Most of what you buy for your skin comes from a factory you will never see, run by people you will never meet. We don't think that has to be true for the products we bring you, so in May 2026 a small team from Pure Derma flew to China to spend time with some of the manufacturers behind our products rather than relying on emails, calls and spec sheets alone.
Two factories, one trip
The first stop was the Dr. Pen factory in Foshan, which we have already covered in depth in Why We Visited the Dr. Pen Factory to Make Sure Yours Is Genuine, since verifying that our microneedling devices are genuine was the whole point of that visit. The second stop was a manufacturing partner in Shenzhen behind our LED Light Therapy Face Mask and other devices in our LED range. Different products, different factories, same reason for going. We wanted to see for ourselves rather than take anyone's word for it.
What we actually go there to do
A supplier visit is not a photo opportunity. We walk the production floor, meet the people actually building the devices rather than only the sales team and sit down to talk through ongoing and future projects face to face. Kerry spent part of the trip in a white coat on the production line itself, inspecting units alongside the team assembling them. That kind of conversation and access is difficult to get over email and it often reveals things a spec sheet never would.
The quality checks we have seen with our own eyes
Every factory we work with runs its own quality control process and seeing it in person is different to reading about it. At the LED factory, every mask is placed inside an integrating sphere, a sealed chamber that measures the accuracy of its wavelengths and light output and put through a separate rig that flexes and bends the mask 3,000 times to confirm the LEDs and circuit board still work after repeated use. At the Dr. Pen factory, we tried the devices ourselves with their R&D team and watched the CE & RoHS checks and anti counterfeit verification step happen on the line, rather than reading about them afterwards. None of this is required reading for a customer, but it is exactly what we wanted to know about before continuing to put our name behind these products.
Why the detail behind a Pure Derma product matters
Research backs this up. A double blind, randomised controlled trial of home use blue and red LED phototherapy for acne vulgaris, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, found significant reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions against a genuine sham device control group, with matching histological changes in the skin. A result like that only holds if the light reaching the skin is actually the wavelength the research tested, which is exactly why we wanted to see that measured in person rather than take a spec sheet at face value. The same principle applies whether the device is an LED mask or a microneedling pen. The result depends on the exact specification being met, not just the general category of device performing it.
Why we keep doing this
Certifications and paperwork matter to us. Our LED Light Therapy Face Mask carries FDA 510(k) clearance, ISO 13485 and CE & RoHS compliance and every Dr. Pen device we offer carries its own manufacturer verification. But paperwork is not the same as watching a mask flexed 3,000 times or asking a production team a question in person and getting a straight answer. That direct confirmation is why trips like this one are becoming a regular part of how we build relationships with our manufacturers, so we can keep bringing you the best products as we head into 2026 and beyond.
What this means for you
Buying a device you will use on your own skin from a brand based on the other side of a screen takes some trust. We would rather earn that by showing you the reasoning behind our devices than by asking you to take our word for it. Our full guide to microneedling at home and our LED light therapy range both go into more detail on the categories these factories build for. Every product we offer has a factory, a team and a set of checks behind it that we have seen for ourselves and we plan to keep it that way as the range grows.
Common questions
Why does Pure Derma visit its manufacturers in China?
We want first hand confirmation of how our devices are built and tested, rather than relying on spec sheets and supplier claims alone. In May 2026 we visited two manufacturing partners, one for our Dr. Pen microneedling devices and one for our LED range.
Which Pure Derma products come from factories the team has visited in person?
Our Dr. Pen microneedling devices and our LED Light Therapy Face Mask and wider LED range are both made by manufacturers Pure Derma has visited directly.
What kind of quality checks happen at these factories?
LED devices are tested inside an integrating sphere for wavelength accuracy and put through a durability rig that flexes the mask 3,000 times. Dr. Pen devices are checked for CE and RoHS compliance and built from surgical grade stainless steel needles.
If you want to see the products behind this trip for yourself, browse our LED Light Therapy Face Mask or our Dr. Pen and microneedling range. If you have any questions about how any of our devices are made or tested, email us at help@purederma.co.uk and we are always happy to talk it through.
