Wearable tech can often be unsightly and definitely not a fashionable addition to any outfit. But L’Oreal, working alongside the designer Yves Béhar, and his studio Fuseproject, have launched a wearable UV sensor that is so small, it can fit on your fingernail.

L’Oréal launched UV Sense at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The sensor monitors individual’s sun exposure with the aim of reducing the user’s risk of skin cancer.

In 2016, L’Oréal’s La Roche-Posay brought out MY UV patch, a wearable patch which tracked exposure to UV rays. Using the technology and learnings gleaned from the patch, the company set out to create a smaller, more discreet device.

The UV Sense is just nine millimetres in diameter and two millimetres thick and operates without a battery. Users are encouraged to place the device on their fingernail as this is the place on your body that receives “optimal sunlight” according to L’Oréal. The sensor is also reusable and re-adhesive for two weeks, so you can stick it to any item that’s exposed to sunlight.

The sensors on the device, which can store up to three months of data, relay information back to an app using NFC, a similar technology to that of contactless payment systems. The app provides the user with their personal data as well as informative facts and tips about staying safe in the sun. UV Sense is powered by the user’s mobile phone and activated by the UVA and UVB rays.

It is the first battery-free electronic UV sensor in the world and the device will be publicly available as of 2019.

Visit L’Oréal's website to find out more.