Celliara comparison
NuFACE Mini+ vs FOREO BEAR 2
Two face-and-neck microcurrent toners with the same five-sessions-a-week start. They differ in how much you set up, how finely you adjust, and what goes on your skin first.
Our answer
It depends on how much you want to set up and adjust.
Both need a conductive layer every session and ask for five sessions a week for the first 60 days. One keeps the choices few; the other gives you more to adjust.
Choose the NuFACE Mini+ for a simple first device that works from the box, with three levels and optional app guidance. Choose the FOREO BEAR 2 for finer control across ten levels and freedom to use any water-based gel, after a one-time unlock in FOREO's app.
See the differences that decide it
For a simple start
NuFACE Mini+
Choose it to start simply: it works from the box with three levels, and the app is optional.
8.0/10
$250.00
- Store
- NuFACE on Amazon
- Warranty
- 2 years from NuFACE for purchases from authorized sellers
- Returns
- Amazon return terms
- Checkout
- Amazon ↗
For more control
FOREO BEAR 2
Choose it to fine-tune: ten levels, four microcurrent types and a water-based gel of your choice.
8.2/10
$399.00
- Store
- FOREO on Amazon
- Warranty
- 2-year FOREO limited warranty; register to activate
- Returns
- Amazon return terms
- Checkout
- Amazon ↗
Decide on these
The three differences that decide it
Each one can change which device you should buy. Read the product facts side by side, then what they mean for you.
Getting started
Mini+Works from the box: power on, pick one of three levels and treat. NuFACE's app adds guided routines and reminders, but it is optional.
BEAR 2Ships locked. FOREO's manual requires the FOREO For You app, an account, Bluetooth pairing and your purchase details before the first session; after that, one-button use.
What this means for you
If you do not want an account or a phone involved before your first session, that alone decides it. If you do not mind, it is a one-time step, not a daily one.
Who this favours The Mini+, for starting without an account.
How finely you can set it
Mini+Three intensity levels on the device, from 70 to 335 µA in its FDA filing; the optional app adds frequency modes.
BEAR 2Ten levels in Beginner and Pro modes, four microcurrent types and five T-Sonic massage patterns, with current regulation FOREO says reads your skin 200 times a second.
What this means for you
More settings give you room to fine-tune and start gently, not a better result: Celliara's evidence record holds no study showing that more levels change outcomes. Choose the extra control only if you will use it.
Who this favours The BEAR 2, for finer adjustment.
What goes on your skin first
Mini+A NuFACE activator every session. NuFACE's manual says consequences of a non-NuFACE conductive alternative are not its responsibility.
BEAR 2A water-based gel or serum every session. FOREO says any one works, aloe vera gel included; none comes in the box.
What this means for you
Both need a conductive layer every time, so this is about choice and running cost. With one you buy the maker's activator; with the other you pick any water-based gel you already use.
Who this favours The BEAR 2, for freedom to choose your gel.
Looks decisive, but shouldn’t be
- The microcurrent figures
- NuFACE's filing gives 70 to 335 µA for the Mini+, and FOREO states up to 680 µA for the BEAR 2 as a maximum, not the output at each level. The figures are not a like-for-like measure, and a higher number is not a bigger visible result.
- The studies behind them
- FOREO's 30-day study tested the BEAR 2 itself with instruments, but it is FOREO-run and has no control group. NuFACE's outcome study used a larger NuFACE device. Celliara's evidence record holds no study comparing these two, so neither study decides between them.
- The FDA clearance
- The Mini+ is cleared under FDA 510(k) K201680 for facial and neck stimulation for over-the-counter cosmetic use; the filing recorded no clinical testing, and clearance is not proof of a result. Celliara makes no regulatory claim for the BEAR 2.
- The score gap
- Mini+ scores 8.0 and BEAR 2 8.2. The BEAR 2 scores slightly higher overall. The gap comes from product capability and ownership; on results, routine fit, value and purchase confidence they earn the same grades. It does not decide this choice.
Where they’re even
- The same commitment
- Both makers ask for five sessions a week for the first 60 days, then two or three a week to maintain, and any effect lasts only while you keep it up.
