Philips 2028 Bet: Will DIY Hair Removal Win?

Philips just announced they’re sinking €1 billion into their beauty and personal care division, a huge strategic pivot focusing squarely on at-home solutions. This money is meant to build out their lineup of personal grooming devices and services, and it’s a direct response to people wanting more convenience and privacy for their beauty routines, especially hair removal. The real question is, will this massive push from an electronics giant completely change the game for DIY hair removal and shove professional services into a tiny niche?

The core problem has always been that people want effective, convenient, and private hair removal that actually fits into a busy schedule. Professional waxing used to be the gold standard for results, but the required time, recurring cost, and pain of regular salon visits were major turn-offs for a lot of people. In response, the market filled up with at-home alternatives, from basic shaving and creams to more advanced IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) machines. But these home options always came with a trade-off: they weren’t as effective, took forever to use, and had a steep learning curve. This left a lot of users stuck, bouncing between expensive salon appointments and disappointing home methods.

So where did at-home tech first stumble? Think back to the first-gen at-home IPL devices from the late 2010s. They were promising, but you needed a ton of sessions to see any real results, they didn’t work well on many hair and skin tones, and they were just awkward to use. Their energy output was a fraction of professional machines and the treatment heads were tiny, making a full-body session an absolute chore. People would buy a device, get frustrated by the effort, use it inconsistently, and go right back to shaving or booking a wax. The idea of getting salon-quality smoothness at home just didn’t pan out, which made everyone skeptical that “you get what you pay for” was the final word. That early disappointment made it harder for newer, better tech to get a fair shot.

Philips’ strategy, laid out in their 2026 annual report, is designed to fix these past failures by concentrating on tech, a personalized user experience, and integrated care. Their €1 billion investment, which will be deployed over the next two years, is all going to R&D for things like next-gen IPL, AI-driven personalization through apps, and smart device connectivity. This is a fundamental rethinking of the at-home beauty experience, not just a minor update to old products.

One of the main things Philips is chasing is a massive boost in the power and speed of their at-home IPL devices. We’re already seeing new models with higher energy levels, bigger treatment windows, and faster flash rates that are cutting full-body session times down dramatically. For instance, their upcoming “LumiAura Pro” (set for a late 2026 release) is claiming up to 90% hair reduction in only three treatments, which starts to sound a lot like what you’d get from some professional systems. They’re getting there with proprietary new light spectrum and cooling technologies that permit a more intense treatment without the pain. According to dermatologist Dr. Elena Petrova, who specializes in laser therapies, these new devices “bridge the gap between consumer expectation and actual performance, making consistent at-home results genuinely achievable for a wider demographic.”

It’s not just about the hardware, though. Philips is using artificial intelligence to personalize the entire hair removal process. Imagine a device that uses your phone’s camera and its own sensors to analyze your skin tone and hair type, then automatically sets the ideal intensity and maps out a treatment schedule for you. This kind of guidance, which you used to only get from a professional, eliminates the guesswork and user error that made older DIY products so hit-or-miss. The app can also track your progress, ping you with reminders, and offer aftercare tips based on how your skin is reacting. The Statista Global Consumer Survey 2025 already found that 78% of people using beauty tech want devices that give them personalized recommendations.

They’re also thinking about the before and after. Philips is building a system of integrated care that includes pre-treatment skin prep and post-treatment soothing balms, all made to work together with the device. The goal is to provide a complete package that reduces irritation and keeps skin healthy, which has always been a salon’s big selling point. This approach makes their products feel like a full beauty solution, not just a piece of hardware, which is a very smart way to compete.

And the numbers are starting to back this up. Market analysis from Euromonitor International is now projecting a 15% compound annual growth rate for the at-home hair removal device market between 2026 and 2030, and Philips is perfectly placed to grab a huge piece of that. According to their internal sales data, their early 2026 launches, which had faster treatment times, already saw a 22% jump in sales volume over the previous year’s models. Even better, consumer satisfaction scores are climbing. Reviews on big e-commerce sites are full of comments about the ease of use and getting real results in fewer sessions, which directly answers the biggest complaints about the old tech.

So, if you run a waxing salon, what’s the play? The market is definitely changing, and just offering a standard wax probably isn’t going to cut it anymore. Salons have to double down on what a machine can’t do: the human touch, an expert eye for detail, and the skill to handle tricky or sensitive areas perfectly. They have to sell the bespoke experience, the instant gratification of walking out with flawless skin after one appointment, and the sheer luxury of being taken care of. Offering advanced techniques, specialized waxes, and genuine aftercare consultation is paramount. Businesses that get this and start offering things like speed waxing or advanced skin analysis will do just fine. Those that don’t, frankly, risk getting left behind as at-home tech gets better and better.

For the rest of us, this competition is great news. All this investment and R&D means more effective, affordable, and convenient options are hitting the market. Whether you prefer the privacy of using an advanced device at home or the expert hands of a professional, the overall quality of hair removal is going up. The choice just comes down to whether you value convenience over luxury, and the market is finally strong enough to deliver great options for both.

Philips’ €1 billion bet is aimed at completely resetting our expectations for at-home personal care. This push is making DIY solutions more sophisticated at a rapid pace, and it’s forcing everyone, manufacturers and salons alike, to step up their game. This creates a much more dynamic hair removal market, which benefits all of us with better and more personalized options than we’ve ever had. For anyone trying to decide between the two worlds, looking into waxing comfort versus IPL growth can give a clearer picture of the current trends.