Shark Cryoglow review: A cooling LED face mask with a de-puffing difference

Light therapy is the beauty purchase of the moment but most masks offer little more than the basics. The Shark Cryoglow steps things up a notch – it’s the first light therapy mask to offer under-eye cooling patches and a range of modes tailored to target different skin concerns.

It’s the first skincare device Shark has ever launched, having broken into the beauty market with the launch of the Shark Style iQ hair dryer in 2021. Since then, Shark has made a name for itself in the beauty space, launching well-known stylers like the Shark Flexstyle and the SpeedStyle. Time will tell if Shark’s move towards LED skin therapy is a wise one, but as someone who regularly tests the latest beauty tech I couldn’t wait to put the Cryoglow through its paces.

Having recently tested four other light therapy masks, I was intrigued to see how this £299 mask would measure up to its stiff competition. Despite looking a little crazy when I was wearing it, I found the mask really simple to use, with intuitive controls and a good range of treatments. Its under-eye cooling was also effective, although this tech isn’t without its downfalls.

Shark Cryoglow review: What do you get for the money?

The Shark Cryoglow sets you back £299. That’s a lot to spend in one go, but since it works to reduce spots, redness and fine lines, it may save you from purchasing and re-purchasing expensive serums and creams.

In the box, you’ll get the mask itself – either in the original blue colour or in the newly launched lilac – two clip-on under-eye patches to help get the best fit, a storage bag and a USB-C charging cable and adapter. You’ll also get an instruction manual that guides you through product setup and gives recommended usage guidance.

The mask comes with four different pre-programmed routines, each tested by Shark in a eight-week long clinical trial. Three of these modes are for skincare, all powered by 160 tri-wick LEDs, and one is for under-eye cooling. The first skincare routine, Better Ageing, is a six-minute treatment that uses red and infrared light to lift, firm and smooth the skin. According to Shark’s clinical trial, all 59 users saw an improvement to fine lines and wrinkles in four weeks with daily usage.

Similarly, the Blemish Repair mode was proven to improve blemishes and reduce skin roughness after four weeks of daily usage in 60 individuals. This eight-minute treatment uses blue light and infrared to kill bacteria living on the skin, making acne-causing bacteria less likely to thrive.

The final skincare regime, dubbed Skin Sustain, uses all three colours of light to boost brightness and maintain the skin’s complexion. Shark recommends using this four-minute treatment once daily after completing eight week’s worth of the more targeted treatments.

Under-Eye revive mode is the final mode the Cryoglow offers, and it’s the only mask on the market to do so. It uses two cooling under-eye pads powered by Shark’s “InstaChill technology” to soothe, depuff and tighten under the eyes. Conveniently, it can be used on its own in five, ten or fifteen minute treatments, or simultaneously with any of the light therapy treatments. You can also adjust how cold the patches are; if you find that the coldest level is a bit too biting for your liking, there are two other cool settings to choose between.

Connected to the mask by a cable is a handy remote control, which contains a screen that displays useful information like setup instructions, treatment times and cooling controls. It’s easy to scroll through the various options using the scroll wheel, which can be pressed in to select the option you want to use. The mask also has a back button and a snowflake button which allows you to adjust the intensity of the under-eye cooling.

The mask is charged via the provided USB-C cable and takes around three hours for a full charge. In my tests, I found that the battery life varied drastically depending on which setting I was using. Specifically, when I wasn’t using any under-eye cooling, the battery life was a whopping 2hrs 22mins. Other light therapy masks I’ve tested tend to die after around ten sessions, which means the Cryoglow’s light-only performance is impressive by comparison.

However, when I used the under-eye cooling, the battery life was significantly reduced to just 58 minutes. In real terms, that takes the battery life from 17 blemish repair treatments down to seven. But since none of Shark’s rivals offer comparable cooling tech, that’s still not a bad showing battery-wise – in fact, it sets a standard for others to beat.

Shark Cryoglow review: How comfortable is it to wear?

