Philips Lumea Essential, Tested & Reviewed

Introduced in 2016, Philips Lumea Essential replaced the Lumea Comfort, as an IPL hair removal device with quality design, and perfect cost-efficient edition.

It’s followed by Philips Lumea Advanced, Philips Lumea Prestige, then Philips Lumea 9000 series in late 2020, and 9900 in 2023.

Its comfy & quality design, makes it perfectly suitable for small areas like underarms, bikini line, forearms and face. We definitely felt how suitable it is for the underarms to be more specific, like it was created to do this body part.

Before jumping to the specifics of the Philips Lumea Essential, we’d like to note that it has the European CU clearance, but it doesn’t yet have the US FDA-clearance.

Our Testing on Philips Lumea Essential IPL

Did you know, dear reader, that despite the release of Lumea Essential years ago, there are still many women who want to have it? This is because it is considered the basis for recent releases and series and it works the same way.

Despite our tests with it several times in the past years, we decided to test it again and check a number of important points such as speed and efficiency in hair removal and specifications. We will also provide an updated review of the Essential device and all information related to it.

What Is Philips Lumea Essential?

Philips Lumea Essential was the number 1 IPL hair removal brand in the UK in Feb 2017, according to Market Leader research Institute. It’s a lightweight IPL device with a standard but effective design.

Lumea Essential uses the Intense Pulse Light (IPL) technology, that’s designed to reduce hair growth significantly, to an extent where you’ll have complete hair-free experience for months, using the light energy directed at the hair follicles.

IPL Technology was introduced to the world in 1994, and since then has revolutionized many industries, including the hair removal. Philips Lumea has used this technology to the maximum potential, creating top-notch devices, including the Lumea Essential.

Does Philips Lumea Essential suit my skin tone?

One of the most important steps before deciding what hair removal device you should obtain, is checking if the device works fine on your skin tone and hair color, or not.

Philips Lumea Essential works effectively on Dark blonde, brown, and black hairs. It also works on all skin types, except for dark skin.

Moreover, Lumea Essential doesn’t work effectively on red, light-blonde, or white/grey hair.

We’ve read through tens of personal first-hand reviews of costumers, and they spoke highly of the device, mainly due to its ease of use. The device has 4.1/5 rating on the official Philips website.

Is Philips Lumea Essential safe?

Philips worked hard over the last 10 years, to make sure its IPL devices are completely safe to use. Philips Essential has an integrated safety system, that prevents unintentional flashing.

Furthermore, it’s provided with Skin tone sensor, that can detect your skin tone automatically, in addition to its integrated UV filter, which protects your skin from UV light.

Philips Essential also has 5 light energy settings, to make the device as adjustable to your skin needs as conveniently possible.

Device’s expected lifetime

There are 2 main qualifications that make Philips Lumea a long-term solution for hair removal, its long-lasting results, and the extremely long device’s lifetime.

The device has the capacity of producing 200,000 flashes, over 3.2 cm2 treatment window. Doing the math over a 640,000 cm2 body, that’s around 160 full body treatments, that lasts around 10 years of monthly uses.

According to the same math, that’s more likely than you’ll need. However, it’s always affected by how long the machine keeps on working, in addition to other manufacturing and storage factors.

When to expect results from the Lumea Essential?

As a general advice for women aiming to use IPL devices for hair removal, don’t rush it.

Despite that, Philips Lumea Essential can provide results in a relatively short time compared to other hair removal devices. By the 3^rd treatment session, you’ll begin to notice significant hair reduction results.

Moving on to the 4^th and 5^th sessions, you’ll notice greater results. It’s advised to perform a session every 2 weeks, which means in the span of 8 weeks, you’ll notice how great this device really is.

How long does the treatment last?

There isn’t a specific timer than can gauge how long will a single treatment session last. But a single pulse of light will take from 1.3-3 seconds to recharge before you can produce a new one. And that’s calculated manually on different power settings.

