Objective To observe and compare the clinical efficacy of semiconductor laser and intensive pulsed light for depilation. Methods A total of 86 patients who underwent depilation in our hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected as the research objects. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into control group and observation group, with 43 patients in each group. The control group was treated with intensive pulsed light, and the observation group was treated with semiconductor laser. The clinical efficacy, pain degree, adverse reactions and satisfaction of the two groups were compared. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 97.67%, which was higher than 83.72% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The VAS score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group at the first, second and third treatment, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P >0.05). The satisfaction of the observation group was higher than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion Compared with intensive pulsed light for depilation, semiconductor laser for depilation has better curative effect, which can reduce the pain of patients, improve patient satisfaction, and will not increase the incidence of adverse reactions. It is worthy of clinical application.