6 Best LED Face Masks and Red-Light Therapy Devices of 2025
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You might have seen a wave of people on social media channeling their best Hannibal Lecter while wearing an LED light therapy mask—like our top pick, the CurrentBody LED Face Mask Series 2 ($470)—with red or blue light-emitting diodes. They’re not eating liver with a side of fava beans, but instead claiming that the wrinkles and fine lines on their faces have disappeared with the help of a red-light therapy face mask. There's nothing wrong with aging, but after seeing their huge rise in popularity, we had to find out if the “anti-aging” technology behind these masks could make a big impact on your skin.
Spoiler alert: You can't get the same effect with just any red LED from the hardware store. If the wavelength isn't strong enough, it won't penetrate your skin—sorry to the one TikTokker sitting in front of a chicken coop heat lamp. After talking to dermatologists and testing several at-home devices, we've rounded up the best LED face masks for every skin condition, budget, and lifestyle.
For more beauty and self-care gadgets, check out our guides to the Best Electric Toothbrushes, Best Hair Dryers, and Best Showerhead Water Filters.
Updated April 2025: We've added the Shark CryoGlow Face Mask and the JOVS 4D Laser Light Therapy Mask. We've also updated prices and links.
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The CurrentBody LED Face Mask Series 2 is almost an in-between of a soft and firm mask. It also comes with a more secure strap, with each side shaped like a U rather than a single strap, making it much easier to securely wrap around my head. This mask I can wear and walk around if I'd like, without worrying about it easily slipping off, and the attached remote even has a little clip on it to hook it to your body.
This mask only has a red light mode, though it does have three red light wavelengths, while most others only have two: red (633 nanometers), near-infrared (830 nanometers), and what CurrentBody calls deep near-infrared (1072 nanometers). CurrentBody says the deep near-infrared lights are designed to target areas that will have more aging signs, though you can't tell a difference in the lights just by looking at the lit-up mask.
It also has more LED bulbs in it than most other masks, with 236 LED bulbs in total. It's a powerful mask, but I didn't see much different results than I did from the cheaper LED Esthetics, once again seeing my acne clear up quickly with fewer scars left behind and a good glow to my skin. It was noticeably more comfortable and easier to wear around the house, so if you're looking for a red light-only mask you can multitask while wearing, the CurrentBody Series 2 is a great choice. —Nena Farrell
Includes a 60-day return policy and a 2-year warranty.
The Shark CryoGlow is one of the newest LED masks on the market and is a great choice for newcomers, since it holds your hand through the process. There are two main programs to follow—Blemish Repair, which uses a combination of blue light (415 nm), infrared, and red LED (630-830 nm) for eight minutes, and Better Aging, which uses just infrared and red LED for six minutes. It’s recommended to follow one program daily for eight weeks, switching to the four-minute Skin Sustain program afterward to keep up your results. It comes with a handy controller that counts down your time remaining and also tracks your progress, plus the mask has a party trick of cooling under-eye pads that can be used in combination with the LEDs or on their own, to soothe puffiness.
During my eight weeks, I noticed patches of perioral dermatitis clear up much quicker than they usually would, and my skin looked plumper and more glowy. Most interesting, though, was going to an aesthetician who scanned the layers of my skin beneath the epidermis before and after the program—it found I had considerably less inflammation and pigmentation after eight weeks, plus improved fine lines to boot. —Verity Burns
Includes a 60-day return policy and a 2-year limited warranty.
The TheraFace Mask has become my favorite excuse to sit still for 10 minutes (fine, nine minutes). Most LED masks stop at light therapy, but this one ups the ante with built-in vibrations that massage pressure points around your brows, temples, and scalp. It’s so soothing that I almost don’t care whether it’s transforming my skin (though I’d like to believe it is).
