Get up close and personal with exclusive, inspiring interviews and taste profiles delivered with a cheeky twist to your inbox daily.

Success! You’re all signed up. 🎉
Please enter a valid email address.

By subscribing to our email newsletter, you agree to and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy and Terms.

I Tried the Nasa-Backed Skin-Care Tool That’s Like an At-Home Collagen Injection

Meet Droplette. A clinically-validated breakthrough skincare device. In collaboration with Droplette.

Skin
droplette device
We must admit that skin care is expensive—where else is it justifiable to spend $400 on a small jar of actives? It’s no wonder why people go to extreme lengths to stretch their products out as far as possible. Yet the question we should be asking ourselves is how much of our lotions and serums are actually getting absorbed into the skin?

It turns out, 90 percent of topical products never fully absorb beneath the skin’s surface. Here’s why: Your skin is excellent at keeping things out. Unfortunately, some of these shapes and sizes do not particularly agree with our skin barrier, in that a lot of formulations on the market today are molecularly too large to fit into the tiny little openings in our skin. For example, spreading collagen serums onto our faces—and even going so far as to push them in with a patting technique—just isn’t enough because the collagen molecule itself is larger than the skin’s openings. To give you a better idea of what we mean, imagine trying to push an apple through the holes of a pasta strainer—it just won’t work.

So does this mean we should quit skin care altogether? Absolutely not. The ingredients work; just the topical delivery system doesn’t. Luckily, a new device recently hit the scene like a fairy godmother magically appearing to help us with our absorption woes: Droplette. This clinically validated device works by breaking down dermatologist-recommended actives into a micro-mist and then shoots this mist into the skin at high velocity.

Device

Droplette
$299
Yes, this sounds very scientific, and, well, it’s because it is. Droplette was founded by two MIT-trained PhDs looking to treat epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin disease that causes fragile and blistering skin. Typical treatment for epidermolysis bullosa means topicals, which can be extremely painful, as this skin is covered in open wounds. The team at Droplette found a way to deliver treatments and pain relievers to patients with epidermolysis bullosa via a micro-infusion mist delivery system. They incorporated physics properties like fluid dynamics, the piezoelectric effect, and Fick’s laws of diffusion to create a mist so fine yet powerful that delivery of this treatment to patients is virtually pain free. This rocked the skin-care and science Venn diagram so much that NASA was Droplette’s first grant funder (yes, that NASA).

Soon enough, the team at Droplette found that the device works with other skin-care concerns, like the ones for which many people visit their dermatologists or plastic surgeons, so they decided to create a system that delivers skin-care actives at the smallest possible size they could. In fact, the Droplette device can deliver actives that are up to 10,000 times larger than what can be topically absorbed. The results? A surge of skin-care goodness up to 20 cell layers deep into the skin, pain- and needle-free, to get to the root cause of fine lines and wrinkles, blemishes, lackluster skin, and uneven skin texture.

This device comes with a choice of three different active capsules: a 0.15 percent retinol capsule set for those with acne or fine lines and wrinkles, a 10.0 percent collagen capsule set for those looking to boost their skin’s hydration levels and plump sagging skin, and an 8.0 percent glycolic acid capsule set for those looking to brighten dull or hyperpigmented/blemish-prone skin. All capsules are single-use and recyclable, making them hygienic, stable, and sustainable (a difficult feat for single-use products). Plus, all formulas are vegan, cruelty free, paraben free, fragrance free, hypoallergenic, and dermatologist tested, making them perfect for everyone looking for a little skin-care boost.

When I initially unpacked the Droplette, I was pleased to see that it certainly looks futuristic enough to have an association with NASA. Yet it was still extremely approachable with simple instructions. After syncing the device up to the Droplette app, I decided to give the collagen pod a whirl. (I’ve been dealing with some intense seasonal dryness, so I thought, what better pod to choose?) Holding the device about one centimeter from my bare and freshly cleansed face, I pressed the button on the side of the device. I started hovering it over my cheeks in circular motions, making sure to pay about 15 seconds of attention to each large part of my face. After about a minute of misting, I was done. Yep, it’s quite simple.

Yet, simplicity is intricate—this active delivery system is unlike anything I’ve tried at home before. Firstly, the application is surprisingly cooling and calming, which I’m sure is a serendipitous plus from this device’s mist component. (Seriously, whenever I use this device, I feel like little angels are whispering onto my skin.) The mist itself evaporates quite quickly when airborne, so I would certainly recommend holding it as close to your skin as you possibly can to reap its benefits. But don’t be alarmed—I find the evaporation rate to be a welcome bonus because most setting sprays or hair mists usually leave me in what seems like a (possibly toxic?) cloud of fog for quite a bit after application.

Now, as far as my skin goes: Upon my initial application, my skin looked so plump and dewy that I could have even fooled myself into believing that I just had a liter of water after a good run. Although, this device is a micro-mist of serum-like actives, so I found that my face did not look overly moisturized or oily; it just looked like healthy skin. As I continued to use this device for the next few days, my skin just kept getting better and better. I am elated to report that this is going into my daily routine.

So I’ve tried it, and do I think this $300 NASA-backed micro-mister is worth it? Absolutely. It’s a great device for targeting skin-care ailments, it’s great for getting the most out of my favorite actives, and it’s also such a quick addition to any routine.



Want more stories like this?

I Tried the $600 Handheld Makeup Printer That’s Like Photoshop for Dark Spots
I Tried an At-Home Laser Treatment That Costs More Than My Rent
Is Your Skin Experiencing Tachyphylaxis?
Part of the series:

We Tried It

VIEW THE SERIES
You May Also Like