- A conductive layer every time
- Neither works on bare skin: each session starts with a thin, mask-like layer on clean skin.
- Face and neck only
- Both makers limit use to the face and neck, and both say to keep away from the eye area and the midline of the neck.
- The same purchase route
- Both links go to the brand's own storefront on Amazon and check out through Amazon, so returns follow the Amazon listing and the terms shown at checkout. Neither brand's own website return offer is stated for Amazon orders.
Match your priorities
Which fits what matters to you?
Find the priorities that sound like you. Where both devices do it, or neither does, we say so.
| If this matters most | Fits better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| My first microcurrent device, kept simple | Mini+ | Three levels and an optional app; the BEAR 2 adds more to learn. |
| No account or app needed to start | Mini+ | The BEAR 2 must be unlocked in FOREO's app with an account first. |
| Fine-tuning intensity | BEAR 2 | Ten levels and four microcurrent types, against three levels. |
| Using a gel I already buy | BEAR 2 | FOREO says any water-based gel works; NuFACE disclaims non-NuFACE alternatives. |
| Washing the device | BEAR 2 | Waterproof, washed with soap and water; the Mini+ is wiped and never submerged. |
| A short, regular routine | Either | Both ask for five sessions a week for 60 days, then two or three. |
| An outcome study of the exact model | BEAR 2 | FOREO's 30-day study tested the BEAR 2 itself, though FOREO-run and uncontrolled; NuFACE's study used a larger device. |
| Treating areas beyond the face and neck | Neither | Both makers limit use to the face and neck. |
| A seller confirmed as brand-authorized | Not verified | Both links go to brand storefronts on Amazon, but Celliara has not verified the seller on either listing; NuFACE's warranty covers authorized-seller purchases. |
Understand the tradeoff
Why those differences matter
What simple means here
The Mini+ is ready when it is charged: power on, choose one of three levels and treat for five minutes, with lights, beeps and a haptic hum guiding the session. NuFACE's app adds guided routines, tutorials and reminders if you want them. The BEAR 2 asks for more before day one: FOREO's manual has you install its app, create or log in to an account, pair the device and enter your purchase details. After that, sessions run from one button.
What this means for you
If the idea of an account before your first session puts you off, take the Mini+. If setup does not bother you, the BEAR 2's daily routine is just as simple once it is unlocked.
Control, without the spec race
The BEAR 2 gives you ten intensity levels across Beginner and Pro modes, four microcurrent types and five massage patterns, with current regulation FOREO says reads your skin 200 times a second. The Mini+ gives you three levels from 70 to 335 µA, plus frequency modes in its optional app. FOREO's 680 µA is a stated maximum, not the output at any level, and Celliara's evidence record holds no study showing that more levels or a higher maximum produce a bigger result.
What this means for you
Buy the extra control because you will use it to start gently and adjust over weeks, not because more settings promise more lift.
The gel question
Every session on either device starts with a conductive layer. NuFACE builds its routine around its own activators and says consequences of a non-NuFACE conductive alternative are not its responsibility. FOREO recommends its own serum but says any water-based gel or serum works, aloe vera gel included, and puts none in the box. Neither maker publishes how long a bottle lasts.
What this means for you
If you want to control the running cost or already have a water-based gel you like, that favours the BEAR 2. If you are happy buying the maker's activator, the Mini+ asks nothing unusual.
After you buy
Living with each one
| Mini+ | BEAR 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Session | 5 minutes | Up to 3 minutes per area; FOREO publishes no total |
| Schedule | 5× a week for 60 days, then 2–3× a week; 24 hours apart | 5× a week for 60 days, then 2–3× a week; once in 24 hours at most |
| Before each session | Clean skin and a mask-like layer of NuFACE activator | Clean, dry skin and a thin layer of any water-based gel or serum |
| App | Optional: guided routines, reminders and frequency modes | Required once to unlock (app, account, pairing); then one-button use |
| Charging | About two weeks per charge at 5 minutes a day; about 4 hours to charge from the mains adapter | Up to 300 minutes of use per USB charge; up to 1.5 hours to recharge |
| Care | Wipe with a damp, lint-free cloth; never submerge | Waterproof; wash the spheres and silicone with soap and water | </