With Foreo’s revolutionary line of Luna facial cleansing devices, it is natural for other brands to follow in their footsteps to try and get a piece of the pie too.  As a consumer, I love having different options as well.  Many of you have asked me to compare other brands’ cleansing devices and one of the most popular options was PMD’s clean pro cleansing device.  PMD does have many other options including one with a built-in “jade” stone on the back, but I find the whole thing super gimmicky.  Is PMD clean pro a dupe for Foreo’s Luna 3? We will just have to see.

Who is Foreo Sweden?

Foreo (pronounced (For-ray-o) was founded back in 2013 and was created by Filip Sedic after his wife complained about a well-known facial cleansing brush at the time to have made her skin condition worst.  With that complaint in mind, he set off to invent a new type of cleansing device using only silicone which would make his device not only 100% waterproof, but also anti-bacterial as well.  Since then, Foreo has won 120 design and beauty awards and has come out with multiple skincare devices targetting all different forms of skin concerns.  

Who is PMD beauty?

PMD had humble beginnings, founded and created by CEO Sam Alexander.  They started off without investors’ funding or a big marketing budget and were one of the first few brands I remember seeing in the early stages of Youtube.  If I’m not mistaken, their first device was their personal microderm device which helped with fading acne scars.  There isn’t much about the brand on the website to provide you guys with more information, unfortunately.

What is the price comparison between Foreo Luna and PMD’s clean line?

PMD beauty has quite a few options to choose from but I broke down the main three.  Basically, they have their basic model which is the PMD clean and isn’t rechargeable, unfortunately.  They say it is waterproof, but who wants to fiddle with batteries nowadays.  The higher-end model would be the PMD clean pro for $50 usd more and is rechargeable.  I personally don’t like that you have choose between rechargeable or not, it should just be standard with all devices being rechargeable.

There are also some other models for men and teens.  I personally don’t think it is necessary to make one specifically for teenagers since the regular ones should work fine, however, the men’s is justified since their oil levels, the thickness of the skin, and pore size requires something with more “power” (if you can even call it that).

Foreo’s options on paper might look a little bit confusing to navigate but here’s my simple breakdown.  If you are looking for a full-sized cleansing device, I would go for either the Luna 3 (latest generation) or the Luna mini 3.  Luna 3 has bristles on one side and in the back is a massaging side which I use while I have the T sonic pulsation on to help drain my lymph nodes. They recently came out with a Luna 3 plus which has a built-in thermal cleansing mode as well as a microcurrent function in the back as well.  I’m currently testing it out, so no comments about that just yet.

The Luna mini 3 is a good in-between the full-size Luna 3 and Luna go.  It has bristles on both sides of the device, which means you don’t have to choose between the different versions offered with the Luna 3, you can have it all!

Then there are smaller and more affordable alternatives.  The Luna Go is similar to the Luna mini 3, just smaller and more travel-friendly. Luna play is for those who aren’t sure about splurging for the full-size Luna but want to have the Foreo experience to dip their toes in. 

Comparing the two brands, I would say PMD clean pro is the most similar to Foreo’s Luna 3 or maybe the Luna 3 plus since it has a thermal function in the back, however, I never found myself ever using the PMD’s thermal massage as I find it kind of useless.  PMD’s clean pro would be the most similar to the Foreo Luna 3 with the massaging side in the back, however, the non-rechargeable aspect of it is more like the Foreo Luna Fofo.

What is inside the PMD clean pro box?:

-hard travel carrying case
-PMD clean pro device
-charging cable

What is inside Foreo Luna 3 box?:

–Foreo Luna 3 device
-travel pouch
-charging cable
-manual and quit tutorial
-sample of Foreo serum serum serum

The one thing I liked about the PMD clean pro device is their traveling case.  It comes with this hard, frosted plastic case which fits the device perfectly and keeps it hygienic and secure.  When I bought my device at the Bay (I live in Canada, so I don’t have many options), I only had the option of dark navy or a burgundy shade.  After the water has dried, you can see all the watermarks all over it, and it’s kind of hard to rub off too.  The “metal” part on the bottom is so cleanly made as well.  It is just gold-painted to look like metal, almost the same as the stuff you’d find on kid’s toys at the dollar store.  It is just a matter of time until it starts to chip off or get scratched off.

To charge your device, you have to stick the cord in the bottom.  The life of the battery states you’ll have to charge it about once every 2-3 weeks if you are using the thermal therapy every day and takes 3 hours of charging time for it to get a full charge.  The battery life is decent for a skincare device, however, compared to the experience I’ve had with Foreo’s long-lasting battery, this just can’t compare.  I’ve always joked that Foreo should become a battery company instead of with how long-lasting their devices are.