Unlike many other light therapy masks, which are built from a flexible silicone, the Shark Cryoglow is built from a hard plastic shell. This means that it doesn’t fit to the contours of your face directly. Instead, the mask is held a few centimeters away from the face. In my experience, this makes the mask far less claustrophobic to wear than other models.

I also found the mask simple to fit, as it has a strap that goes behind your head, and one that goes over your head – both of which can be adjusted. Inside the mask, there are squashy pads that cushion the mask at the top of the forehead, around the eyes and at the bridge of the nose. These had the added effect of shielding the eyes from any light during treatment. For me, the built-in cooling chill pads sat comfortably under the eyes, but if I needed to adjust these, I could either fiddle about with the straps or attach the extra eye patch covers.

Since the mask is made of plastic and packed with cooling technology, it weighs in at 537g, which is considerably heavier than other models. That’s quite a lot of weight to support on your face, so getting the fit right is key. If I was sitting upright during treatments, I found the mask incredibly comfortable to wear. The weight of the mask only became problematic if I wanted to lie down, since the mask then pressed into my face. The hard eye patches, specifically, dug into my delicate under-eye region, which was uncomfortable. Similarly, if I was bending forward to do chores during a treatment, the mask would sag forward away from my chin. The fix for this is to spend ten minutes not doing housework – and you won’t catch me complaining about that.

I also wasn’t super keen on the whirring noise made by the fans that run every time the cooling under-eye patches are switched on (and for a short time after they’re switched off). While it’s possible to tune out the whirring after a few minutes, I preferred to avoid activating the fans.

Shark Cryoglow review: Was it easy to use?

I found the mask incredibly easy to use – its controls were very intuitive and the navigation on the screen was clear and straightforward. To scroll through the options on screen, you use the tactile dial button and select the option you want by pressing it in. Underneath this is a back button and a cold button that controls the cool settings. I also liked that I could pop the remote in my pocket, or clip it onto my waistband during treatment.

However, I accidentally pressed the dial on various occasions when the remote was in my pocket and in doing so either paused the treatment or turned on the cooling pads – cue whirring noise. I would prefer if the mask had an option to ‘lock’ the controls for the duration of a treatment.

Unlike other red light therapy masks, I was pleased to see that the screen displayed a treatment time countdown. There’s also a sensor inside the mask that automatically dims the light when removed from the face, making sure you aren’t blinded by the bright LEDs.

Shark Cryoglow review: Were there visible results?

While Shark’s own clinical studies showed promising results, including minimising fine lines and reducing blemishes, I also saw some promising results when using the Cryoglow. I chose to use the blemish repair mode, since I struggle with spots occasionally and thought this would be an effective way to test the mask.

Over the period of four weeks, with daily use, I noticed that my spots had calmed down a noticeable amount. Specifically, my forehead spots were reduced gradually, and any breakouts on my cheeks and chin were minimised. Thanks to the infrared light, any redness in my face was reduced and my skin tone appeared more even, which was such a relief to see.

I also found the cooling eye patches highly effective. On its coolest setting, it felt freezing on the face but even at lower levels, I was able to reduce puffiness and calm my under eyes down. After a treatment, my eyes felt refreshed when I woke up tired, or had been staring at my work laptop for too long.

Shark Cryoglow review: Should you buy it?

Clearly, £299 is a lot of money to spend on your skincare, but if you want to buy a red light therapy mask that has been put through its paces in clinical trials and engineered for a range of skin concerns, the Shark Cryoglow is a safe bet. Its sturdy design is easy to fit, comfortable and safe to wear while the cooling eye pads provide a refreshing upgrade from other masks.

That being said, if you really want to lie down during treatment and will only use the red light mode, there are lighter options that will do a similar job far more comfortably. For example, the CurrentBody mask has more LEDs and simpler controls, and is made from a flexible silicone that won’t dig in.

However, the Shark Cryoglow is one of the best masks I’ve tested for versatility, and if you want to take ten minutes out of each day to sit patiently through a treatment, I highly recommend it.