TIME revealed its annual list of the 100 Best Inventions that are making the world better, smarter, and even a bit more fun. Each submission was evaluated on several key factors, including originality, creativity, efficacy, ambition, and impact. The full list includes innovative, eco-friendly dye for jeans, to a truly novel pasta shape and groundbreaking vaccines for COVID-19 and malaria—and much more. BeautyMatter did a beauty and wellness edit below.
Dual-Purpose Skin Care: Supergoop! Daily Dose Vitamin C + SPF 40 Serum: More than three years and 15 iterations to perfect, Supergoop!'s hybrid vitamin C + SPF 40 is the brand's most successful direct-to-consumer product launch to date. The consumers’ lack of understanding that vitamin C products are rendered ineffective by the sun informed founder Holly Thaggard’s development and positioning of the launch.
A More Sustainable Wash: L'Oréal Water Saver: Unveiled in January and being rolled out in free pilots, L'Oréal’s Water Saver is addressing the thousands of gallons of water used a day in hair salons. The system attaches to sinks and houses shampoo, conditioner, and treatment product that is distributed into the water stream, creating micro-ionized droplets that combine with pressurized steam, creating smaller water particles that reduce water consumption by 80%.
Skin Care On Demand: Opulus Beauty Labs Treatment System: Dr. Robb Akridge, aka Dr Robb, who invented the Clarisonic face-cleansing brush 17 years ago, is back at innovating how we approach beauty. Inspiration for Opulus Beauty Labs struck in a Parisian chocolate shop—think Nespresso machine, without the plastic, for skincare that heats up to mix the single-dose formulas. According to TIME, the business recently received an infusion of $8 million from investors.
Just Add Water: Everist Waterless Haircare Concentrates: Everist co-founders Jessica Stevenson and Jayme Jenkins built their haircare concentrates through a zero-waste lens with a sharp focus on using only pure, active ingredients.Everist's shampoo and conditioner come in a paste format that turns into a foamy lather and serum-like conditioner when activated by water. The 100 ml tube is equivalent to a full-size 300 ml bottle of product.
Ultra-Targeted Complexion Aide: Opte Precision Skincare: P&G Ventures Startup Studio invested 14 years and secured 13 patents to create the Opte device. The Opte wand contains a high-definition camera that scans the complexion and immediately corrects hyperpigmentation with 120 tiny nozzles that dispense mineralized, pigmented serum to the skin, resulting in an even, natural, and glowing complexion,
A Refined Rinse and Eco-Friendly Flossing—Quip Mouthwash and Refillable Floss Pick: Known for its iconic toothbrush, the company is putting oral heath front and center encouraging better oral hygiene while tackling sustainability. The mouthwash is a concentrated formula packaged in 100% recyclable bottles. They also launched a similarly sleek, refillable dispenser for floss.
