L’Oréal’s Colorsonic has been named as one of the Time 2022 Best Inventions.

The lightweight, handheld device uses an innovative, mess-free process to mix hair color and apply it evenly, delivering consistent hair color results for consumers at home.

“What has remained consistent across the decades is our dedication to innovation,” said Barbara Lavernos, deputy chief executive officer, in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology. “We’re thrilled to see one of our latest L’Oréal BeautyTech products being recognized with such a prestigious award.”

Developed in response to consumer needs and refined over a five-year period, Colorsonic launched during the covid-19 pandemic when consumers experienced the challenges—namely the messiness of hair dye and the difficulty of applying hair color to hard-to-reach places—of an at-home haircoloring process that has remained virtually unchanged for decades.

“Co-designed by the L’Oréal Technology Incubator and hundreds of consumers through product testing, Colorsonic is a tech device rooted in three of our core values: personalization, augmented performance, and sustainability,” said Guive Balooch, L’Oréal global head of Research and Innovation’s Tech Incubator. “With the combination of tech and state of the art haircoloration formulas, this disruptive innovation is truly solving an unmet need and creating a better at-home experience.”

Colorsonic features post-consumer recycled plastic, reusable gloves, and reduced shipping packaging. The beauty tech innovation was revealed ahead of CES in January 2022 and honored as a 2022 CES Innovation Awards Honoree at the world’s premier consumer technology conference.

L’Oréal will launch Colorsonic to consumers in the US next year.