There are quite a few sonic devices on the market that claim to clean your face better than just using your fingers, facial cleanser and water. The Pretika is one of them, and it skews a bit cheaper than some of the leading brands. For just $50, the Pretika includes the cleaner itself, which has two power settings, two brushes, a recharging base and rechargeable batteries. There are no facial cleansers that accompany it, which allows users to stick with their favorite brands. The Pretika claims to use that sonic power – basically little waves of energy – to “remove cell debris, exfoliate and resurface skin.” It claims to reduce fine lines, pore size and preps skin for better product absorption. So if you have acne and use the Pretika to cleanse, then apply acne treatment, it allegedly will work better. The same goes for wrinkle creams, night cream and the like. The product is great for getting superclean skin; that’s for sure. Skin feels softer and clearer – there’s less buildup and dead skin to prohibit radiant skin from shining through.

The process of cleaning is very easy – you simply apply cleanser to your wet face and wet the brush, then pass the brush over your face, pressing gently and avoiding the eye area. The entire process takes exactly 60 seconds – 20 seconds per section of your face. The Pretika beeps when 20 seconds have elapsed and does so three times during the cleansing so each section gets equal time. It’s a neat feature that helps keep you from overcleansing and keeps your cleaning time to a minimum. The removable brush rinses off easily, and so will your face. Pat dry, and you’re ready to apply cream or makeup. Whether it’s that much better for women with normal skin who aren’t prone to breakouts remains to be seen – a clean washcloth seems to do the job as well. But those who need deep cleaning on a regular basis in order to keep pores from getting clogged would benefit from a sonic brush cleaner.