Anyone in the market for an air styler will most likely be weighing up whether a Dyson Airwrap is worth the investment, or if there is another tool that can offer similar results for a fraction of the price. So, I put two best-selling stylers to the test - the Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris - to help you decide which device is worth splurging on...
Arriving with an array of styling attachments and suiting many hair types, air stylers create results that are akin to some of the best hair straighteners and best curling irons on the market. Innovative technology and science-backed designs mean these air stylers can often arrive with a hefty high-end price tag, which makes them an investment purchase for many. So, naturally, it's wise to be well-informed about which tool is best suited to you and your hair type, before adding it to your basket.
As someone with naturally straight, long and fine hair, I want to know whether a luxury tool (or any styler for that matter) will work on my hair type and leave long-lasting results before I even think about parting ways with my money. So, when I saw Beauty Works Aeris Multi-Styler gaining traction, I knew I had to conduct a head-to-head comparison with the popular Dyson Airwrap, putting it through rigorous testing to weigh up which one is actually worth the splurge...
At a glance: The Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris
RRP: £479.99
Attachments: 30mm barrel, 40mm barrel, firm smoothing brush, round volumising brush, Coanda smoothing dryer, diffuser, detangling brush
Features: Three speeds, three temperatures, a cold shot
The Dyson Airwrap is a cult classic buy, thanks to its array of styling attachments that work to create a multitude of hairstyles on several hair types - from curly to sleek and straight. The curling barrels and coanda smoothing dryer have been designed so you can change the direction of the airflow, meaning there's no need to switch attachments as you're styling. Plus, many Airwrap sets now automatically arrive with a diffuser attachment, unlike previous models which required you to purchase it separately.
With that being said, while the Airwrap's Coanda dryer is effective at eliminating flyaways, the pre-styling dryer on the Aeris boasts more of a concentrated airflow which allows for a quick and even drying process.
Buy if: you have textured or curly hair and would use the diffuser and detangling brush more often.
RRP: £220
Attachments: pre-styling hair dryer, 30mm airflow curler, 40mm airflow curler, smoothing paddle brush, oval volumising brush, XL round blowout brush
Features: Three speeds, three temperatures, a cold shot
Since its release in October 2023, Beauty Works' Aeris Multi-Styler has gone on to become one of the most well-known Dyson Airwrap alternatives available on the market. The tool offers six styling attachments that lend themselves to a myriad of hairstyles, including a voluminous blowdry and bouncy curls, plus speed and temperature features that bear similarities to the Airwrap.
While the Aeris is a great Airwrap alternative at face value, there are a few key differences. The Aeris doesn't come with a diffuser nor does it match the innovation of the Dyson, for example, it doesn't come equipped with an attachment that focuses on eliminating flyaways, like the Airwrap's Coanda dryer.
Buy if: you have straight or wavy hair and you want bouncy blowdry curls or a sleek, straight finish.
How we tested the Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris
To ensure I tested these two air stylers fairly, I styled half of my hair using the Dyson Airwrap and the other using the Beauty Works Aeris, so we could physically compare the results side by side. I put both stylers head-to-head in terms of design, technology, styling capabilities and performance, to see which tool fared best in each category and how the results stood up throughout a day's wear.
I also used the array of styling attachments that arrive with each tool, from the curling wands to smoothing brushes, to create a myriad of hairstyles on damp hair to weigh up the results of both tools.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: The full comparison
How do the specifications of the Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris compare?
For those wanting to know the ins and outs of the specifications of each model, we've put together an easy comparison between the two so you can weigh up which air styler is best suited to you and your hair type...
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Design
Dyson Airwrap
The Dyson Airwrap has a sleek, minimalist and futuristic aesthetic, consisting of a matte metallic design and only the essential buttons needed to style. The styling attachments simply slot in at the top of the tool and can be easily interchanged by sliding the locking feature at the back of the device. There are four colourways to choose from (including Vinca Blue, Onyx Black, Nickel and Blue), plus regularly released special edition colourways, such as the Strawberry Bronze and Blush Pink.
