A few years ago, I was the person who'd spend fifteen minutes applying five different products every night and still catch myself in the mirror thinking, "why doesn't any of this actually do anything?"

Then I tried a red light facial at a spa — once, because a friend dragged me along — and for the first time, I actually saw a difference the next morning. The problem? It cost more than my monthly skincare budget combined, and going back every week just wasn't realistic.

So I started digging into the technology behind it. Turns out, the science wasn't the expensive part — the experience was. I kept thinking: what if this didn't have to live behind a spa door? What if it could just live on your bathroom shelf, in the three minutes you already spend winding down at night?

That question became SOLARAE. Not a shortcut, not a miracle — just the technology that actually works, built into a ritual simple enough that you'll actually stick with it.

I still catch myself in the mirror some mornings. These days, I like what I see a little more.

— Nika, founder of SOLARAE