Shark is joining the high-tech skincare mask war with an impressive opening shot for CES 2025

I have to admit – I’ve been very skeptical of LED devices that claim to be good for your skin. When they first started being sold for home use, it felt like they were mostly expensive, inefficient devices that were obvious cash sinks. But nowadays, as is usually the case with any thriving product category, technology has improved. We are seeing more sophisticated offerings that not only use better components, but are more comfortable to wear. Full face masks from the likes of TherabodyDr. Dennis Gross and Omnilux have exploded in popularity, dominating social media and constantly selling out of their products. After hearing rave reviews from friends and family, and undergoing more light treatments in salons myself, I’m more convinced that there’s a place for devices like these.

Shark, a maker of vacuum cleaners, air fryers, and various kitchen equipment, unveiled an LED face mask device here at CES 2025. Launched under its three-year-old Shark Beauty arm, is the new “CryoGlow Cooling Under Eye.” + Anti-Aging & Skin Clearing LED Facial Mask” has a very long name. I’ll just refer to it as the CryoGlow Mask from now on. At a meeting here in Las Vegas, Danielle Lessing, senior vice president of global product development for Shark, described a number of ways in which it’s different CryoGlow than what currently exists.

First of all, as the name suggests, there is a cooling element to this device. In addition to the 160 “interlocking three-filament LEDs” on the mask, there are two metal panels on the cheeks shaped like eye masks. This is the conduit for what Shark calls its “InstaChill” technology and is essentially a pair of cool panels that, during my short time with the CryoGlow, felt satisfyingly cool. In fact, this might be my favorite part of the device (and frankly its defining feature).

After I had the CryoGlow on for about a minute, and after taking several funny photos and selfies with it, I really appreciated how cool my under-eye area felt. To be clear, I felt cold immediately after I put the mask on, but it was the prolonged coldness that I enjoyed. After removing the device, I still enjoyed the feeling I was left with, even after a few minutes. I don’t feel like I’ve worn the mask long enough to know if it would feel heavy after wearing it for so long, but at least during the demo, I didn’t feel strained, and the wired remote couldn’t get in my way.

I also want to note that, unlike the Therabody option, Shark’s CryoGlow doesn’t vibrate. “This is a skin care and vibration system that does not affect the skin,” Lessing said.

Lessing Li emphasized the importance of three-filament LEDs, as each is capable of producing red, blue, and deep infrared light, as they differ from some other products on the market that may only use single or double-filament bulbs instead. In those cases, manufacturers may choose to place only red LEDs or only blue LEDs in alternating layouts or different arrangements that allow them to claim both types of light, while effectively covering less area per bulb.

It’s this kind of math that Lessing highlighted enthusiastically in our quick meeting, as she told me that the company worked hard to calculate the ideal combination of factors like the distance of the lights from the wearer’s face and their distance from each other. To this end, the CryoGlow device will be positioned in such a way that the LED lights are approximately 15mm away from your skin – a good balance between effectiveness and coverage. The lights themselves are spaced 10mm apart, and Shark’s four programs also take into account how long the lights stay on your face.

Lessing said the company wanted to make something more inclusive, not only for different head sizes and types, but also for skin-related concerns. She added that most of the products currently available tend to target signs of aging in women. Shark wants to buck that trend, and part of that effort involves making a mask that fits people of all types — from women with smaller faces to men with larger heads.

When I first saw the CryoGlow in person, I couldn’t help but smile. Unlike Theraface or Dr. Dennis Gross Looking robotic or cyborg-like, the Shark is strangely cute? The shape of the mouth opening is slightly upturned and the whole thing looks like it is smiling at you. I also instinctively reached out to wipe the textured sides of the mask, which looked like sand-scratched lines. I can see making this my pet.

Not only does the CryoGlow look great, it also feels comfortable to wear. It was big enough for my larger than average head, but not too heavy. It may be thanks to the adjustable T-shaped head strap that it reminds me of Apple Vision Pro. Lessing said the team also took inspiration from ski goggles for the design, especially for the goggles around the eye openings.

There’s also the fact that the CryoGlow is fairly lightweight, likely due to the fact that it’s powered by a battery in the included remote. This handheld controller is connected via a cord, which is a slightly less elegant approach than competing products that have buttons on the mask. But I appreciate that it looks like a Nokia 3310 with a much nicer screen and dial as well as two buttons below it.

You can spin the wheel to scroll through the menu, and I liked the Shark aesthetic used in the interface as well. The system offers four treatment modes: an under-eye “Revital” that provides “Cryotherapy-inspired firming and soothing,” a 6-minute “Aging Optimization” option, an 8-minute “Skin Clearing Treatment” that targets acne, and 4 treatment modes. 1-minute “Skin Sustain” maintenance mode for daily use. There are also three cooling levels available, which you can control with this system. Shark says its tests have indicated that clearer skin can be seen within four weeks of use, while two months of continuous use may result in firmer skin.

Shark says all of its software is backed by clinical testing, and most interestingly, it actually put its CryoGlow device to the test against competitors. According to Shark, this image “captures a demonstration done using a light-absorbing photochromic coating to demonstrate the even coverage of CryoGlow’s iQLED technology versus the competitor’s uneven coverage.” I will point out that although the Shark seemed to have a more even and larger spread overall, it leaves the under-eye spots bare.

It’s unclear what this competing device is or how much it might cost, but given that the CryoGlow is priced at $349, Theraface mask and Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite FaceWare Pro They start at $599 and $455 respectively, and I’m already intrigued. This seems like a high-end device that is at least within the range of what I might be able to afford. And I loved my short experience with it too. I’ll probably have to test other competing products before I can definitively evaluate how good the CryoGlow is compared to what’s out there, but for now, and for the price, I’m pretty impressed with the Shark LED mask’s debut.