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PSA: These light masks actually work, according to dermatologists—and myself. Skin Scrubber
Sure, an LED face mask may *seem* like one of those at-home skincare tools that’s too good to be true—but I come with good news. A lot of the LED face masks you’ll find on Amazon or at Sephora or Ulta in 2023 truly deliver in the results department and can help you get clearer skin, reduce redness and inflammation, improve skin texture and tone, and even help smooth fine lines and wrinkles too.
That said, LED face masks are a pretty hefty investment (most of the top-rated options are $400+), and unless you’re using the right device for your specific skin concerns, you're not going to see much a benefit. So to help enlighten you on all things LED, I chatted with four experts (shout-out to dermatologists Heather Rogers, Uchenna Okereke, Cula Svidzinski, and Mona Gohara) to find out how exactly they work and then tested a ton of new and old LED masks to round up the 12 best-selling LED masks to try for yourself at home.
✔️ P.S. This is new, up-to-date info, bb. We updated this article in September 2023 to add new LED face masks, complete with specs and reviews, and delete outdated oldies, just for you.
Keep reading for the full list of the 12 best LED face masks, wands, and devices for 2023 along with how to choose the right LED face mask for your skincare needs and how to use it like a pro.
Therabody (the makers of the buzzy TheraFace PRO skincare device) just launched this full-face LED mask last week, but I got a sneak peek to do some pre-testing and so far I'm LOVING the results. For one, it's the probably the most comfortable LED mask I've ever tried (largely because of the protective eye inserts and adjustable strap design). It's also so easy to use—just pop it on and let the pre-timed 9-minute treatment cycle through the red, infrared, and blue lights. I've been using it daily for about a month and feel like my hormonal acne breakouts have chilled out quite a bit and the overall tone of my skin has improved too.
THE REVIEW: "With my skin tone and overall radiance, I can see a huge difference," writes one tester. "The vibration is very soothing. My skin is getting tighter and I love how it feels," shares another.
My favorite thing about the trendy Solawave Skincare Wand is the LED light feature, so when I saw the brand also had a full-face LED mask while scrolling on Insta, you better believe I snagged one for testing ASAP. The mask has one setting for anti-aging with red lights and another setting for acne with blue lights, but because acne is my main skin concern I focused on the blue light setting. After using it daily for 5 weeks, I really felt like it helped make the cystic breakouts around my chin and cheeks less angry and inflamed.
THE REVIEW: "This is hands down the best LED mask available at Ulta," writes one tester. "The specs are top notch and it's mobile so you can move around while wearing it."
If you’re dealing with allover face breakouts and already have a consistent routine of acne products, spot treatments, and prescription help (ahem, seriously, go see a dermatologist before shelling out any more money!), then you might want to add this FDA-cleared LED mask to your routine. It’s specifically designed to help treat acne with red and blue LED lights, and the mask itself is silicone and flexible, making it relatively comfy to wear. FYI: Dr. Rogers is a fan of this LED mask, so you know it's a good one.
THE REVIEW: “I’ve spend so much time and money trying to fix my acne and nothing has worked as well as this mask,” writes one tester. “It’s not cheap, but it’s honestly so effective at clearing up whiteheads and red pimples.”
Looks like a mask straight out of a movie, right? Welp, you can basically get the movie-star treatment with this Dr. Dennis Gross light therapy mask, which uses 162 red and blue LED lights to amp up your collagen production and help get rid of pimple-causing bacteria. Just strap it around your head, turn it on, and let the lights do their thing for 3 minutes until it automatically turns off. Repeat daily (or twice a day) for 10 weeks to see the best results.
THE REVIEW: “I bought this about a year ago and it totally helped clear up my breakouts and adult acne,” writes one reviewer. “It also helps with wrinkles too. My skin looks amazing and I am always receiving compliments on it—highly recommend!!”
Coming in at just $99 (“just,” I know, but reminder—you get what you pay for), this LED mask from Skin Gym is one of the most affordable full-face light-therapy masks on the list. It’s simple, easy to wear, and comes with red, blue, and orange lights to switch between. Bonus: It’s fully wireless (and comes with a USB charger), so you won’t be stuck in one spot during your daily 15- to 30-minute session.
