TL;DR
Shark's CryoGlow mask blends LED light therapy with serious cooling tech for your face. It’s a rigid, but practical, hard plastic mask with an open-eye design, letting you multitask while treating your skin. The real star is the rapid cooling under the eyes, which instantly de-puffs and tightens skin – a game-changer for morning puffiness. Over eight weeks, testers saw improved radiance and smaller pores, suggesting the LED’s collagen-boosting effects. While not a professional clinic replacement and with some LED coverage limitations, the CryoGlow offers excellent value as a cost-effective, convenient home treatment for both immediate and long-term skin improvements. Curious to see if this cooling and glowing combo is the skincare upgrade you need? Dive into the full review to find out!
Shark, a division of the Shark Ninja brand, has undergone a notable transformation in recent years. While traditionally known for its affordable vacuum cleaners, the brand has successfully ventured into the premium segment of skincare technology, exemplified by popular hair stylers like the FlexStyle. Their latest innovation, Shark CryoGlow, offers a unique proposition among LED masks: a combination of advanced light therapy and active cryotherapy for home use.
Our senses tester utilized the mask throughout an eight-week testing period to evaluate whether its technical features deliver tangible results or if it is merely an effective marketing strategy.
Design and Ergonomics
Upon unboxing the Shark CryoGlow, the immediate impression is of a robustly engineered device. Unlike the soft silicone masks that have become increasingly prevalent in the market (e.g., CurrentBody), Shark has opted for a rigid hard plastic construction. While this provides a superior sense of quality, it also places higher demands on adapting to the user’s facial contours.
The mask is secured with a robust, adjustable strap, ensuring a stable fit. A significant design advantage is its “open-eye” configuration. The ability to perform activities such as watching television, reading, or responding to messages during treatment, rather than requiring eyes to be closed for ten minutes, significantly enhances the device’s practical utility and integration into daily routines. However, the mask’s substantial weight may prompt users to seek head support during prolonged sessions.
The Cooling Technology
A primary differentiator of this device is its Under-Eye Cooling. Thermo-electric plates situated beneath the eye area utilize the Peltier effect to rapidly achieve a genuinely cold temperature within seconds. It achieves not just a sensation of coolness, but a pronounced coldness that immediately constricts blood vessels. Three intensity settings are available, with the coldest setting offering the most potent effect, though some users may perceive it as intensely cold.
In addition to cooling, the mask offers three main LED light programs:
- Better Aging: A combination of red and near-infrared (NIR) light to stimulate collagen. This should be used daily for 8 weeks for maximum effect.
- Blemish Repair: Blue and purple light that targets bacteria (acne) and reduces inflammation.
- Skin Sustain: A program for maintaining accumulated effects that balances skin tone. This is recommended a couple of times a week after completing the Better Aging treatment.
Shark addresses the mask’s power requirements by connecting the remote control, which manages the treatment programs, to the mask via a cable. This remote integrates a rechargeable battery, which can be charged using the included USB-C cable and wall adapter. The mask cannot be used while charging. The inclusion of both a power adapter and a silk fabric pouch for storage, while a minor cost, significantly enhances the perception of a complete and premium product, ensuring users have all necessary components.
User Experience and Results
Operating the CryoGlow is commendably straightforward. The wired remote control is intuitive, and the pre-set programs streamline the user experience.
During the testing period, the cryo-function provided the most immediate and noticeable benefits. For individuals experiencing morning puffiness, swelling, or dark circles due to inadequate sleep, the six minutes of cooling proves to be a highly impactful feature. The result is immediately visible: skin tightens, and swelling noticeably subsides. Regarding the long-term effects of the LED light on fine lines, consistent use over 8 weeks is required for full results. However, observers noted after approximately one month that the skin exhibited improved, more even radiance, and pores appeared noticeably smaller than at the beginning of the test, indicating collagen activation.
While lighting conditions varied slightly between photographic sessions, the Before and After images below, captured after eight weeks of treatment, illustrate the results achieved for your evaluation:
Users should thoroughly cleanse the face before treatment and apply a moisturizer immediately post-treatment. Establishing this as a consistent routine is recommended for optimal adherence. Minor inconsistencies in usage will not significantly impede the cumulative effects. The achieved results were satisfactory. While they do not replicate the intensity of treatments at a professional beauty clinic or procedures such as Botox, the significant cost per session at such clinics (over a thousand SEK) positions this home-use mask as a considerably more convenient and exceptionally cost-effective alternative after just a few uses.
A notable limitation is that the area under the eyes does not receive light therapy due to the coverage by the cooling plates. Similarly, an area around the eyes is shielded from direct LED exposure to prevent discomfort, precluding targeted treatment in this region. Future iterations could potentially integrate a full-face light therapy mode, utilizing appropriate eye protection. Additionally, a tester suggested the potential for a mask design that extends treatment to the neck area, acknowledging this would extend beyond the traditional ‘face mask’ category.
Conclusion Shark CryoGlow
The Shark CryoGlow is an ambitious product that adeptly functions as both a long-term investment for improving facial pores, lines, and radiance, and an immediate solution for morning facial puffiness. With a price tag just over 4,000 SEK, the initial investment may appear substantial. However, considering it combines a competent LED mask with a dedicated cryotherapy device, the value proposition remains entirely reasonable for the discerning skincare enthusiast, particularly when weighing against annual expenditures on skincare creams. The rigid fit and the limited LED-treated areas represent the mask’s primary limitations. Nevertheless, it stands as an effective addition to a home skincare regimen, delivering noticeable and progressively visible positive effects.
Shark sent review samples for this test. The sender of the material has no editorial influence on our tests; we always maintain editorial independence, prioritizing the interests of our readers and consumers.
