Laser razor, which drew more than $4M in funding, has been kicked off Kickstarter

The online crowdfunding campaign for a razor that uses a laser beam to remove facial hair has been suspended by Kickstarter. 

To date, the campaign drew more than $4 million in funding support; however, due to the fact that the company never provided a working model of the razor, it was pulled from the site. Backers of the razor received an email from Kickstarter that stated the device was “in violation of our rule requiring working prototypes of physical products that are offered as rewards”.

Skarp Technologies, the developers  of the Laser Razor, raised several thousands of dollars in just the first few hours of it being reposted on rival funding site, Indiegogo. 

“They have been incredibly helpful and they believe in the Skarp Razor as much as we do,” the company said of Indiegogo.

On its Facebook page, Skarp Technologies told its backers “not to worry” about the Kickstarter decision, promising the Laser Razor would be ready by spring 2016.

From the Indiegogo page, the technology is described as follows: 

Wavelengths of light had already been discovered that could cut through dark hair, but finding a way to cut light hair was proving incredibly difficult.

After years of research & development, they discovered a chromophore in the hair that would be cut when hit with a particular light wavelength.

Chromophores are particles that absorb certain wavelengths (colors) of light. 

This chromophore they identified is shared by every human, regardless of age, gender or race. 
Our team has made incredible progress, but to start mass production, we require capital.

We have identified manufacturing partners and have preliminary agreements in place. We are in the beginning stages of manufacturing, and thats where you come in as an early supporter.

Some other things worth noting: the laser has a life of 50,000 hours, and uses a single AAA battery that will last about a month with normal use. The beam itself is considered safe as it is low power enough to be considered “eye safe”. It doesn’t emit UV and because the light never actually enters the skin (it only enters / severs the hair follicle), there’s no risk of developing any complications or damage. 

Speaking of cutting through the hair, per the description above, the follicle isn’t actually being burned, so there’s no burnt hair smell. 

And as far as packaging, the device is considered water proof, so it can be used in the shower if preferred. 

Below is a video demonstration of the Laser Razor in action:

To learn more, check out the company’s Indiegogo page where, at the time this article is being published, Skarp Technologies has collected more than a quarter million dollars in donations, and already sold out many of its offers. 

And if you’re curious, here’s the link to the suspended Kickstarter page.