The idea:A safe way to dermaplane—that is, exfoliate by shaving—at home
The aha moment:Dara Levy, a spa owner and former institutional broker, loved the way dermaplaning made her skin feel. But she knew not everyone could afford to get it professionally done on a routine basis. “I was in the shower one day and thought it should be something you could use at home and that any woman could use,” she says.
Since then:Levy, 57, sold her spa and created a handheld tool that uses subtle sonic vibration and a textured steel edge, rather than a traditional blade, to remove skin cells and peach fuzz from a woman’s face, leaving a baby-butt-smooth texture behind. (Sorry, guys: It doesn’t work on your wiry facial hair.) Sephora, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus have picked up the device, selling kits that contain the tool, plus extra edges and tubes of cleanser and moisturizer, for $189. When QVC recently featured Dermaflash for the discounted price of $149, it sold almost 30,000 of them in 24 hours. Makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff even used it as part of the Oscars prep for Taraji P. Henson. (No, it wasn’t a promotional gimmick—Sheriff is a fan.) After the QVC appearance, Guthy-Renker, the direct marketing giant behind Cindy Crawford’s beauty line, made an equity investment and recently began running an infomercial. Worried you’ll end up looking like a bearded lady when the fuzz returns? “Your hair won’t grow back thicker, darker, or fuller,” Levy insists. “That’s an old wives’ tale.”