The tool boasts a noticeably long design of 272mm, which is evident on the handle, makes for easy styling and prevents your hand from going anywhere near the airflow attachments. It's also worth noting that the Airwrap's long barrel means your hand never comes into contact with the sliding button control settings as you're styling, so you don't accidentally adjust them. This air styler sports a 2.675m cord length, one of the longest cords we've noticed on an at-home hair tool, which helps prevent the dreaded tangled wires as you style.
You can tailor your styling session to suit your hair's needs. For example, it comes equipped with three adjustable speed settings, three heat settings and a cool shot. In terms of heat damage, the Airwrap measures temperature over 40 times a second, ensuring it maintains a constant temperature under 150°C - therefore, preventing heat damage when styling. As for innovation, the digital motor spins at 110,000rpm which allows it to be powerful enough to produce the Coanda effect (AKA the tool naturally attracts the hair to the styling attachment).
When it comes to styling, the Airwrap has seven attachments, such as curling barrels, volumising round brush and smoothing brush, which allow you to create a variety of salon-worthy hairstyles with just one tool. It also arrives with a sturdy oval case, which makes storage incredibly easy as it not only feels luxe but also makes home to the device and attachments. It is worth noting that, depending on the Airwrap set you opt for, some attachments struggle to fit into the box, such as the Diffuser - so you may need to find a specific home for this.
Beauty Works Aeris Multi-Styler
The Aeris sports a similar simplistic design to the Airwrap, consisting of a shimmer-effect design and four button controls (on/off, temperature, speed and cool shot). It does, however, only arrive in one colourway, Beauty Works' signature gold and white design, which does make it look slightly cheaper than the Dyson Airwrap. As for height, it is considerably shorter than the Airwrap when placed side by side, however, I find it to be long enough for effortless styling. On the back of this, the Aeris also boasts a lengthy 2.5-metre cord that makes for a tangle-free process.
Like the Airwrap, the Aeris has been designed with intelligent heat technology and digital temperature controls, meaning you can enjoy your styling session without extreme heat causing damage to your strands. Similarly, you can also freely adjust the speed and temperature controls to suit your hair's needs and the style you're creating. More specifically, the styler has three speed settings, three heat settings (60°, 90°, 120°) and a cool shot. It is worth noting that these are controlled via buttons. I find these can be tricky when styling as it's easy to accidentally knock the buttons and switch the temperature or speed mid-styling. I also have to acknowledge that the Aeris styler is noticeably noisier than the Airwrap.
It boasts six attachments, many of which bear resemblance to Dyson's, such as the smoothing paddle brush, the XL blowout brush and the curling wands - each of which can achieve numerous hairstyles. I found these attachments slotted in more easily than the Airwrap's and can be removed by holding the lock button at the front of the device. The Beauty Works multi-styler also arrives in a white faux-leather hard storage case, which is slightly slimmer and more streamlined than Dyson's.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Curling attachments
Winner: It's a tie
I couldn't possibly pick a winner between the two stylers' curling wand attachments as they both offer similar results. Scratch that, they offer almost identical results, to the point where I couldn't notice a difference when I curled the left half of my hair with one styler and the right half with the other.
Both arrive with two curling wand attachments, a 30mm and a 40mm, designed to add volume and create an array of different curls. Similarly, both attachments offer adjustable multi-directional airflow, so you can use the same attachment on both sides of your hair without swapping them.
I did notice a few key differences throughout the styling process. The Dyson Airwrap was easier to curl with, thanks to its Coanda automatic hair-wrapping feature, and it only took me 10 minutes to style half a head of hair. However, I found the Dyson to be a lot hotter, meaning I couldn't get close to my scalp when styling at the hottest temperature, and I also noticed my hair felt slightly knottier.
On the other hand, the Aeris didn't feel as hot to use and created more volume without leaving my hair knotty. That said, it didn't offer as great suction as the Airwrap, I found myself having to twist my hair around the wand whereas the Dyson did it for me. It also took me slightly longer, roughly 15-20 minutes, to style half of my hair.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Smoothing brushes
Winner: Dyson Airwrap
Dyson's firm smoothing brush takes the crown thanks to its clever frizz-free and flyaway-reducing design. While the brush isn't as big as the Aeris', it still smoothed my locks in hardly any time at all. The finish left my hair not only feeling smoother but looking noticeably straighter, sleeker and healthier - with less puffiness.
