Outliyr launches database to check red light therapy power claims
The public tool compares device marketing specs with spectrometer readings, including early tests showing irradiance can vary widely from advertised figures.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
Outliyr has launched a free public database that compares red light therapy device claims with measurements from its own testing equipment. For shoppers, the key issue is irradiance: the amount of light a device delivers, and a major selling point in a category where purchases can run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.
The database catalogs more than 70 light therapy devices, most of them red and near-infrared panels or wearables. Outliyr has published hands-on spectrometer results for seven devices so far and says more are in testing.
Early results show wide gaps between marketing claims and instrument readings. In tests performed at the same 12-inch distance used in manufacturer advertising, Outliyr found one full-spectrum lamp measured nearly three times its listed irradiance, while one red and near-infrared panel produced as little as 67% of its advertised figure.
Those findings cut both ways for consumers. A device may deliver less power than its spec sheet suggests, or more than expected, which can affect comparisons across brands, dosing assumptions and value for money. Outliyr says few brands publish independent measurements for irradiance, leaving shoppers to rely heavily on manufacturer figures.
The tool is part of a broader push for more transparent comparisons in a wellness-device market that often uses technical numbers in consumer advertising. The red light therapy device testing database lists measured irradiance at a standardized 12-inch distance, peak wavelengths, electromagnetic field readings, flicker behavior and price for tested products.
Nick Urban, Outliyr’s founder, said brands often compete around irradiance without giving buyers a way to verify it. Urban, who is identified by the company as a CHEK Functional Health Coach and School of Biohacking Instructor, said he began measuring panels himself after buying a spectrometer.
Outliyr describes its protocol as a lab process using five instruments: a Hopoocolor OHSP350IR spectroradiometer for irradiance and spectral output, a Hopoocolor HPCS330P flicker analyzer, a Cornet ED88T Plus EMF meter, a Satic Shield EMI meter for dirty electricity readings in Graham-Stetzer units, and a wall-power meter for electrical efficiency.
The company says each panel is tested after a 15-minute warmup in a blackout setting and measured at five points in a cross pattern: center, top, bottom, left and right. It also says tested devices are scheduled for remeasurement every six to 12 months.
The testing setup sits within what Outliyr calls its Testing Lab, a public registry of 20 calibrated instruments across 10 measurement domains. The company says a thermal-imaging camera and digital oscilloscope are also used to assess heat distribution and power-supply behavior.
Devices tested hands-on can receive an Outliyr Verified record, described as a public, code-verifiable ledger of measured data. For buyers comparing panels, the database adds another data point in a market where third-party verification is not routinely available and advertised irradiance can shape both price expectations and product choice.