Actuator for a personal care appliance comprising a housing, a spindle, a tangential actuator portion, an axial actuator portion, and a controller. The tangential actuator portion comprises a first magnet and pole assembly having a first sequence of individual grouped magnet segments spaced apart within the housing in a first radial orientation and polarity order, and a first pole assembly of pole members in a first radial configuration about the spindle, a second magnet and pole assembly having a second sequence of individual grouped magnet segments spaced apart within the housing in a second radial orientation and polarity order, and a second pole assembly of pole members in a second radial configuration about the spindle, and an electromagnetic coil disposed about the spindle in-between the first and second magnet and pole assemblies. The tangential actuator portion rotationally displaces the spindle with respect to the housing about a principal axis.
