Foreo BEAR and BEAR mini comparison

UPDATE 20/11/2023 – Foreo is currently doing their biggest sale at the moment for Black Friday and you can save 40% off the BEAR and 39% off the BEAR mini. The current discount is already their Black Friday sale and there WILL NOT be any further discount. Make sure you purchase before stock runs out as they will not be restocked until after BF sales!

Where I got it

If you haven’t read my review on the Foreo BEAR yet, go check it out here. If you have already, thank you for reading, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Basically, Foreo sponsored me to trial and review a couple of their products including the BEAR and BEAR mini and do a comparison. I have been using the BEAR for 2 weeks for the previous post and then I started using the BEAR mini for another 2 weeks as well for the purpose of this comparison review.

The BEAR mini is NZD$336 on the Mecca NZ website, and there are only 2 colours to choose from. They are also available from AdoreBeauty for the same price. I am merely just putting links for the websites that ship to New Zealand or easily accessible from New Zealand. There are many retailers that stock Foreo, so there shouldn’t be much trouble finding these. These are also available at Foreo.com*. *affiliated link.

What I got

This is the Foreo BEAR mini in Lavender. The secret to keeping your face fit and firm is BEAR mini. Microcurrent facial toning & T-sonic pulsations tighten and brighten skin with BEAR mini’s 3 different intensities. It’s an extraordinary facial workout from the comfort of your home! 

The BEAR mini comes with a short USB cable, a stand, and a 2ml sachet of Serum Serum Serum. This does not come with a travel pouch as BEAR does. But how cute is this little thing? You can easily take it travelling because it is so compact.

How I find it

So the BEAR mini is significantly smaller in size and weight compared to the standard size BEAR. It has a rounded shape but the two microcurrent spheres at the top are the same size. It also has a single universal power button at the back and a charging port on the side.

Before using the device, you need to download the app and register the device on the app (super easy and quick, I have a quick video on my IG post demonstrating how it is done). Once that is done, you get to choose from 3 micro-current intensities (5, 10 and 15), also turning T-sonic pulsations on and off.

The BEAR mini can also be used WITH or WITHOUT THE APP. The same operation as the BEAR, you can either connect it to the app via Bluetooth or just turn the device on with a single press of the button. You can adjust the microcurrent intensity via the app or by pressing the universal button again. Turning the T-sonic pulsation is just a quick double-press.

The app guides you through how to use the device and whilst the size and technology of BEAR mini is the same as BEAR, it does guide you to use it around the mouth area and just along the cheekbones and jawline, but not the forehead and neck. I did hear from other users that Foreo might update the app to provide new “workouts”, which are merely guides for how to glide the device around the face. The current “Contour Cardio” focuses on the mouth area and the cheeks.

Overall

Let’s do a simple comparison between the devices.

Similarities:

• Both devices have T-sonic pulsations.
• Rechargeable by USB.
• Both have the anti-shock technology
• The treatment time is the same at 2 minutes.
• The same operation in terms of the use of the Universal button.

Differences:

• Size and weight of the device. BEAR mini is only 52g, BEAR is 90g.
• BEAR min’s micro-current spheres are slightly smaller.
• Price of the device. BEAR mini is about NZD$100 less than BEAR.
• BEAR mini has maximum micro-current intensity of 15, BEAR is up to 25.
• BEAR mini does not come with a travel pouch.

After outlining all the similarities and differences between the BEAR and BEAR mini, the make or break feature for me would be the intensity level of the BEAR. At level 15, I could hardly feel it around my cheeks, jawline, or even around my mouth. I probably have quite resilient skin, but to me, the BEAR mini is just giving me a massage or lymphatic drainage which I could well do with a jade roller.

I would definitely bring the BEAR mini with me and keep the BEAR at home, I would highly suggest using this consistently to see results. If you are committed to using this once a day, you will definitely see results in about 3 weeks.