You can opt for a three-minute targeted treatment or a nine-minute session that cycles through all three wavelengths. Therabody claims 93 percent of users saw visible improvements after eight weeks. After 12 weeks of daily-ish use (give or take 10 days due to travel), my skin tone does look slightly brighter. The blue light didn’t do much for my hormonal breakouts, since it only treats existing blemishes, not prevents them. But more than anything, this gadget has encouraged me to be more consistent with my skincare routine.
It’s lightweight and cordless, and it has removable eye shields (a feature that should be mandatory). There’s no mouth hole, so snackers and yappers, be warned—or project your voice. At $599, it’s a splurge, but if you want an LED mask that doubles as a massager, this is the one.
Includes a 30-day return policy and a 1-year limited warranty.
The Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite FaceWare Pro not only includes red and blue light therapy but also has a mode that combines both into one LED treatment. Not only that, but SpectraLite's treatments operate within three minutes—much faster than the others we tried, which almost all require 10-minute treatments. It pulls this off with fewer LED lights than other masks, too, with 100 red light-emitting diodes and 60 blue light-emitting diodes. That quick treatment time might be one of the reasons this mask is so comfortable to wear. It's a firm mask rather than a soft one, and former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano found it more comfortable to wear than the Omnilux Contour Face mask. She did, though, mention that the strap is frustrating to adjust and doesn't always stay secure.
Includes a 30-day return policy and a 1-year limited warranty.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
The LED Esthetics Glotech Mask Pro has everything you might be looking for in an LED face mask for a good price. It includes both red light therapy and blue light therapy that can help treat acne and better control your oil production. While I didn't see much change in my 32-year-old facial lines after about six weeks of consistent use, I saw a healthier glow in my skin and consistently get more compliments since using the Glotech mask on a near-daily basis. I also found that scabs and acne cleared up faster and didn't leave scars like they usually did, even without using the blue light mode. After three months of routine testing, editor Kat Merck noticed a very subtle reduction of fine lines, but she says it's so subtle she questions it in certain lights. “On the plus side, my skin isn't worse,” she says, “so I feel like it does prevent further damage [and] wrinkles.”
It's a soft, flexible mask that you strap to your head with a single Velcro strap. I have a pretty big head and found I had plenty of slack to secure it. But the mask is heavy, and with the single strap, I found I couldn't move around without causing it to slip. It's best for wearing and sitting or lying down; I use it while watching TV or reading a book after washing my face. —Nena Farrell
Includes a 30-day return policy and a 1-year warranty.
The Solawave 4-in-1 Radiant Renewal Wand is popular on TikTok. It has a single 630-nanometer red light wavelength, and former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano found it quite relaxing to use. With vibration and warmth therapy thrown in with the light, it feels like a full spa experience. Two other WIRED testers have had positive results with skin tightening. One mentioned that the skin around her eye area looked firmer in just a few weeks of use. It also has a longer return window than some of our other picks, so you can always try this and have time to see if it works.
Includes a 60-day return policy and a 1-year warranty.
JOVS 4D Laser Light Mask for $739: This mask allows you to adjust the infrared level, with three levels you can choose between (plus different time lengths). The highest level promises 1064nm long-wave light, but I didn’t see a difference between using that level and using lower levels. That highest level did make me hot and sweaty, so it was certainly more powerful, but I didn’t see better results that would make me recommend investing in this mask over more affordable options. —Nena Farrell
Omnilux Contour Face Mask for $395: This mask is a similar style to the LED Esthetics face mask and almost the same price. Both masks have 132 LEDs and reach similar red light levels—the Omnilux reaches 633 nanometers of red light to LED Esthetics' 630 nanometers, and both promise 830 nanometers of near-infrared light—but the Omnilux doesn't have a blue light acne option. If that isn't a worry for you, this is another mask to consider that's also FDA-cleared with a 30-day return policy.
