Is the Déesse Pro Sculpta worth investing in? We put it to the test
We’ve come a long way from the jade facial roller (remember those?). Beauty gadgets formed a soaring product category in 2024, and this year looks set to be no different, with research predicting sales to continue rising as we head into the new year.
Of course, you likely know the category’s kingpin: the LED face mask, which is now as commonplace in beauty regimes as an exfoliator or serum. Microcurrent devices are popular too, promising higher facial contours and sharper cheekbones in as little as 10 swift minutes. For those looking for a heavyweight investment, there’s the much-discussed Lyma laser and the Dermalux Flex, while 2025 is set to bring fresh competition in the at-home laser and radiofrequency corners.
As many of us start to look beyond the quick fix that make-up can bring, and demand deeper skin improvements than a topical product can deliver, the popularity of at-home skin tech is easy to understand. But if you’re lured in by every promise – brighter skin, sharper contours, lifted brows – you’re in danger of amassing quite the collection of gadgets and tools. It’s important to ask yourself: how many of them will you really use before heading out the door?
Helping to streamline our beauty tech – and step up the results we can achieve outside of a clinic – is Déesse Pro, whose Sculpta device offers three technologies in one: LED, radiofrequency, and electrical muscle stimulation.
Sculpta
The Déesse Pro Sculpta: how does it work?
The Sculpta is designed to offer multifaceted benefits, namely a brighter, more even skin tone, firmer facial definition, boosted circulation and an overall lifted appearance. While this likely sounds a little like wishful thinking, there are some impressive technologies powering the handheld tool, employed at advanced strengths which mean it may well deliver on these admittedly tall promises.
Firstly, the electrical muscle stimulation, which doesn’t work on the skin itself but on the layer of muscles beneath. While you’ve likely heard of microcurrent, which is widely employed in beauty tools, electrical muscle stimulation is lesser known (although brands such as Nuface and Facegym are also working with it). Simply put, EMS is a stronger iteration of microcurrent, using wavelengths that penetrate the muscles at a deeper level, delivering more noticeable results on the surface.
“Electrical muscle stimulation works with the same scientific principles as microcurrent, by passing electrical currents through the skin to evoke a biochemical reaction within skin cells,” explains Lotti Tyson, the global head of brand at Déesse Pro. “Microcurrent devices operate at much lower powers, typically 0.3-50Hz, and can therefore only travel superficially within the skin, boosting circulation and sometimes lightly contracting muscles. EMS is much more powerful. The Sculpta operates at power of 4KHz, delivering up to 80 times the power of the at-home microcurrent devices on the market, meaning that the energy penetrates deeper.” This greater power is also why you’ll notice some potentially startling twitching in your face as you run the device across. “It’s stimulating motor neurons, which causes involuntary contractions in the facial muscles,” adds Tyson.
So, what results can you expect to see from the Sculpta’s EMS function? According to Tyson, it’s all about tightening and toning. “Just like when you work out at the gym, EMS exercises the facial muscles, improving their thickness and tone, which creates a lift and restores facial structure and definition. Results are immediate and visible after just three minutes, but will be more significant and long-lasting with consistent use over time.”
Next up: radiofrequency. This technology causes friction within the skin’s matrix, which produces heat. This heat has two purposes: to contract the existing collagen fibres within the skin, leading to an instant tighter appearance, and to stimulate the fibroblast cells to produce more collagen for a long-term cumulative effect. As Tyson adds, “radiofrequency therapy uses electromagnetic waves to heat the skin's dermis to 42–45°C, triggering immediate collagen contraction and long-term remodelling for enhanced skin tightening. It’s non-invasive, pain-free and tolerated by the majority of skin types, making it an excellent complementary therapy to the EMS for rejuvenating the skin further.”
Finally, the LED. The Sculpta uses red-light therapy, which is emitted in conjunction with the radiofrequency, to boost the skin cells’ repair processes and gradually reduce fine, surface-level wrinkles (with frequent use).
Who is the Sculpta not suitable for?
As with most beauty tech, there are some contraindications when it comes to the protocols employed in the Sculpta. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding are advised not to use the tool, as safety has not been firmly established, as are those undergoing cancer treatment, with open wounds, or with a pacemaker, metal implants, epilepsy or a heart condition.
