I’m a beauty editor who has tested tonnes of skincare tools in my ten-year career as a beauty journalist—and LED masks in particular. Sure, I’ve tried a lot of radiofrequency devices to microcurrent face tools, but one of the most commonly asked questions I get from friends and colleagues is: “What is the best LED mask?”
With several LED face masks costing anywhere between the £200 mark up to £1,500 and upwards for some models, it can be tricky to decipher how much of your hard-earned money you should invest. And crucially, not all LED lights are made equal. Many offer different wavelengths (such as red, blue or near-infrared), and results can vary depending on the power of the bulbs in your LED mask. It can be tempting to go for a cheaper LED mask, but I always advise my friends to invest a little more to get a high-quality device that will actually deliver the skin-boosting effects you want to see.
And one I’ve been testing recently that has become highly acclaimed among skincare experts and fellow beauty journalists is the Shark CryoGlow LED Mask (£300). I’ve been putting it to the test myself over the past month, and it has fast become one of my favourite LED masks I’ve tried yet. The addition of Shark’s cooling cryotherapy-inspired under-eye treatment that is built into the mask makes this a serious standout amongst other LED masks on the market.
Below, I’m sharing my honest review and thoughts on the LED mask, alongside pictures of the results I’ve seen so far. Scroll ahead for what you need to know.
Shark CyroGlow LED Mask Review
Shark
Cryoglow Under-Eye Cooling & LED Anti-Ageing & Blemish Repair Mask
Specifications:
– Three LED treatments with blue, right and near-infrared light
– Cooling under-eye treatment, which can be used alongside LED treatments or on its own
– Mask comes with adjustable straps
– LED Protective Cover
– Optional second pair of clip-on chill pads that adjust the fit of the mask
– Silicone eye shields
– Remote control
– USB-C charging cable
– User guide
For
- Uses red, blue and near-infrared light to plump, reduce breakouts and boost glow
- Cooling under-eye patches help to depuff and have three cooling settings
- Four treatment settings allow for customised treatments
- A second pair of the cooling eye patches can help achieve a better fit for some people
- Remote control comes with a clip, so you can use the mask while doing other things
- Quick treatment times mean it’s easy to fit into a busy routine
Against
- Mask is quite bulky, so can be tricky to find space to store it
- It takes consistent use to see results
- The cooling eye patch fans are a little noisy while wearing the face mask
What Does the Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask Do?
The Shark CryoGlow LED Mask provides LED light treatments (including red, near-infrared and blue light) alongside cooling cryotherapy tech via cooling plates around the undereyes that help to cool and de-puff the eyes.
The red and near-infrared light is clinically proven to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles and firm the skin in eight weeks by stimulating collagen production. Meanwhile, the blue light helps to kill the bacteria that contribute to acne breakouts, helping to reduce spots in just four weeks.
It contains four treatment modes, including:
Better Ageing Treatment:
Time: 6 minutes
LED: Red (630 nm) and deep infrared (830 nm) light
Benefits: Clinically proven to plump fine lines and firm the skin in 8 weeks. You have the option to use the cooling under-eye treatment alongside, too.
Blemish Repair Treatment
Time: 8 minutes
LED: Blue (415 nm), red (630 nm), and deep infrared (830 nm) light
Benefits: Treats acne by reducing breakout-causing bacteria while helping to address uneven skin texture and has been proven to reduce breakouts in just four weeks. Like the Better Ageing Treatment, you have the option to use the cooling under-eye treatment at the same time.
Skin Sustain Treatment
Time: 4 minutes
LED: Red (630 nm), deep infrared (830 nm), and blue (415 nm) light
Benefits: Designed to be used as a maintenance treatment after using the above treatments for eight weeks to maintain your results. Like the Skin Clearing and Better Ageing treatments, you have the option of using the cooling cryotherapy treatment alongside to treat the eyes.
Undereye Cooling Treatment
Time: 5 to 15 minutes
LED: None
Benefits: Cooling under-eye attachments help to de-puff and cool the eyes. This dedicated treatment setting allows you to enjoy the cooling benefits without needing to use LED.
My Experience With the Shark CyroGlow LED Mask
I’ve had my Shark CryoGlow LED Mask for just over a month now, and although the brand recommends eight weeks to see full results, I’ve already seen so many notable improvements in my skin.