THE REVIEW: “This LED mask is perfect for the amount of money that you’re spending,” writes one tester, adding that “it’s lightweight and cordless and my skin feels tighter and looks more even-toned after using it.”
Fact: This light-therapy mask is pretty well-known in the Hollywood circles (remember when Lily Collins wore it in season three of Emily in Paris??), thanks to skincare-obsessed makeup artists (and, sure, some good advertising). But the hype is valid: The silicone LED mask is not only super flexible—so it can bend and reach every angle of your face and jaw—but it’s also specifically designed to target fine lines and wrinkles with two red-light wavelengths. It’s not exactly a substitute for, say, getting Botox, but it’s definitely a noninvasive, non-irritating treatment to try at home.
THE REVIEW: “I’ve had so many compliments on my skin since I started using this mask,” reads one tester review. “It’s made my skin appear more smooth and glowy and even though it costs a pretty penny, I see it as an investment since I no longer need to get pro facials as often.”
Don’t wanna physically hold or strap on your LED light to reap the anti-aging benefits? WOW, OKAY. But hey, I gotchu. This light therapy shield fits on your face like a pair of glasses and combines red light to boost collagen, blue light to kill acne bacteria, green light to reduce discoloration, and amber light to potentially calm inflammation. After cleansing your face, put on the included safety goggles, slip the FDA-cleared mask over your ears, then wear it for 15 minutes, switching between the three colors. Repeat three to five days a week and marvel at the magic that is technology.
THE REVIEW: “I love, love, love this mask. I come home, put my PJs on, put on my fave podcast, pop this baby on, and treat myself to an acne-clearing session. My skin looks brighter with fewer dark spots and breakouts.”
If you've ever had an LED treatment during a facial or at the derm's office, there's a good chance it was with a Celluma LED device. Celluma devices are often used by pros—including Dr. Rogers. "I use the Celluma for 30 minutes twice a week on my entire face, including my lips, and I love the results," she says.
Celluma makes various LED masks and devices, but the Lite model is great for at-home use. It's compact and portable and thanks to the flexible design, it can be used as a face mask (when propped up with the facial rest stands) or on different areas of the body. For best results, use this bb daily and make sure the area of skin you're treating about 1-inch from the lights.
THE REVIEW: "I have had the Celluma light for a few months and my clients and I are in love with it," reads one review. "To see a result for aging purposes you will need some time, but for my clients with acne it’s an instant result. Just amazing!"
Yup! This is an expensive one, but it’s the brainchild of celebrity esthetician Shani Darden who is known for giving all of Hollywood, like, truly excellent skin. This light therapy mask has three treatment modes (which use red, blue, and near-infrared light therapy) to address fine lines and wrinkles, acne, and dark spots. I tested this for a three month period last spring, and noticed the acne scarring on my cheeks and and chin were way less noticeable post-treatment.
THE REVIEW: “This is so worth the money,” reads one tester’s review. “This is a professional grade LED mask that’s used at an esthetician’s office, so you really get good results. I use mode 2 for acne and mode 3 for dark spots and my skin looks soooo glowy.”
The combo of red and near infrared LED lights in this mask are clutch for reducing inflammation, rejuvenating skin, and giving your face a healthy glow. I love that it’s cordless, so you can pop the mask and go about your day. For optimal skin plumping and smoothing results, you’ll want to use this LED face mask for either 10 or 30 minutes five times a week.
THE REVIEW: “This LED mask is so compact and lightweight that it is such an ideal travel product. The adjustable fitting of the product was really nice too—especially since I do struggle with masks like this fitting my smaller face,” writes a tester.
When you’re wearing an LED mask for 10 minutes a day, three to five days a week, comfort is something you’re going to want. This LED mask is made of lightweight, medical-grade silicone, so it bends to fit snugly across your face. Not only is it FDA-approved for safety, but it’s also been tested to the highest eye-safety standards, so you don’t have to stress while the red and near-infrared wavelengths get to work on reducing inflammation and redness and smoothing your wrinkles and fine lines.
