If your skin is crying for help but you’re too tired to care, the best red light therapy mask is the easiest fake-it-till-you-make-it hack around. You might have seen a wave of people on social media channeling their best Hannibal Lecter while wearing a red light therapy device, like our top pick, the CurrentBody LED Face Mask Series 2 ($470). They’re not sipping Chianti but instead claiming that the wrinkles and fine lines on their faces have disappeared with the help of red light therapy. There’s nothing wrong with aging (duh), but after seeing the hype of these skin care devices, we had to find out if the “anti-aging” technology behind them could make a big impact on your skin health.

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 TikToker sitting in front of a chicken coop heat lamp. After talking to board-certified dermatologists and testing several at-home devices, we’ve rounded up the best red light therapy masks for every sensitive skin condition, budget, and lifestyle.

For more beauty and wellness recommendations, check out our guides to the Best Electric Toothbrushes, Best Curling Irons, and Best Lip Balms.

Updated November 2025: We added the LED Esthetics Glotech Collar, the UKLash LED Dual Light Pro-Therapy Face Mask to our honorable mentions, and the LED Esthetics Glotech Minis to our dishonorable mentions. Pros and cons were overhauled; specs, prices, and links were also updated.

Best Red Light Mask Overall

The CurrentBody LED Face Mask Series 2 is a medical-grade, silicone mask. It also comes with a more secure strap—each side is shaped like a U, instead of using a single strap, making it much more secure. I can wear it and walk around if I like, without worrying about it slipping off, and the attached remote even has a little clip on it to hook it to your body.

This red light face mask only has one mode, but it does have three red light wavelengths, while most others only have two. The three levels are red (633 nanometers), near-infrared (830 nm), and what CurrentBody calls deep near-infrared (1,072 nm). CurrentBody says the deep near-infrared lights are designed to target areas that will have more signs of aging, 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

Best Value

The Shark CryoGlow is one of the best LED face 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 maintain the best 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 and found I had considerably less inflammation and pigmentation after eight weeks, plus improved fine lines to boot. —Verity Burns

Most User-Friendly

Even though this cordless, hard-shell mask makes me feel like a rose-gold Optimus Prime, it’s incredibly comfortable to use. I like that the lights aren’t too bright around the eyeholes, so I can still walk around and see well enough to fold laundry or load the dishwasher, and the short, three-minute session (it automatically turns off when it’s done) makes it a cinch to fit into my routine on even the busiest of days. It also means the battery lasts ages—I used it close to every day for six weeks and did not need to charge it. Some online reviews mention an issue with charging, but I tested its ability to hold a charge, and it didn’t seem to have any issues.

I also like that there are three settings—red light only (press the button once), blue light only (press twice), and red-and-blue light combo (press three times). On the downside, the lightweight silicone strap constantly comes undone. I thought at first I may have assembled it incorrectly, but former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano had the same issue during her test. The shape and height of the mask (about 5 inches) also make it hard to fit in a drawer or smaller travel bag, compared with a flat mask like the GloTech. And, like other red-light masks I’ve tried, I have yet to notice a significant change in wrinkles or skin texture. However, I specifically tested the red-and-blue combination light setting for two weeks and did feel like I experienced a noticeable reduction in various blemishes. —Kat Merck

Best Vibration Therapy

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 how my skin looks (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 self-care routine.

It’s lightweight and cordless, and it has removable eye goggles (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.

Best Spot Treatment

The Solawave 4-in-1 Radiant Renewal Wand is a bestseller on TikTok. It has a single 630-nm 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.

Best Neck Mask

Nora Ephron famously wrote that the neck starts to go at 43. “Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth,” she said, and as a year shy of that hallowed age I felt the need to preemptively address this area. I do not currently have any dark spots or acne on my neck or chest, so, I considered the Glotech Collar as preventative. I found it remarkably easy to use and wear. It comes with several different-sized straps, but I only needed the one around my neck. The battery lasts for two ten-minute sessions, but it’s palm-sized and rechargeable via USB-C, so you can top it off quickly after your nightly session. And because it’s on your neck and chest and not on your face, it’s very easy to slip the battery in your pocket while you do other things, like put away laundry.

