How to Integrate an LED Mask into Your Skincare Routine
By Sara Winslow
Published: 10/1/2026
If you’re ready to take your skincare routine further, it may be time to look beyond what you can put in a bottle.
Your routine still starts with the essentials: the right actives for your skin, hydration and daily SPF. But LED light therapy gives you something different. Instead of applying another ingredient, you’re using specific wavelengths of light to target the skin.
That’s what makes an LED mask such an interesting addition to your routine. You’re not replacing the products that already work for you. You’re adding another way to care for your skin entirely.
Shark CryoGlow™ uses targeted wavelengths of red, blue and infrared light to address different skin concerns, from the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles to blemishes and uneven texture. It also pairs light therapy with InstaChill™ Cold Technology, bringing adjustable cooling beneath the eyes to help depuff, soothe, firm and tighten.
It’s the kind of technology you once had to make an appointment for. Now it can live in your bathroom and become part of your everyday skincare routine.
And that last part matters. Because with LED, consistency is where things get interesting. A treatment you can reach for at home, use in as little as six minutes and then get on with your day has a much better chance of becoming something you actually do.
What is LED actually doing for my skin?
Here’s the science without turning this into biology class: LED stands for light-emitting diode. Different colors of light have different wavelengths, measured in nanometers, and those wavelengths interact with skin differently. CryoGlow uses blue light at 415 nm to help keep skin clear and reduce acne. Red and infrared light at 630–830 nm to help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Light therapy is a powerful but non-invasive treatment. No needles. No abrasion. Just light. And that’s what makes LED fundamentally different from most of what’s already in your routine. Your serums, moisturizers, and treatments work through ingredients applied to your skin. LED gives you another way to treat it. So don't think about CryoGlow as replacing your skincare. Go ahead and keep what’s working. Just add the light.
What sets CryoGlow™ apart from other LED masks?
Not all LED masks deliver light the same way. CryoGlow™ delivers 5x more energy to target fine lines and acne,* with 160 tri-wick LEDs designed to give you seamless, full-face coverage without gaps or hot spots. And then there’s something you won’t find in other LED masks: Integrated InstaChill™ under-eye cooling to help soothe, firm and visibly tighten in minutes.
What can red light therapy do for my skin?
Red and blue light have different jobs. Red light helps improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles, while blue light helps target acne and keep skin looking clearer. CryoGlow™ gives you both, plus infrared light and under-eye cooling, so you can treat what your skin actually needs.
Where does CryoGlow go in my skincare routine?
This part is easy. Cleanse. CryoGlow. Skincare.
Use CryoGlow on clean, dry skin before applying your serums and moisturizers. You bought a device designed to deliver specific wavelengths of light to your skin. Use the LED mask after washing and drying your face. Then apply the products you already use. CryoGlow isn't here to replace your routine. It's here to add something to your skincare routine to supplement your anti-aging or acne clearing products.
Which CryoGlow treatment should I use?
Start with what you actually want to address:
Fine lines and wrinkles?
Better Aging Mode is a six-minute treatment that combines infrared and red light therapy to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles within 12 weeks*.
Acne, texture and uneven-looking skin?
Skin Clearing Mode is an eight-minute treatment that uses an automated three-phase treatment combining blue, red and infrared light therapy, to help reduce the appearance of textured, uneven skin and blemishes for smoother, glowing skin.
Brightness and overall complexion?
Skin Sustain Mode combines blue and red-light LEDs with infrared in a four-minute treatment designed to boost brightness and help maintain results.
Puffy under-eyes?
Now we leave LED for a minute.
InstaChill™ Cold Technology uses two adjustable cooling pads beneath the eyes to help firm, tighten, soothe and depuff. And they're not simply cold pieces of metal. CryoGlow uses the Peltier effect (the principle behind thermoelectric cooling) along with fan technology to move excess heat away, creating rapid cooling directly beneath the eyes. Use InstaChill during your LED treatment or use it on its own. But we promise you’re going to love it (and your eyes will thank you afterward).
Should I use CryoGlow in the morning or at night?
Whenever you'll actually use it. Your skin doesn't know if it's 7 a.m. or 10 p.m. What matters is consistency. CryoGlow is designed to be used once daily, so attach it to the part of your routine you already do reliably.
Morning person? Cleanse. CryoGlow. Skincare. SPF.
Night person? Remove makeup and SPF. Cleanse. CryoGlow. Skincare. Bed.
InstaChill does make a pretty good case for mornings. There are days when skincare is about long-term results. There are also days when you'd simply prefer your eyes not reveal exactly how little sleep you got.
Can I use CryoGlow with the skincare I already own?
Yes. Please do. This isn't a skincare divorce. Use CryoGlow first on clean, dry skin, then apply your normal serums and moisturizer. If you use CryoGlow during the day, finish with sunscreen. CryoGlow does not emit UV light, but daylight still does. UVA rays can reach your skin through clouds and glass, so SPF remains part of the morning routine.
At night, remove your makeup and sunscreen and cleanse before using your mask. If you use prescription skincare, take medication that can cause photosensitivity, have a skin condition or have another reason to question whether LED is appropriate for you, read the device instructions and contraindications and talk to your dermatologist before use.
Your dermatologist knows your skin. The internet does not.
How often should I use CryoGlow?
Here comes the answer nobody can package beautifully: Consistently.
For Shark CryoGlow™, use one LED routine daily for eight weeks. Better Aging Mode takes six minutes. Skin Clearing Mode takes eight. After the initial eight-week cycle, Skin Sustain Mode is a four-minute daily treatment designed to help maintain your complexion and boost brightness. Six minutes is not a lot of time. Eight weeks is. And that distinction matters. We tend to judge skincare by what we see tomorrow morning, but skin operates on a longer timeline. Because gradual change is remarkably hard to see when you're looking at yourself every day, take a photo when you start. Not in perfect lighting. Not after makeup. Just your face, somewhere you can take the same photo again later.
Then give it time.
So, is an LED mask worth adding to my skincare routine?
If you're already investing in your skin and thinking about fine lines, blemishes, texture, brightness or the under-eye situation, the CryoGlow LED mask brings something genuinely different to the routine. And instead of making an appointment for powerful light therapy technology, it lives in your bathroom. No drive. No waiting room. No rearranging your day. You don't even need to build an elaborate new ritual around your LED mask. Wash your face. Put it on. Go about your life for a few minutes. Then do the skincare you were already going to do.
Tomorrow, do it again. Your skincare routine doesn't need more steps. It needs better ones.
Disclaimers:
*Results from 12-week study with 60 subjects and 1x per daily use in Better Aging Treatment Mode. Individual results may vary