Sensica Sensilight Mini review: a powerful IPL that drastically reduces hair growth – if you can handle the brightness

As T3’s Home Editor, I’ve covered style for years now, including hair removal and grooming devices. But I’m relatively new to the world of IPL machines which is why I was excited – albeit a little apprehensive – to try the Sensica Sensilight Mini.

For those unfamiliar with IPL hair removal machines, IPL stands for ‘intense pulse light’ and its different wavelengths of light target the hair’s pigment. As the light reaches the pigment, it heats in order to kill growing hair cells and follicles to reduce hair growth and thickness.

The Sensica Sensilight Mini advertises itself as an FDA-cleared reactive pulsed light device that offers permanent body and facial hair reduction. I spent a couple of months testing it to see if it was as effective as it promised, and I was pleasantly surprised – here’s how I got on.

Sensica Sensilight Mini review: price and availability

The Sensica Sensilight Mini is priced at £239 / $229 and is available to buy at Sensica and select retailers, like Amazon. It comes in one colour and has a 12 month warranty.

Sensica Sensilight Mini review: set up

As a corded device, the Sensilight Mini doesn’t require any charging. The only main thing to do when setting up the Sensilight Mini is a preliminary test to ensure the device is safe for your skin.

IPL devices are safe to use for most skin types, but it’s said to work best for lighter skin tones – see this compatibility skin tone chart for more information. As someone who has a light skin tone with light-to-medium hair, I rated high in the compatibility chart but still wanted to test it to make sure it would be safe for my skin.

I tested the Sensilight Mini on my thigh as this area of my body doesn’t get as much hair. I went over a small area for a few zaps and left it for 48 hours before properly testing the device. I didn’t have any negative reaction so I was good to go.

Sensica Sensilight Mini review: design and features

Compared to other hair removal devices, the Sensica Sensilight Mini immediately attracted me as it’s small and fits comfortably in the hand – a marked change from the overly large alien-looking IPLs I’ve seen on the market. It looks more like an epilator than an IPL, and is best described as a corded, travel-friendly IPL device as you can take it with you to use on the go – although the plug and cord will have to come too!

The Sensilight Mini has a button on the back which allows you to customise the strength of the hair removal. Six intensity levels are available, and once you’ve picked the strength, you touch the Sensilight Mini to your skin and press the button at the top of the device.

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A green light is shown at the front and top of the Sensilight Mini and it zaps in a bright white colour. When it’s ready to go again, the top LED light will go green which takes a couple of seconds. It doesn’t make a lot of noise but you can hear a gentle whirring.

The Sensilight Mini has a built-in skin tone tensor which activates flashes when the device is in full contact with suitable skin. It also automatically adjusts its power to suit skin and will disable flashes if it detects damaged skin.

The Sensilight Mini is designed to be used on legs, underarms, bikini line and even the face. It reduces hair growth over time, and is quick and gentle, although it does get hot.

Sensica Sensilight Mini review: performance

Once my preliminary test was out the way, I prepped my skin by shaving the areas I wanted to use the Sensilight Mini on a day before. On the day, I showered and dried my skin, leaving it free of any moisturiser or sprays.

I plugged in the Sensilight Mini and selected the lowest intensity level before pressing it against my armpits, up and down my legs, and around my bikini line. After my first session, I used the Sensilight Mini on the same areas two weeks later – as it recommends in the instructions manual – before using it once a week.

I found the process of using the Sensilight Mini very easy. The controls are simple and while I thought the device was a little chunky for my hands at times – I sometimes felt like I needed to use two hands to hold it and press the button – I found it easy enough to maneuver. It also got into awkward spots and crevices without any issue which I found impressive.

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The light and zaps of the Sensilight Mini were insanely bright, and I felt like I needed to be wearing goggles to use it. I didn’t find the Sensilight Mini to be painful when in use but it does feel hot on the skin. It didn’t feel like it burnt but the device itself did get hot in places and took a while to cool down.

From the first initial test, I noticed my hair regrowth was extremely minimal straight away. This might be too much information – but hey, it’s best to be transparent! – but as a blonde, I don’t tend to grow thick or dark hair, although I do have to shave my underarms 1-2 times a week. I haven’t experienced that since using the Sensilight Mini and can now get by with having a quick shaving touch-up before my next IPL session.

I found the Sensilight Mini to work best on my legs and bikini area. I noticed very minimal regrowth in these areas which I appreciated. The Sensilight Mini was also easy to fit into my weekly routine and it made me feel more confident about managing my body hair.

Sensica Sensilight Mini review: verdict

The Sensilight Mini by Sensica is a compact, powerful IPL hair removal device that works best for leg hair and intimate areas. Despite its slightly chunky design, the Sensilight Mini is easy to hold, use and maneuver into even the trickiest of areas. I found my regrowth results to be extremely impressive and it’s become my go-to way to manage body hair.

Some people might prefer a cordless model which the Sensilight Mini is not, but the cable is long enough that you can easily plug it in wherever and whenever you want. The main issue I had was how bright the light was as it was extremely intense and left marks behind my eyes. But overall, the results of the Sensilight Mini were hard to beat.

Sensica Sensilight Mini review: alternatives to consider

The Braun Skin i-Expert Pro 7 has a similar design to the Sensilight Mini, although it is a lot more expensive. It holds the number one spot in our IPL guide as it offers fast and effective results, and smart features, like app guides.

If the idea of an IPL getting too hot worries you, the Ulike Air+ IPL Cooling Hair Removal Device is a great choice. Its hair removal is painless and cooling, and it has Sapphire Freezing technology that reduces skin irritation.