they might scratch the skin’s surface on a microbic level. I can’t prove anything, and at least with the Luna device, you don’t feel them.

It was still my favorite out of the two, but I wouldn’t necessarily repurchase as I think there are better cleansers out there that don’t contain the potential microscopic scratching.

Conclusion

While I do find the Foreo Luna to not be as effective as the Clarisonic, it’s more of a plus than a minus for me personally. As one of my problems with Clarisonic was that it was a bit too effective for daily use. It all comes down to your own preference and what you want out of your device. In the end, the Luna gets the job done with gentle exfoliation, but don’t expect to be polished like you would with the Clarisonic. But this could heavily depend on the kind of cleanser you use. I would assume washing with an AHA cleanser would give great results! In some ways, both the FOREO Luna and Clarisonic are cool to own.

However, I only see lots of pros with the FOREO Luna device. The biggest con would be the very high price… but when comparing it to the Clarisonic’s hidden cost of a need to replace brush heads, it comes off cheaper in the end. And FOREO has expanded their range to fit different size wallets, but it comes with a price… The number of times you need to charge your device! And I personally like to pay a little bit more to get what I want.

UPDATE 2017: I’ve since this review purchased the LUNA Mini 2 which I’m very happy with.

SWEDISH

Även om jag inte finner FOREO Luna att va lika effektivt som Clarisonic, så är det mer av ett plus än ett minus för mig personligen. Då ett av mina problem med Clarisonic var att den var lite för effektiv för dagligt bruk som företaget utlovade. Det hela handlar om dina egna önskemål och vad du vill ha ut av din enhet. I slutändan så får Luna jobbet gjort och ger en mild ansiktsskrub, men förvänta dig inte att poleras som du skulle med en Clarisonic. Men det kan i hög grad beror på vilken typ av rengöringsmedel du använder och hudtyp.

Men jag kan bara se massa fördelar med FOREO Luna. Det största minuset skulle vara det mycket höga priset… Men när man jämför med Clarisonics dolda kostnader för behovet av att ersätta borsthuvuden, kommer det av billigare i slutändan. Och FOREO har utökat sitt sortiment för att passa olika plånböcker, men det har sitt pris att vara snål… Mängden gånger du behöver ladda din enhet! Och jag personligen betalar lite mer för att få det jag vill.