DUBAI —  For long, men have been looking for a means to create straight lines when it comes to styling facial hair. The quest has led them to use more than one tool only to realize that the straight line isn’t truly straight. Philips introduces the Beard Trimmer 9000, the first laser-guided beard trimmer in the world, helping men to plan and perfect their desired beard style.



The unique Philips Laser Guide projects a sharp red line of light on the cheek, jawline or neck exactly where the hairs will be cut, so that men can get a perfectly precise symmetrical look, whether it is a three day stubble or full beard.



The Middle East being one of the key markets for male grooming, and with the rise in trendy facial hair styles that locals sport, research has been conducted in the region to gain valuable consumer insights. Philips strives to bring innovations to the region.



The Middle Eastern man is proud of his heritage but also wants to be an international citizen of the world. Results include the fact that he would invest time and effort to select his preferred facial hair style. However, his limited awareness and confidence to get it right makes him rely on experts to create a look for him rather than do it himself. Also, the youth are more willing to experiment than adults who are more than content to stick to the tried-and-tested.



The lack of tools to get the perfectly outlined beard and the need to do it at home perfectly is what mainly Philips took on board when they started with the development of the laser guided trimmer back in 2009.



“We regularly talk to men about their grooming needs and help with precision and symmetrical styling is something that regularly comes up. We identified quite quickly that men would need some sort of light or laser guide for ultimate control,” explains Ozlem Fidanci, Vice President and General Manager Philips Consumer Lifestyle Middle East & Turkey.



“As a next step, we worked closely with some of these men to establish the desired shape, angle, thickness, width, and color, ultimately landing on this concept. We then needed to crack the technical challenge of actually creating a laser guide that was of high quality, easy to use, very safe, affordable and durable.” And with success: Around 80 per cent of men who tried the Philips Beard Trimmer 9000 at home said it gives them the ultimate control and precision to create exactly the look they want.



The unique Philips Laser Guide is easily activated by simply pressing the top of the golden pen on the back of the trimmer, to pop up the guide and instantly activate the laser line. “We opted for a laser as the light is sharper than, for instance a LED, a clear requirement requested by the men we worked with, as we knew the clarity, thinness and precision of the line would be crucial.”



“The eye is a better optical sensor than for example a high quality camera, which says something about the standard of quality we had to strive for. The development of a clear, sharp and thin line required a lot of state-of-the-art equipment, as well as strong expertise in geometrics, optics and precision engineering, but I am proud to say that our experts have successfully managed to create a beard trimmer like no other in the world.” – SG