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L’Oréal Professionnel, the salon hair care division of the French conglomerate, launched the $475 Airlight Pro hair dryer into Ulta Beauty on Sunday. The device uses infrared technology, and was created in partnership with Chinese technology company Zuvi.
The dryer, which was previously only available to professionals, will be available on Ulta Beauty’s e-commerce site and in over half of the retailer’s 1,385 stores throughout the US.
It’s considerably more expensive than other prestige dryers like Dyson’s $399 Supersonic, but L’Oréal claims the inclusion of infrared light can dry hair faster and gentler compared with standard hair dryers. It joins a crowded market for hair tools, led by the likes of UK-based Dyson and its viral hairdryers and stylers, as well as Shark’s more affordable versions, and legacy brands like T3, Ghd and Conair.
In January, L’Oréal chief executive Nicholas Hieronimus first unveiled the device during a keynote speech at 2024′s Consumer Electronics Show, hailing the device as embodiment of the company’s desire to become a leader in beauty technology.
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“The technology was the starting point,” said Mounia Tahiri, L’Oréal Professionnel’s US general manager. “What we brought to the table was our pro expertise.”
Penny Coy, senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty, pointed to the hair category’s “skinification” trend as evidence of demand for gentler and more effective heat styling tools. In addition to a branded display, the Airlight Pro will be used during in-store styling sessions at select Ulta Beauty stores.
The device will replace Zuvi’s own infrared hairdryer called Halo, which originally went on sale in 2022 and scooped up plaudits from Allure and Time. Later that year, L’Oréal made an investment in the firm via its corporate venture capital arm, BOLD.
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With new players like Shark and Dyson making blow dryers and stylers, the hair tools segment is in the midst of an innovation push the likes of which it hasn’t seen in decades.