Philip’s official user manual says it will take you on average 5 minutes to do your lower leg. 1 minute to do the bikini line, same time goes for face areas, and armpit.

What we knew from testing this device, that it’s completely useful for smaller body areas. But on larger areas like the legs, or the torso, it’ll take you a bit longer to finish the body part.

Philips Lumea Essential Price Range

We’ve visited handful of online stores, in different countries, and the Lumea Essential IPL hair removal device, has a price range of 200-300€, depending on the version you choose.

A detailed review has the thorough comparison between the 3 different versions of Philips Essential.

At this price, the Essential is considered cheaper than most of the other devices of the same category.

The online reviews also affirmed how decently good the price is, compared to how effective Lumea Essential is.

However, if you have bigger budged, and looking for more advanced Philips Lumea editions, we’ll advise you to check Philips Lumea Prestige, and Philips Lumea 9000 series.

Philips Lumea Essential 

Technical Specs

1. 200,000 lamp flashes + pouch.
2. SmartSkin sensor.
3. Corded.
4. Voltage: 100-240 V.
5. Adapter: 12V / 550mA – 400V / 60W.
6. Storage: Pouch.

Pros and cons

To sum this review up, we’ve prepared a list of Philips Lumea Essential pros & cons:

Pros:

• Cost-efficient
• Suitable for underarms, bikini line, forearms and face
• Fast treatment sessions
• Long cord
• CE Certified
• Safety assured
• Classy shape
• Can be used up to 10 years

Cons:

• Short power cord can get in the way
• No additional attachments
• Not FDA-approved
• Slower on larger body parts e.g., legs.

Our Testers Ratings

• Power: 3/5
• Flashes: 3/5
• Attachments: 1/5
• Results: 3.5/5
• Price: 4/5
• More Options: 5/5

What Do The Online Reviews Of Essential say?

We searched everywhere to provide you with real reviews for Philips Lumea device and not just on the internet. These stories are from customers who are telling us their experience to help you save time and effort before buying your next hair removal device:

“Amazing Results From First Sessions”

‘I bought Lumea Essential three weeks ago. and I’m using 12-week pregame so I’m using it once every week and the results are impressive from my first session’, Emily Said. Her results are not dramatic and she noticed that the hair grows back slower compared to other areas she didn’t start to treat yet.

She said it doesn’t hurt or cause heat even with using it for long sessions.  she let it cool down and rest in-between when treating large areas of her skin. ‘I’m really excited to continue my treatment plan and see results’ she said.

“Hair Removal Results are Just Perfect”

“Hair removal results are perfect, fast and last forever. The value and the quality of Lumea essential are high, that’s why women who use it are very satisfied with the results. in fact, many women feel a difference from the first treatment. If you have excess hair growth, don’t worry Philips will help you achieve perfectly smooth skin in just minutes.” said another review.

Unboxing of Philips Lumea Essential product box

Conclusion

Philips Lumea Essential is the best cost-efficient IPL hair removal device out there. It can work on smaller body parts surprisingly perfect. The aforementioned pros & cons list can give you the abstract you seek.

However, when seeking a more advanced and improved Philips Lumea models. you can still visit the model’s page on our website, for other options.

In case you have any questions on the Philips Lumea Essential. feel free to post them in the comment section down below, and we’ll be more than happy to answer in less than 48 hours.

People also check Philips Lumea Prestige

Check all Philips Lumea Models

Philips Lumea Review: Our Rate

Philips Lumea Essential BRI863 is one of the best personal kits for hair removal. It is very safe on the skin and has good reputation among women who tried it at home. You should try it if you are looking for luxurious hair removal kit at cost-effective price. The only problem with it is that it heats up quickly.

So, this affects the rating which is a well-deserved 4.7 star, making it our #2 of our best hair removal devices.

Do you want the latest Philips releases? Check out our comprehensive guide on Philips Lumea IPL devices.