Shark recommends using either the Better Ageing or Blemish Repair treatment daily for eight weeks. Recently, I’ve been all for plumping and encouraging collagen production in my skin, so I opted for the former and peppered in a couple of Blemish Repair treatments as and when I had breakouts. I’ve used it every single day over the past month and I have to be honest, it’s become such an enjoyable part of my routine.
Firstly, the Better Ageing treatment is only 6 minutes long. It makes it so easy to fit into your daily routine. Some LED masks require 10-30 minutes, which isn’t always so easy to fit in when life gets busy. I usually opted to use it while reading in bed to wind down, or first thing in the morning to help wake up my skin and under eyes.
Speaking of which, the cooling eye patches are so genius. As you’re treating the skin with the LED, they get to work on de-puffing the eye area (which I’m majorly appreciating right now as we head into hayfever season). You can choose from three settings to adjust the temperature, but I usually opt for the highest level of cooling for maximum results. I often wake up with puffy eyes, and this helped tremendously to make my eye area look more awake and refreshed.
The four treatments are loaded onto the remote that’s connected to the device, so it’s easy to scroll through and select the one you want. The remote comes with a clip, so you don’t have to lie down while using this mask—you can go about your day without feeling tethered to a plug socket, which is a big plus. It also keeps tabs on your progress and how many sessions you have completed of each treatment, which is a nice touch to keep track of how many treatments you have done.
What’s great is that you can also select a treatment without LED if you just want to enjoy the cooling benefits of the undereye patches. However, I personally use both the LED and cooling patches in tandem to enjoy the results. The only thing I will say is that the fans that power the cooling patches can be a little loud while you’re wearing it. It’s not overwhelmingly distracting or noticeable to others around you, however.
It’s clear that Shark has thought through the shape and comfort of the mask. It’s one of the most comfortable yet secure LED masks I’ve tried. Not only does it come with adjustable straps for the back and sides of your head, but Shark also includes two additional cooling patches, which, when fitted on top of the built-in ones, help create more space around the rest of the face. To test it out, I also got my boyfriend to try it and he said it fit well, too. The addition of the silicone around the eyes and on the top of the mask near the forehead means your face is cushioned and you’re not left with any weird indents after wearing.
It was also really easy to charge, and even when I used it every day (sometimes twice a day), I found I only needed to charge it once a week.
How Often Should You Use the Shark CyroGlow LED Mask?
Shark advises using the mask every single day to enjoy the benefits. Like any beauty tool, consistency is key. No beauty tool will work if it ends up living in a cupboard or forgotten in a bedside drawer, so I’d recommend putting it somewhere you can easily access it to prompt you to use it. I keep mine next to my bed and incorporate it as part of my evening routine.
Before And After Using Shark CryoGlow LED Mask
The Verdict
As you can see from the above before and afters, my skin appears clearer with less hyperpigmentation, and I have definitely noticed an improvement in my fine lines, particularly around my eyes. While it’s only been a month and the results are subtle, I really notice how much better my makeup applies, particularly around my eyes. The fine lines are softer, which means my concealer creases less and my makeup seems to apply buttery smooth on the rest of my skin, which is a big win. It might be a coincidence, but I was ID’d just the other day, and I’m 30 years old. Then, after meeting a friend recently, she commented on how buttery smooth my skin looked.
For me, the cooling eye patches are such a game-changer, and this really sets it apart from other LED masks out there. If you’re someone who is prone to puffiness, or even just sensitive or hayfevery like me, this will be such a welcome addition to your skincare routine. It’s been such an enjoyable part of my morning routine and really helps to wake up my eye area.
As for the LED treatments, I’m excited to see full results after 8 weeks, but the initial results have been very promising. My skin possesses more of a glow and looks clearer than ever before. I like having the option of the Better Ageing or Blemish Repair treatments, depending on what my skin needs. And, because the treatments are so quick, it’s genuinely so easy to fit into a daily routine. Ease of use and comfort are often the biggest blockers when it comes to using a beauty tool like this regularly, but it’s been the least faffy LED mask I’ve tried. I want to use this every day.
While £300 is still a lot of money to part with for an LED mask, I think for the technology you get with both the LED and the cryotherapy-inspired eye patches, this is a brilliant investment alongside a good skincare routine if you want to enhance your results even further.
Shop now:
Shark
Cryoglow Under-Eye Cooling & LED Anti-Ageing & Blemish Repair Mask