LED face masks are everywhere these days, but most seem nearly identical. It’s as if we have a Devil Wears Prada blue belt situation on our hands. So when Shark Beauty unveiled its first foray in the skin tech space, I was intrigued — not only because I’m a fan of the brand but because this wasn’t just any LED mask.
As the name suggests, the CryoGlow Cooling & LED Face Mask, £299.99, offers red and blue light therapy to help brighten and firm the skin and fade “blemishes”. However, it’s also equipped with cooling pads to depuff and wake up tired eyes. If that sounds like some seriously souped-up beauty tech, it’s because it is. I have acne-prone skin and I’m getting married in May, so I’ve been looking to level up my at-home skincare routine. Could this be the answer? I had to find out.
Shark CryoGlow Under-Eye Cooling+LED Face Mask, £299.99
Per the brand, the CryoGlow face mask was developed with dermatologists and clinical trials to back its claims of reducing the appearance of fine lines and minimising breakouts within weeks. At £299.99, it’s among the more affordable LED masks I’ve seen; it’s still expensive but less so than other popular ones on the market. For comparison, Dr. Dennis Gross’ version retails for £465, CurrentBody’s Series 2 is £399 and Therabody’s is £549. Shark’s full-face mask feels durable but is surprisingly lightweight, making it among the most comfortable ones I’ve tried.
After a month of near-daily use, my complexion looked visibly brighter and I couldn’t remember the last severe breakout I’d had.
My CryoGlow mask is a pretty shade of powder blue (it also comes in a muted lilac) with a matching satin pouch for storage. I love that it powers up via a remote control instead of an app. Call me old school, but I miss the days when we didn’t have an app for everything. You can cycle through four different treatments for various concerns: acne, fine lines, a four-minute express treatment and one focused on tightening and brightening the under-eye area. They all combine infrared light and red and blue LEDs (plus those cooling pads, which feel like heaven for tired, puffy eyes), so you can tailor your session based on what your skin is craving that day.
My biggest skin goals right now are keeping acne flare-ups at bay, enhancing my overall glow and reducing inflammation. After a month of near-daily use, my complexion looked visibly brighter and I couldn’t remember the last severe breakout I’d had. In the past, I’ve struggled with consistency when using LED masks, so they didn’t do much for me. My conclusion now is that they can be a great addition to your skincare routine — but only if you commit. (It’s like sunscreen, in that sense: The best one is the one you’ll use every day.)
Another unexpected benefit of LED masks that I don’t think gets talked about enough has nothing to do with skin. After weeks of carving out time at the end of my day for some LED therapy, I realised that it had become something I genuinely looked forward to, just to get a few minutes of not doing anything else. Sure, sometimes I’d scroll through Instagram while sitting through an eight-minute treatment, but most days, I’d just lay on my couch cuddling my dog (he doesn’t mind one bit that I’m giving Iron Man) or even close my eyes for a little meditative moment. The fact that I have healthier, happier skin to show for it is simply a (really good) bonus.
This story was originally published on Refinery29 US.
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