The Best Red-Light Therapy Device
Top pick
This comfortable mask multistasks, with LED treatments for both aging and acne-prone skin, plus cold panels for under-eye puffiness. It lacks under-eye LEDs as a result.
The Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask has a fan base among our group of testers, who loved virtually everything about the experience — from how comfortably the mask fit to how simple the remote control was to how well the cool, de-puffing under-eye pads worked. With 480 (160 tri-wick) LEDs, this mask offers a few different programs: an anti-aging option, an anti-inflammatory acne treatment, a maintenance setting, and a cooling-only protocol.
Everyone gets a perfect fit. The CryoGlow has two straps — a wide stretchy band that spans from ear to ear, and an overhead band with a hook-and-loop fastener — that adjust for a custom fit. A few other masks (like those from Higher Dose and Therabody) took some doing on our part to just stay on testers’ faces, and they didn’t feel nearly as tailored. Even better, though, are the CryoGlow’s plush and pliant silicone pads around the eyes, which rest gently on the skin and shield your vision from the bright lights. No other mask we tried had such ample eye protection.
Lots of LEDs amp up the power in multiple modes. Dotting the inside of the mask are 160 LEDs — and each one is a “tri-wick,” which means it contains a blue, red, and infrared diode, for a total of 480 lights. The six-minute anti-aging program activates the (630 nm) red and (830 nm) near-infrared lights, and the eight-minute acne treatment cycles through near-infrared, blue (415 nm), and red. The four-minute maintenance mode is meant to be a daily treatment that mixes all three wavelengths. What’s more, the CryoGlow delivers a lot of energy to the skin: The red lights have an irradiance of 73 mW/cm2, on the high side of what the dermatologists we spoke with recommended (and just as powerful as the lights of the Therabody TheraFace, which costs several hundred dollars more). One tester noticed that the lines around her mouth looked less pronounced within a month of use; she also sometimes “double-dipped” and went for just the under-eye cooling chill-out.
The remote control is intuitive and clear, and it keeps track of your sessions. The remote has buttons for toggling between mode options and fine-tuning the temperature of the cooling pads, as well as a screen showing a large-font countdown clock for the treatment time. It also logs how many total sessions you’ve done. It’s unique among the LED devices we tested. Granted, all that tech requires room: The remote is about the size of a hot dog bun, and it attaches to the mask with a yard-long cord. Both the Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Spectralite and the Therabody TheraFace, the two other rigid masks we tested, are cordless and remote-free, and testers could wear them and walk about entirely unencumbered. Even so, they still far preferred the CryoGlow and its interface, which even lets you pause mid-treatment without resetting the clock.
Cooling eye pads set it apart. This mask takes the old spoons-in-the-freezer trick to an Olympic level: During the LED treatment, you can set the metal pads, each about the size of a thumbprint, at any of three levels of frosty coldness, or off completely. Alternatively, you can deploy just the chilling pads — no LEDs — for a five-, 10-, or 15-minute session. Some testers said they would have preferred to have LEDs in those spots instead; the Omnilux Men, our pick for a flexible mask, even has 1,072 nm infrared LEDs around the eyes, intended to treat crow’s-feet.
It’s a comparative bargain. In features and user-friendliness, the $350 CryoGlow far outranked the two other rigid masks we tested — but it costs $100 less than the Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Spectralite and $300 less than the Therabody TheraFace.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s noisy. The CryoGlow has an internal fan that whirs when the eye-cooling pads are on. One tester was surprised by how loud it was, though ultimately she considered it white noise.
Its clunkiness gets in the way of portability. The mask is recommended for daily use, but with dimensions that are about 9.5 inches high by 7.5 inches wide by 5 inches deep, it consumes a notable amount of space in a suitcase or carry-on.
To charge, you have to plug in the entire mask. Several other devices we evaluated had detachable remotes that juiced up easily and discretely. Shark does offer a charging stand bundled with the mask, or sold separately for $70 more.
Key specs
LEDs: 480 (160 tri-wick)
Wavelengths: 415 nm, 630 nm, 830 nm
Irradiance: 73 mW/cm2 for red light
Treatment time: six-, eight-, and four-minute LED treatments; five-, 10-, and 15-minute cooling treatments (automatic shutoff)
Charging: USB-C is included; entire mask needs charging
Return policy: 60 days
Warranty: two years
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