Spa+Clinic Team 
French skincare innovator Thalgo celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2015 with the launch of the brand’s first professional device to revolutionise facials.
iBeauty, a sleek, modernistic and compact ‘instrumental cosmetic’ module designed to replicate the pebble shape of Thalgo’s face creams, combines three technologies (with separate handpieces) to offer programmed treatments of 30-45 minutes.
- The iBeauty Skin Purify Reviver harnesses sound vibration to exfoliate and purify with a deep cleansing peel protocol (30 minutes).
- iBeauty Hydration Corrector uses sequential ultrasound to promote lymph drainage, infuse hydrating products and stimulates fibroblasts to encourage collagen and elastin renewal (45 minutes).
- iBeauty Youth Activator uses tri-polar radio frequency (meaning it doesn’t cause the discomfort of mono-polar or bi-polar RF systems) to plump, firm and regenerate the complexion, minimising the appearance of lines and wrinkles and lifting facial contours (30 minutes).
This editor was fortunate enough to be given a ‘tasting plate’ of all three protocols over an hour by international Thalgo trainer Camille Pruvot, who came from France HQ to Australia last week to mark its launch here and to show therapists from around the country the ropes.
Apart from being a blissfully relaxing and enjoyable experience, my skin responded to the three protocols and treatment products like a withered plant after a long drought.
It looked instantly softer and plumper, as if it had guzzled gallons of fresh water, much brighter, certainly cleaner (and those pesky stress spots on my chin and jaw far less angry) as well as super-receptive to products I used at home in the days afterwards.
For five decades Thalgo has been a world leader in marine skincare and pioneer of thalassotherapy (the therapeutic use of the ocean and marine products to restore and remineralise the body).
The brand is renowned for its cosmetic research and formulation of marine algae; to extract mineral-rich ingredients that, together with plant concentrates and proteins, form the basis of all Thalgo products.
In keeping with this reputation for research and innovation, scientists spent several years researching the ‘perfect’ device to become the company’s first technology offering.
Nicola Gleeson, general manager of BLC Cosmetics, Thalgo’s Australian distributor, points out that iBeauty is also the perfect instrument for salons and clinics who need to upgrade their services with a more clinical edge to keep competitive – but who do not want to make a massive outlay on equipment or venture into territory with more aggressive devices that require intensive training and carry a not-insignificant risk factor.
‘I was introduced to iBeauty at Cosmoprof in Hong Kong,’ Nicola says. ‘Although I hadn’t worked as a therapist for 15 years, I was able to master the device within minutes.
‘The ‘i’ stands for: Innovative. Ingenious. Intuitive. Intelligent. And iBeauty is indeed all these things.
‘Its touch screen technology makes for ease of use and speed of set-up.
‘The browser software offers pre-configured treatments that, like a coach, guides a therapist through each step of the three treatment protocols: the technology to use for different concerns, the targeted facial area, adjusted manoeuvres and recommended duration.
‘All these features have made a huge impact on our participating salons and clinics and iBeauty is, as a result, walking out our door and into theirs.’
Nicola says that one of iBeauty’s most compelling assets is that is meeting contemporary consumer demand for time efficient treatments that produce real results.
‘iBeauty will enable our clients to provide a new facial treatment that utilises the latest technologies to cut down treatment times while addressing a broad range of consumer concerns.
‘Not only that but, in around 40 treatments, iBeauty will have paid for itself.’
– By Jenni Gilbert
