Shark CryoGlow review: 5 reasons why it might become your new favourite skin-care gadget
Ten minutes a day wearing this LED mask might save you a lifetime of facials.
Lotions, potions, treatments and procedures — we’ll try anything to stop the forward march of time as it walks its aging lines across our faces. What was once the reserve of elegantly-aging Hollywood women has trickled down to the average bloke too, with male grooming and skincare as ritualised for the modern man as checking the footie scores is.
It can be a pricey pursuit, and a time consuming one too. But what if there was a gadget that’d take care of much of the work for you?
Enter the Shark CryoGlow. It may look like Doctor Doom’s date-night mask, but it’s actually an LED light therapy device. Using blue and red LED + infra-red lights on its inside, it works to repair blemishes, bring down puffy eyes, and help reduce the signs of ageing such as fine lines.
We admittedly went in a bit skeptical — it definitely looks space age, but can light waves really do anything to cover up the fine creases on our battle-worn mugs? We’re happy to say that, actually, yeah it can. We’ve been using the Shark CryoGlow daily for a couple of months now, and to our untrained eye at least, Shark’s 8-week use claims of firmer, smoother, more radiant skin seem to hold weight.
Available now for £299.99, and suitable for all skin types, here’s everything you need to know about the CryoGlow, and 5 reasons you might want to add it to your daily skincare routine.
How it works
The inside of the Shark CryGlow is lined with 480 high-power LED lights, each using different wavelengths to promote positive reactions in your skin quality. It’s been developed alongside top dermatologists, and is FDA approved — the US’s medical device overseer.
Blue light at 415 nanometres (nm) is used to combat the bacteria that helps acne thrive on the skin’s surface, while red light (630nm) helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles at a surface level. Finally, deep infrared (830nm) stimulates collagen production, which helps to plump up the tissue around lines and wrinkles, making them appear less pronounced too.
These are then used in combination across three different treatments: ‘Better Ageing’ targets lines and wrinkles for 6 minutes, ‘Blemish Repair’ tackles textured and uneven skin for (8 mins), while a short 4 minute ‘Skin Sustain’ cycle is designed to maintain your results after two months using the other two settings.
A fourth treatment, ‘Under Eye Revive’ then uses cooling pads built into the mask to soothe and de-puff under your eyes, and can run for 5, 10 or 15 minutes.
Here’s the key takeaways from our time with the device.
1. Friendly and accessible
Charging over USB-C and coming with a storage bag, the CryoGlow is nicely presented, and not as intimidating as some similar face masks can feel.
It’s very easy to use in fact — adjustable straps make the otherwise-chunky mask rest comfortably on your face, evenly distributing weight and letting the mask’s LEDs get great coverage over your skin. And the remote, with its dial and procedure-tweaking settings screen, is very accessible and simple, and shouldn’t be too hard to get to grips with for even the gadget-averse.
We were also surprised by how quiet it is in operation — there’s a slight hum when it’s on, but the CryoGlow keeps things quiet enough to watch TV while wearing it without any real disturbance.
2. Under Eye Revive works like magic
Of the four treatments, Under Eye Revive was our favourite — not just because its de-puffing chill offered immediate results, but also because it felt soothing and relaxing to use. We’d use it before starting our day to remove that overnight heaviness, and really saw the difference — even with puffiness brought on by hayfever symptoms.
With three adjustable chill settings, the chill pads optionally clip on to the inside of the mask, so can be removed if you want the other treatments to target that under-eye area. It’s a great alternative to creams and chilled rollers which require a bit more effort to apply and use. Just don't be concerned if the small internal fans stay on for a short while once the routine is finished — that's just the mask keeping its own components cool.
3. Better Ageing and Blemish Repair routines showed real results
The Better Ageing and Blemish Repair routines will seem the most contentious for most users eyeing up the Shark CryoGlow — we’d forgive you for raising an eyebrow to its claims. But in our experience, they did visibly work, helping to tone down the crow’s feet a lifetime of laughing and squinting at monitors has left us with. It’s not a miracle cure — they’re still there. But we’re happy to say they’re definitely less pronounced on a resting face.
You do get a real glow to your complexion, too. I went on two out-of-town trips in a week, and couldn’t use the CryoGlow during that period. When the mask was out of reach, after a few days my skin definitely looked duller.
4. Routine tracking is useful
The controller handset’s screen has a handy routine tracking feature called ‘Your Progress’. It keeps a count of how often you’ve been using the mask — not quite Strava for your face, but an at-a-glance look at what routines you’ve been using the most. It’ll also highlight the last routine you’ve used — a great shortcut for jumping quickly to the treatment you use the most. As the community of users grows around the CryoGlow, we can imagine this being a great way of sharing results and progress, and comparing which routines and settings have the best effect on different skin types.
5. Conveniently long-lasting battery
It takes 3 hours to fully charge the Shark CryoGlow, meaning it’ll be ready to go when you’re back from work if it runs out overnight. That’s unlikely to be a problem though as, even when using the chill mode at its highest setting, we managed to get around a week of use out of the mask before needing to charge it. A battery indicator on the handset is clear and accurate too, giving you a good heads up as to when you’re going to have to reach for that charger. Being battery powered has another obvious advantage too — you’re not tied to a wall socket, meaning you can get your routine done while wandering around doing over jobs around the house.
Shark CryoGlow: Final verdict
The Shark CryoGlow could well become a game-changer for your skincare routine. Though its initial £300 outlay might seem steep, it’s got the potential to reduce the number of other facial treatments and lotions you’ll use in your skin care regime. For context, a colleague was recommended 10-12 blue light therapy treatments at a dermatology clinic, at a cost of about £45 per 30 minute session. As a rough guide price to similar professional treatments then, the CryoGlow will pay for itself in short order — especially if it’s shared with another family member.
With an easy-to-use design, its LED treatments delivered real, visible results, while the cooling function was relaxing even without considering how useful its de-puffing functions were. While it can’t completely turn back the clock, we were surprised by just how well the Shark CryoGlow treated our skin — and we’d pay any price for that confidence boost.