How to use the Déesse Pro Sculpta
The Sculpta is made with customisation in mind: there are six treatment modes, each offering a different mix-and-match combination of technologies, so you can opt to focus solely on EMS, combine LED and radiofrequency, or employ all three at the same time. What’s more, the brand’s website offers a host of different guided treatments to help you achieve your specific goal, be it lifted brows or a firmer décolletage.
The Déesse Pro Sculpta: the Bazaar review
On unpacking, I was surprised at the size and weight of the device: it’s small and ergonomic, if a little underwhelming in the luxury stakes (once you’ve experienced the ceremony of switching on a weighty, gold-edged Lyma laser, your standards admittedly soar…)
As a firm fan of the instant tightening effects of EMS and radiofrequency, (and, of course, a long-time user of red LED), I was keen to see how the Sculpta stacked up to the other devices in my collection. Would it simply offer me the chance to streamline my shelf, combining my favourite technologies in one, or could it actually surpass the results of my other tools?
Having said that, the set-up was seamless and the device is fairly intuitive to use, meaning you don’t have to sit through laborious training sessions before you get to work.
One thing to note is that you must use a water-based product in conjunction with the device, as the EMS and RF technologies require it in order to be conducted within the skin. I respect the fact that the brand doesn’t sell its own conductive gel, freely admitting that any oil-free product will work fine (I used a generous application of my own hyaluronic acid serum, but you could even simply use a medical ultrasound gel).
Each protocol comes with two different settings, and while I’d skip straight to the stronger LED setting, the high-strength electrical muscle stimulation should come with a warning: it is indeed stronger than other options on the market, and this amped-up power is immediately apparent. Running the device around my eye and jawline area, I was startled at the involuntary twitching I experienced in my face, which is equal to that I’ve had in the hands of a clinician. The sensation can be a little disturbing, and I’d recommend anyone new to the technology starts slow, without feeling compelled to graduate to the higher strength.
That said, I found the results impressive. After a 10-minute session, my hooded eyes appeared noticeably brighter and wider, thanks to the brow-lifting movements, and I also noticed my cheekbones appearing more pronounced. Of course, these structural changes are only temporary, but as a pre-event boost, they’re easily more effective than a manual facial massage or artistic application of contour stick.
For me, the radiofrequency proved another win. Sensorially, I found it the most pleasant protocol to use, thanks to the mild and comfortable warming sensation, and the immediate skin pick-me-up was swift and satisfying. I'd advise to use light pressure and work slowly, always drawing the device in intentional upwards motions.
While you’re free to chop and change between technologies at the push of a button, Tyson has a preferred routine for her Sculpta – and it’s also the regime that gave me the best results. “For me, the magic happens from regularly using the TriGEN technology which offers the combined application of RF, EMS and red light therapy, two-to three times per week,” she says. “I also love to use the EMS function on its own before a night out to snatch my cheekbones and jawline – or in fact, after one, to improve lymphatic drainage and reduce puffiness.”
I have to agree with Tyson: this deceivingly small device delivers real results. They're satisfying yet subtle; the kind of thing you're more likely to notice once you stop using the device.
So, how does the Pro Sculpta stand up to the competition? I’d say it’s a major success. The inclusion of three well-studied and proven technologies is something you don’t often come across (and why would you, when the brand could have split the three and trebled its sales potential), while the roster of protocols comes at no compromise to practicality, with the device remaining lightweight and easy to use. Unlike a mask, helmet or canopy tool, this hand-held wand is the kind of thing you can use while relaxing on the sofa – meaning you’re much more likely to actually use it – while the results are instant enough to have you calling on it before big events.
If you’ve already invested in separate tools that offer lighting, brightening and firming results, perhaps you don’t need to add this one to your roster. For me, it also won't replace two of my go-to tools: the Lyma laser, which uses different technology to rejuvenate skin condition, rather than face structure, and my canopy-style LED light, which is larger and more powerful, and useful for those weekend facial sessions. However, if 2025 is the year you join us on the beauty tool bandwagon, I’d suggest saving yourself time, money and cupboard space and heading straight here. You won’t find a smaller yet punchier device anywhere else.
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