5 personal care innovations that lived up to the hype in 2024

Plenty of personal care products—the treatments and gadgets that fill our medicine cabinets, gyms, and restrooms—promise innovation. However, few deliver. Companies that make cosmetics, supplements, fitness tools, and other wellness aids tend to use buzzwords without doing the research to create something truly new. That’s not to say there aren’t forward-thinking personal care products available, and this year brought some notable offerings. From high-tech sleep and activity trackers that make peak performance possible to cutting-edge blow dryers that give your scalp a break from the burn, these five beauty and wellness products deliver on their big promises .

(Editor’s note: This is a section of Popular Science’s 37th annual Best of What’s New Awards. Be sure to read the full list of the 50 biggest innovations of 2024.)

Grand Prize Winner

Oura Ring 4 by Oura: A wellness tracker with a slimmer profile and more robust features

It takes a lot for an activity tracker to win a Best of What’s New award, and even more for the same brand to win twice. In 2021, we gave the Oura 3 fitness tracker a nod to its advanced approach of incorporating period tracking into its smart ring app. Oura ring 4which launched on October 3, is more than just a refresh. This model is much more comfortable thanks to the flatter sensors in the band. But Oura is new Smart Sensing Algorithm ensures that the slimmer band is more capable than ever.

The ring’s sensors—red and infrared LEDs for measuring blood oxygen levels, green and infrared LEDs for tracking heart rate and breathing, a digital thermometer, and an accelerometer—turn on and off based on your activity and your unique physiology. The result is a ring that can run up to eight days on a single charge, while improving accuracy over the Oura 3. The redesign of the Oura app is nothing to sneeze at either. It provides a uniquely customizable platform to transform Oura Ring 4’s extensive data into actionable insights into sleep quality, recovery, stress, fitness and fertility. With a full range of ring sizes and luxury-looking finishes, the Oura 4 ring might just be the best wear wearable I’ve ever tried.

Custom-Jet Oral Health System by Proclaim: Finally, a true alternative to flossing

It’s a universally acknowledged truth that flossing is a pain in the ass. But while flossing with water might be better than just BRUSHING and calling it a night, some dentists won’t take kindly to replacing your floss with a gadget. The Proclaim Custom-Jet Oral Health System might be the one exception. After all, At first glance, the Proclaim might look like just another dental flosserbut it is in a league of its own. The device features a custom-molded mouthpiece — 3D scanned at a dentist’s office and then manufactured by Proclaim — that places up to 60 jets of water in exactly the right places to clean between your teeth and below the gum line. 360-degree power wash takes just seconds. You can even swap multiple mouthpieces on one device, so one unit can clean the teeth of the entire household.

Bond Shaper Curl Reconstruction Treatment by Olaplex: A quick fix for damaged curls

Over the past few years, Olaplex has become synonymous with bond-repairing treatments—products that promise to reform the broken bonds between keratin proteins that make hair frizzy, dry, and brittle. The brand is new Bond Shaper Curl Reconstruction Treatment uses a proprietary peptide to give curls a targeted boost. The same damage that can make straight hair look rough can actually change the shape of a curl and even make it less wavy. Bond Shaper penetrates the hair to rebuild the disulphide bonds that form curls. This quick and painless salon treatment leaves curls looking stronger and healthier, making it the first salon-strength bond repair treatment we’ve seen that doesn’t focus on making hair as sleek and smooth as possible possible.

Pod 4 by Eight Sleep: Custom bed temperatures that feel right

The market for sleep aids is booming, but this smart mattress topper stands out. With a form factor not much thicker than a fitted sheet, Bridge 4 circulate water silently while you sleep to cool or warm up to 10 degrees. It’s more efficient than throwing heat or AC, but it’s not all it’s got to do. The topper is divided into two independent zones, allowing co-sleepers to set precise microclimates for each part. The Autopilot algorithm uses data from the topper’s 36 biometric sensors to recalibrate the temperature throughout the night to maximize sleep quality. Users can also press discreet buttons on each side of the topper to adjust the temperature without opening the Eight Sleep app.

Dyson’s Supersonic Nural: An incredibly smart dryer that protects your scalp

These days, Dyson is arguably even better known for its game-changing hair care tools than its vacuum cleaners. Now, the company has turned its attention to an often neglected aspect of hair styling: the scalp. The Dyson Supersonic Nural offers all the power people have come to expect from the brand’s flagship hair dryer, but with a high-tech upgrade. The device is equipped with sensors to prevent you from overheating your hair and scalp. It measures the distance between the dryer and the head with a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor—a piece of technology more often found in autonomous cars and robots that bounces light off objects and watches how quickly the tide returns. As the dryer gets closer to the hair and skin, it automatically lowers its temperature to optimize hair and scalp health without compromising drying speed.