LED Esthetics notes that you should wear the mask in conjunction with its proprietary serums, which I did not do so as to not confound the results. I did moisturize afterward, also as instructed, with Oil of Olay Regenerist moisturizer. After 30 days of wear per LED Esthetics’ user instructions (the manual says to continue use as convenient or desired afterward), I did not notice any reduction in my two deep-ish neck wrinkles, but I did not find it inconvenient to wear or maintain and the results are best assessed over time. There are also fewer LED bulbs and only one setting, which I did not mind as my neck has sensitive skin, but may be an issue for some users.—Adrienne So

Compare Top 6 LED Devices

More LED Devices to Consider

HigherDose Red Light Therapy Face Mask for $349: This soft mask has a three-layer strap, with two side straps and one across the top of the head that all connect with large Velcro panels on the back of my head. It’s super comfortable, since you aren’t getting squeezed from the bands; it almost hangs around your head thanks to that top strap. It has both a 10-minute and 20-minute red light option. Overall, I saw fine results from this mask with glowy skin and better acne recovery. There are complaints online that the wiring isn’t strong and can break easily within the first year, but HigherDose says that falls under the one-year warranty. —Nena Farrell

UKLash LED Dual Light Pro-Therapy Face Mask for $249: This soft mask stands out with its securing style, which has big loops to sit over your ears and then a strap connecting those loops to tighten it. It makes it one of the more secure soft masks to wear, though I still prefer the CurrentBody and HigherDose for comfort and security. It has 112 medical-grade LEDs that shine red light at 630nm and near infrared light at 830nm. I like that this mask doesn’t overpromise and delivers on what it says it’ll do. I wouldn’t say I saw fine line changes (and I usually don’t, but I suspect my 33-year-old lines are ones these masks can’t fix), but I did see a nice skin tone. I was especially impressed since I was testing it while training for a dance performance that had me sweating multiple times a week, but I didn’t get any sweat breakouts. —Nena Farrell

LED Esthetics Glotech Mask Pro for $399: The LED Esthetics Glotech Mask Pro 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 33-year-old facial lines after about six weeks of consistent use, I saw a healthier glow in my skin and have consistently gotten 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 to wear while sitting or lying down; I use it while watching TV or reading a book after washing my face. —Nena Farrell

JOVS 4D Laser Light Mask for $706: 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 nm of red light to LED Esthetics’ 630 nm, and both promise 830 nm 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 red light face mask to consider that’s also FDA-cleared with a 30-day return policy.

Solawave Wrinkle Retreat Light Therapy Face Mask for $349: This soft LED mask packs 630-nm and 830-nm light to support collagen production and treat signs of aging. I didn’t see any major changes in my fine lines, and while this mask looks cute while you wear it, I found you had to keep it really tight on your head to keep it from slipping, and it often left pressure marks on my face. It’s popular thanks to its affordable price, but I’d rather splurge on our more comfortable top pick from CurrentBody, or spend the same amount to get the Shark mask with cooling features. —Nena Farrell

Solawave Neck & Chest Rejuvenating Mask for $279: 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 rechargeable 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. —Nena Farrell

Avoid These

LED Esthetics Glotech Minis for $229: Skip these, especially if your skin is reactive. At first glance, these Glotech Minis look like they’re designed to target your under-eyes, but they can technically be used anywhere: chin, smile lines, even above your brows. They emit red and yellow light and promise visible results after four weeks of daily nine-minute sessions. In theory, they’re meant to be a convenient, travel-friendly LED option. In practice, they’re more trouble than they’re worth. The patches rely on adhesive stickers to stay in place, which is a total nightmare for anyone with sensitive skin. My eczema flared after one use, and the tugging it off only made it worse. Even beyond that, the fit is awkward. The MemoryContour design doesn’t really hug your face, so you’ll likely find yourself pressing or lying still just to keep them from sliding off. It’s a clever concept with poor execution.

Pro by Déesse Pro for $1700: This is a hard-shell LED mask with six treatment modes (Anti-Aging, Purifying, Brightening, Post Procedure, Calming, and Anti-Aging Express) and four light wavelengths designed to target a range of skin concerns. Still, the mask is a commitment. The lights are intensely bright, even with the included tanning-bed-style goggles. I had to keep my eyes shut. It requires a power outlet, and the cord is short, so don’t expect to walk around. It’s not particularly comfortable, either. At $1,700, it’s one of the priciest options out there, and it doesn’t even come with a display stand or storage case.

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