PMD’s bristles are also much harder and not even flexible.  They only have one version to choose from when it comes to the bristle sizes and I find it to almost be painful to use.  The shape of the head is very flat and doesn’t glide onto the curvatures of my face as smoothly either.  I also found the pulsation to be kind of gimmicky and it seems like it is vibrating for the sake of vibrating.

The first vibration mode vibrates on a medium level and the second mode goes from 0 to 1000 with an almost violent vibration, almost like your alarm getting pissed off at you because it has been the fifth snooze you’ve hit and you still haven’t woke up.  The third mode pulsates at the same level as the first but it is more of a blinking pulsation and the last mode is like someone is fist-bumping at a rave. This must be the worst description on planet Mars, but that’s the best way I can describe it.  To turn on the cleansing mode, hold down the circular bump button right underneath.

To turn on the heated thermal side, you’ll have to hold down the indented button right underneath and the blue LED light will turn on.  It warms up pretty quickly and does feel really nice on the face.  This is a nice step to do right before applying skincare on the face since it would help with blood circulation and product absorption.  This was one step I did enjoy, however, I wish it was a little better built.

Here’s a close-up of the bristles on the PMD brush.  If you notice at the top, that is where the thicker bristles sit and that’s the part where the brush hits my face the most.  My face is quite sensitive when it comes to cleansing, so I need something a bit more gentle and soft on the face.  This one just ain’t it.

And here is my Foreo Luna 3 in the normal skin version.  This is the latest generation of the Luna 3 which has 30% more bristles than the previous generation and has longer bristles as well.  I would say the PMD clean pro has similar bristles to the Luna 2, however, I’ve never used the Luna 2 in person so this is just speculation.  If you haven’t read my in-depth Foreo Luna 3 review, make sure to check it out after reading this comparison if you want a better understanding of Foreo’s flagship product.

Foreo Luna 3 comes in an oval pebble shape it which is much more aerodynamic when it comes to applying it to the face.  Not only is it easy to use the tip to get into hard-to-reach areas, but the belly of the device also sits nicely on the cheeks and forehead as well.

You can also see the bristles are much finer and denser, giving the user a softer and less abrasive experience.  I feel like this picture of the bristles just speaks for itself.  The quality just speaks for itself and the overall build of the Foreo Luna 3 is sturdy and sleek as well.

Here’s a comparison of the two devices side by side.  You can clearly tell the Foreo Luna 3 has a bigger surface area, while the PMD clean pro is much smaller and will take a little longer to get the job done.  I also don’t find the whole handle system to be all that great and kind of a waste of space.  With the Foreo Luna 3 and its shape, it’s more of an intimate experience while the PMD feels like I’m using an electric toothbrush on my face.

Okay for the moment of truth, let’s give these two bad boys real-life testing.

First up is the PMD clean pro.  Again the device is much smaller and takes a little more work to massage the whole face with.  It is almost impossible to get in between where my cheeks and nose are.  Ths bristles also don’t seem to be lathering my cleanser as well either and my face was getting visibly red.

And here is the Foreo Luna 3, taking little to no time to cleanse the whole face.

Just look at the curvature of the device working its magic.  A seamless, painless experience and it also reaches into the hard-to-reach nose area.

And here is the end result.  You can clearly see the left side of my face looking like someone slapped me around a little while the Foreo Luna 3 side (right side) looks untouched.  With regular use of the Foreo Luna 3, I did find my complexion was more glowy and my blackheads slowed down a bit.

After using the PMD for a couple of weeks, I just couldn’t bear to use it anymore.  My face was always red afterward and the bristles were just not a good experience.  I also didn’t find myself using the thermal side of the device either since the device lived in my shower.  If I was in the mode to treat my skin to a spa experience, I usually have a separate device like the Foreo UFO 2 to get the job done.

____________________

I don’t think PMD clean pro is anywhere close to a dupe for the Foreo Luna 3.  With the bristles being so much stiffer and not flexible to the overall build quality of the device, I personally wouldn’t pay more than $60 usd for it.  The handle design also doesn’t make all that much sense and it takes up so much more space.  They do have a whole body device line with the same design, which makes more sense since it is for the body and the handle would help with harder-to-reach places.

The Foreo Luna 3 still reigns supreme and honestly, it isn’t that much more expensive if you think about it.  For $30-50 usd more, you could already get the Foreo Luna 3 which has way more bristles that are softer, lathers better, and cleanses better.  On top of that, you have an app system that you can follow for massage tutorials, setting customization, and customer service all in one.  If the Foreo Luna 3 is out of the budget for you, there are more affordable options like the Foreo Luna mini 3 which is just as good and more travel friendly too. Overall my experience and opinions still lean towards the Foreo Luna line and nothing compare to it.

*PR sample and this is a sponsored post, however, all opinions are my own and not scripted.*