THE REVIEW: “Great for rosacea! I love this product. It’s straightforward and easy to use. I love that it’s cordless and hands-free. I’ve been using it every night for almost a month now and my rosacea has improved noticeably.”
This top-selling LED face mask will give you all of the selfies thanks to a chic rose quartz design—and some extra-glowy skin. The LED mask uses red and blue lights to reduce inflammation, boost skin elasticity and firmness, and curb breakouts. Start out with 10-minute sessions (after washing your face each morning or night), two to three times a week, then gradually increase your treatments to five times a week.
THE REVIEW: “Not only is this the prettiest LED mask I’ve ever seen, it genuinely works! I’m six weeks in and my skin feels plumper/smoother and my breakouts are less red and angry too.”
Light therapy, or LED (aka light-emitting diode) therapy, is a treatment that uses varying wavelengths of light to trigger skin changes at a molecular level—like stimulate collagen production, kill some acne-causing bacteria, balance oil production, and even reduce inflammation. You can get light therapy treatments at your dermatologist’s office (the quickest and most effective), or try light therapy at home in the form of LED masks (the slowest and least effective but “still better than nothing,” says Dr. Gohara).
Listen, they’re not bad for acne. But, as all of our experts agreed, LED masks or light therapy masks won’t give you any dramatic results, especially overnight, and aren’t more effective than tried-and-true retinol, peels, Accutane, or spironolactone. “These devices have potential, but they need to be optimized with other standard treatments,” says Dr. Okereke. “We don’t have enough large studies that demonstrate that these lights are superior or as good as standard treatments.”
Not only that, but there are so many other factors with LED masks that will affect your results, like the strength of the light, the specific wavelength of the light, the distance from the source to the skin, the length of time you use it...the list goes on.
Basically, LED masks won’t completely fix your cystic zits, whiteheads, wrinkles, or redness, but they can definitely help to a certain degree over time (think: at least 4 to 6 weeks to see any results). Still, as long as you manage your expectations, take the proper safety precautions, and consult your dermatologist, there’s little harm in giving one a shot.
Overall, these devices are generally considered to be safe, but Dr. Svidzinski recommends purchasing ones that have been cleared by the FDA (which, reminder, is only a testament to its supposed safety—not its efficacy).
Dr. Svidzinski explains that while LED skin devices are weak and unlikely to have enough energy to burn your skin, the primary safety concern here is the effect they can have on your eyes, so it’s super important to shield them from the light while using these devices. And, as always, run things by your dermatologist before self-treating. Cool? Cool.
At-home LED masks will usually come with a mix of different lights (see: blue, red, orange, amber, and green lights) that are thought to target specific concerns, but the science is iffy on the true efficacy of any light outside of red and blue lights—mostly because red and blue are the most-studied lights so far (so, you know, talk to us in 10 years).
That being said, there’s no harm in testing out each of the lights that come with your light therapy mask, so here’s a quick rundown of how to choose the right light frequency for your skin:
In general, the old “you get what you pay for” adage is relatively true when it comes to finding the best LED mask, but it’s unfortunately not that clear cut. Like, will the $300 LED mask created by a dermatologist be more effective than the $13 LED mask on Amazon? Most likely yes. But what about a $5,000 mask? Or even a $500 mask? Not necessarily.
Dr. Svidzinski says that although there isn’t enough data to validate or compare the efficacy across all of these at-home devices, the strength of the higher-end models might be comparable to that of in-office light treatments. But again, there’s a huge discrepancy in the cost of these things, based on the technology used, the available features, and the materials. So always check the reviews—and the return policy.
While LED masks that are just for specific areas of the face, like the eyes or lips, are having a moment, Dr. Rogers' tells her clients to choose a bigger LED mask instead so your whole face can benefit.
Lauren Balsamo is deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan with nearly a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing skin stories that range from the best retinol eye creams to the best lasers for acne scars. She’s an authority in all skincare categories but an expert when it comes to LED face masks and devices. She regularly tests and analyzes new LED masks and devices, while working with the industry’s top dermatologists and aestheticians to assess new brands and technologies.
Lauren Balsamo is deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for nine years at Cosmopolitan and has contributed to Women’s Health and Seventeen magazines as well. Follow her on Instagram.
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