Dyson launches new product category with Supersonic Hair Dryer

Dyson is bringing its technology and innovation to the world of beauty. After more than four years of intensive research and development and over $100 million spent, James Dyson unveiled Dyson’s first hair dryer in Tokyo today. The Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is engineered for balance in the hand, uses a fast-yet-focused airflow and intelligently controls temperature to help protect hair from extreme heat damage.

Conventional hair dryers can be bulky and difficult to manoeuvre. Emitting air at high temperatures, they can cause damage to hair. Where the grill and filter are located on conventional dryers, hair is often at risk of being pulled into the machine.

James Dyson: “Hair dryers can be heavy, inefficient and make a racket. By looking at them further we realized that they can also cause extreme heat damage to hair. I challenged Dyson engineers to really understand the science of hair and develop our version of a hair dryer, which we think solves these problems.”

Hair science

Frustrated with the lack of advancement in the industry, Dyson invested $100 million in the development of the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer, including building a state of the art laboratory dedicated to investigating the science of hair. Dyson engineers studied hair from root to tip, understanding how it reacts to different stresses, how to keep it healthy and how to style it.

For more than four years they tested the machine on different hair types, building test rigs to mechanically simulate hair drying techniques, which can differ around the world. To date over 1,010 miles of real human hair have been tested in the lab.

Powerful motor

The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer is powered by the patented Dyson digital motor V9, created in-house by a team of 30 motor specialists specifically for this machine. It is Dyson’s smallest, lightest and most advanced digital motor to date.

A motor sits in the head of most conventional hair dryers, making it heavy while in hand. The Dyson digital motor is engineered to be powerful yet compact, allowing the motor to be positioned in the handle. Dyson Supersonic™ is the only manufactured hair dryer with the motor in the handle, so it’s engineered for better balance.

Helps protect natural shine

Other hair dryers can reach extreme temperatures, especially when held close to the head. This can cause extreme heat damage to hair, leaving it dull and dry. The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer has intelligent heat control to ensure hair isn’t exposed to excessive temperatures. A glass bead thermistor measures the temperature 20 times a second and transmits this data to the microprocessor, which intelligently controls the patented double-stacked heating element.

Fast & focused

The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer uses Dyson’s patented Air Multiplier™ technology. The volume of the air drawn into the motor is amplified three times when exiting the loop, producing a high pressure, high velocity jet of air.

Traditional hair dryers can have a weak airflow, meaning they are slow. Others can have strong airflow, but is not controlled. The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer creates a focused jet of air, angled at 20° for controlled, precise drying and styling.

Settings and attachments

The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer has four heat settings, including a cold shot, and three airflow settings. Dyson engineers have designed three precisely engineered magnetic attachments with 16 patents pending to further control this airflow, allowing you to achieve a range of different styles.

-        The smoothing nozzle dries hair gently, using smooth, wide airflow, allowing you to dry and style at the same time.

-        The styling concentrator directs airflow precisely where you need it, perfect for styling one section at a time without worrying about disturbing the rest of your hair.

-        The diffuser is engineered to disperse air evenly around each curl. It simulates natural drying, helping to reduce frizz and improve definition.

The attachments remain cool to the touch using Heat Shield technology. The hot air is contained within a double-walled exterior so surfaces of the attachment stay cool.  

Additionally, tools magnetically attach onto the Dyson Supersonic™ loop, ensuring, each nozzle is easy to attach and adjust.

Acoustic engineering

A team of Dyson aero-acoustic engineers sought to understand how the acoustics of this machine could be optimized. By using an axial flow impeller inside the motor they have simplified the pathway of the air reducing turbulence and swirling. And by giving the motor impeller 13 blades instead of the usual 11, Dyson engineers pushed one tone within the motor to a sound frequency beyond the audible range for humans, helping to reduce the overall sound and tone emitted from the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer.

Since the motor is small and compact, engineers have been able to embed it in the handle, surrounded by acoustic silencers to further reduce sound. The Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer is engineered for reduced noise, without compromising on speed and power.