82 TIME November 30/December 7, 2020
BEST INVENTIONS 2020
PARENTING
ADVENTURES
IN AUDIO
Yoto Player
Music does wonders for a child’s brain
development, especially when it comes to
speech and reading. The problem is that
tablets and smartphones—where music
often resides—can do the opposite. That’s
why Ben Drury created the Yoto Player, a
screenless, portable smart speaker that
costs $100. Aimed at children ages 3 and up,
the player uses kid-friendly audio cards,
inserted into a slot, to play music and books.
(It also connects to wi-fi , so parents can
download extra content via the Yoto app.)
Penguin Random House, HarperCollins
and other major publishers have all come
aboard, believing in Yoto’s mission and
broadening its content library. “When we
show it to people with young kids, they
instantly get it,” says Drury. —J.R. SULLIVANBEAUTY
CLIMATE-SPECIFIC
SKIN CARE
Pour Moi Climate-Smart 3-Step Rotating System
When Ulli Haslacher moved from her native Vienna to
Southern California, the culture shock extended to her
skin, as the hot and dry weather caused problems she’d
never before encountered. That gave her an idea: skin-care
products based not on particular issues, like acne or age
spots, but on where you happen to live. Today, her company,
Pour Moi, bases its formulas on climate, “the main factor
that has an impact,” Haslacher says. Users take a climate
quiz on the company’s website, which helps them fi nd the
right stuff— adjusted to account for factors like humidity,
temperature, altitude and more— whether they’re in dry
desert heat or a frigid northern forest. One kit includes a
balancer, a serum and two day creams. —CADY LANG
Pour Moi’s skin-
care line, which
offers products
with formulas fi ne-
tuned for use in
specifi c climates,
is also vegan and
cruelty-free