Solawave Neck & Chest Rejuvenating Mask for $299: While this mask is fairly comfortable, it can take a little finagling to secure it around your neck. It is easy to use, but I didn't see results on any of my necklines. Most LED masks haven't done much for my lines, but while face masks help with my acne and scars, my neck doesn't benefit from that as much as my face does. The battery also doesn't last long, and I charge this neck mask more often than the face masks I use. It's also harder to tell when it dies on you since it's around your neck rather than on your face.
Do LED Face Masks Really Work?
The right types of light can have a positive effect on the skin. Unfortunately, not everyone will see results from red or blue light therapy—and this might contribute to the suspicion around these devices and whether they work. (Make sure to also correctly implement it into your routine.) You won't know until you try, though you should talk to your dermatologist to see what they recommend based on your skin type. Waldman says there's no reason to believe red light could be harmful if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, but as there isn't much research involving pregnant women, you should consult your physician first.
We also recommend making sure the device you're considering is FDA-cleared. FDA clearance means the FDA has cleared the device for marketing and that it's safe to use. There's a 510(k) or Premarket Notification process they go through to get it. You can check the database to see what's FDA-cleared. It's not the same as FDA-approved, which is a higher standard that takes more testing and research. We haven't seen FDA approval for LED masks yet, but we have seen clearance.
Topical retinoids, like over-the-counter retinol and prescription tretinoin, can also treat wrinkles and texture by slowing the breakdown of collagen and increasing skin cell turnover. Both retinol and LEDs typically take several months to see results, but retinoids come with more side effects, such as increased breakouts and sometimes flaky, burning skin.
What Are the Different Types of LED Lights?
Research shows that certain light can have benefits for your skin. Collagen and elastin, proteins that help improve elasticity in the skin and reduce wrinkles, are produced by fibroblast cells in the dermis of the skin—the middle layer, under your epidermis, which is the outer layer. Red light LEDs penetrate the dermis and can stimulate the production of these proteins to help reduce wrinkles, according to Abigail Waldman, clinical director of the Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Research funded by NASA has revealed that red light can also speed up the healing process in some injuries. “High-intensity red and near-infrared LEDs significantly accelerated the healing of oxygen-deprived wounds in rats and also sped the growth and proliferation of skin, bone, and muscle cell cultures from mice and rats,” it was reported. NASA supplied LED devices to the US Navy to treat training injuries. Those who used the LEDs had a 40 percent improvement in musculoskeletal injuries and 50 percent faster healing for lacerations over the control group.
Blue light, on the other hand, penetrates the epidermis, the top layer of skin, killing acne-causing bacteria. “It also reportedly helps to regulate oil production and reduce inflammation, leading to clearer skin,” says Shoshana Marmon, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at New York Medical College.
There are other lesser-known LED lights, such as green, yellow, and purple, red and blue LED are backed up by clinical studies.
What Is the Most Effective LED Light Wavelength?
These are the typical wavelengths, measured in nanometers, to look for:
- Red light therapy commonly uses wavelengths in the 630 to 660 nanometer range, with the lowest effective wavelength around 600 nanometers.
- Near-infrared red lights are commonly 800 to 1,400 nanometers. These penetrate deeper into the skin and are used mostly for healing and reducing inflammation.
- Blue light is typically 405 to 420 nanometers to kill acne-causing bacteria.
How Do I Use an LED Mask?
Follow the directions for the specific device you're using, but in general you'll want to wash and dry your face and use the mask before applying any skin-care products. Light therapy devices should have a set session time, usually between three and 10 minutes. Use it for the full time unless it feels uncomfortable. Apply your skin care after as normal, focusing on hydration (serums and moisturizers), especially if you're prone to dryness. Do not use these masks longer than indicated in their directions.
While you can use red light therapy and retinoids in your routine, Waldman doesn't recommend using them simultaneously, as it can increase the chance of irritation.
How Often Should I Use an LED Mask?
LED light therapy doesn't work for everyone, but consistency is crucial if you want to try it. Follow manufacturer guidelines for best use, but most dermatologists recommend using an LED face mask three to five times per week for at least 12 weeks to see results.
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