So, the title may not be 100% accurate, but when I heard about Opte being chatted about by the ladies of the Breaking Beauty podcast, I had to pause and Google this product.
Rather than stumble about trying to explain what this tool does, I'll let the Opte website take care of it:
"OPTE is a handheld inkjet printer that scans, detects, and corrects hyperpigmentation (spots). OPTE identifies spots with blue LED lights and a digital camera. A microprocessor analyzes the images, signaling the device to deposit serum directly onto spots, instantly camouflaging and reducing their appearance over time."
Safe to say, this isn't your average blue-light device. Opte's website and socials are filled with before and after shoots that (to me) showcase the very best of 'no-makeup makeup', as if you'd applied perfectly-matched concealer with a micro-brush and a magnifying mirror. The idea is that you're only applying product where you need it, and not all over the face like a foundation or a serum.
Although Opte doesn't specify it in their elevator pitch above, this is a tinted serum (available in 3 shades), so it's more than just finely dispersed skincare - the idea is you get even-toned, glowy skin after running this slowly over your face (kind of like airbrushing your base makeup on, but with a super-discerning camera wielding the airbrush). Even with just 3 shades available, Opte promises near-to-perfect matches for all skin (although as of today, they don't share a huge lot of promo on deeper skin tones).
Now to me this is the perfect product for someone who doesn't like to wear base makeup, but perhaps feels they need to in order to feel polished, and specifically, this is someone who has hyperpigmentation (you won't be disguising pink, fresh acne marks as easily, as I imagine the camera (kind of like a laser for hair removal) is designed to find the dark pigmentation on your skin. So you'd need uneven tone with darker spots here and there to get your money's worth, and oh, and $599 USD spare. Much like the Droplette device I've shared here, you can't just DIY the serum, and the refill serum and care kit will set you back $129 (currently, you can't get this product shipped outside of the US).
So, the serum contains 5% niacinamide (which is the same amount I get nightly in my custom tretinoin cream from Software), and this is proven to light hyperpigmentation over time (Opte suggests about 8-12 weeks of consistent use), but you need to stick with it. You can also access this percentage of niacinamide in many other commercial skincare products now (Paula's Choice has some really great options) which will set you back a LOT less than $600.
That's not always the way to look at these things though, and I appreciate that Opte is using tech to bring coverage, precision and skincare together in one package (and I LOVE cool gadgets). Now, I've messaged Opte on Instagram and they responded in detail noting that the serum formula contains no animal products, they are 100% cruelty-free, but they are not certified vegan as they haven't gone through the assessment process - so, to my knowledge they are likely vegan as well as cruelty-free, and to my knowledge they don't currently sell to/in China (the umbrella brand of this company/startup incubator is Procter & Gamble, so there is potential risk here that this may happen down the line, so don't hang your hat on the vegan claims yet).
It's fantastic to see skincare and makeup combining to embrace glowing skin without heavy coverage, and using proven ingredients to boost your skin across the day - I hope this kind of tech makes its way to other products (perhaps specifically for acne scars/active acne).