I commend the Beauty Works smoothing attachment for boasting such a large brush head, as this worked well throughout my long hair and I only needed a few passes over my strands before it was smoother and straighter. However, I can imagine this may be quite bulky for those with shorter or even finer locks than mine.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Round brushes
Winner: Beauty Works Aeris
The Beauty Works Aeris arrives with two round brush attachments to choose from, an XL blowout brush with fine bristles and an oval volumising brush with two varying tangle-free bristles and a vented airflow design, whereas, the Dyson only arrives with one large bristled round brush. I also noticed that the Beauty Works round brushes are longer, which I found accommodated my long hair better - however, the Dyson attachment may work better on those with shorter strands.
As for styling, although I had to work with smaller sections of hair for the Aeris, it did effortlessly glide through my locks without any uncomfortable tugging or pulling. On the contrary, the Airwrap's round brush wasn't so seamless at passing the hair through. Throughout the styling process, I also found the Airwrap’s round brush made my fine hair quite static, but this soon disappeared after I had finished.
In terms of results, the Aeris produced a long-lasting blow-dry with a small boost of volume and prominent flicked-out ends, whereas the Dyson offered a natural 'I just woke up like this' blow dry finish. It is worth noting that the Airwrap definitely wins at volume, so if this is something you’re looking for, then the Dyson is your answer.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Dryer attachments
Winner: Dyson Airwrap
Dyson's Coanda smoothing dryer works to dry, smooth, and tame flyaways. While it's a tricky attachment to get the hang of (trust me, I had to watch a tutorial), I can appreciate that many air stylers boast innovative technology that can take some getting used to - but practice makes perfect. You simply have to spin the pointed cool tip at the top of the tool to select the drying mode, with the airflow adjuster on the side pointing up towards the ceiling. I used the medium speed, as the high option was too blustery for my fine hair, before switching to the low-speed to help minimise flyaways. I found the Dyson results left my hair feeling silkier, softer and smoother, with little to no flyaways.
As for the Beauty Works Aeris, I love its concentrated drying attachment that allows for evenly-distributed, and not too powerful, airflow. Not only was it easier to use, but I also noted how quickly it dried my hair. In terms of the results, the Aeris did leave my hair slightly knotty (nothing that any other typical hair dryer wouldn't do) and with a few flyaways - overall, a good drying experience but not as sleek.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Diffuser
Winner: Dyson Airwrap
The Dyson Airwrap arrives in two different bundles, either designed for straight and wavy hair or curly and coily locks. Luckily, the majority of the Airwrap sets available, such as the Complete Long, already arrive with a diffuser attachment that is ideal for enhancing natural curls or waves.
Although boasting six attachments, and with promises of being suitable for all hair types, the Beauty Works' Aeris model unfortunately doesn't include a diffuser - nor is there an option to purchase the attachment for the multi-styler separately.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: Price
Winner: Beauty Works Aeris
The Beauty Works Aeris Multi-Styler has an RRP of £220, which is under half the price of the Dyson Airwrap which retails for a huge £479.99. That means by opting for the Beauty Works multi-styler you can save £259.99, which is a price difference that is hard to argue with.
Both tools offer a sturdy storage case and similar styling attachments, however the Airwrap does arrive with one extra attachment. But that alone certainly isn't enough to justify the significant difference in price tags. It's also worth noting that the Dyson definitely has a more high-end look and feel to it, the Airwrap's attachments are more weighty and luxe-looking - which is what you would expect due to its cost.
Dyson Airwrap vs Beauty Works Aeris: the w&h verdict
When it comes to picking the top tool out of the two, I must admit you do get an incredibly similar experience with both, however the Beauty Works Aeris is considerably cheaper. So, if you're looking for a more affordable tool, the Aeris is a stellar option, offering incredibly similar attachments and results for a fraction of the price of an Airwrap.
That said, Dyson edges the competition in terms of tech innovation, luxury experience and by offering more styling attachments, such as a diffuser and detangling comb. If you're looking for a luxe and innovative multi-styler that makes the health of your hair a priority, the Dyson will be a better investment for you.
If you're still weighing up the options, take a deeper dive into the techy side of the Dyson Airwrap with our Beauty Editor's in-depth Dyson Airwrap review – you may also find our Shark Flexstyle vs Dyson Airwrap comparison helpful.
