Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody masks: It is not even a contest

Bendable purple gentle remedy masks walked in order that the exhausting shell masks may run. Although I am unable to shut up about how a lot I beloved my expertise with the Shark CryoGlow regardless of its cumbersome, not-bendy-at-all development, it felt necessary to return to the roots of purple gentle and take a look at one of many OGs: The CurrentBody masks. In any case, that one and the OmniLux masks have been making its rounds on my TikTok FYP far earlier than the Shark masks ever did.

As a skincare fanatic whose essential concern at 31 is just not solely advantageous traces, however zits that’s 100 occasions worse at 31 than it ever was at 13, it did not take lengthy for me to wonder if purple gentle masks actually work or not. I am down for Botox or microneedling right here and there, however they’re each costly habits to remain on high of — so I made a decision to see how far I may stretch these in-office periods by relying solely on every day LED masks utilization. I used the Shark CryoGlow masks and CurrentBody masks in separate durations of not less than eight weeks every.

I had an total smoother every day expertise with one of many masks, and my pores and skin made it fairly obvious which masks it wanted as a staple in my routine. Listed here are my ideas on whether or not you should purchase the Shark CryoGlow or CurrentBody LED masks, primarily based alone journey and outcomes.

Word: This overview particularly options the CurrentBody Pores and skin: Sequence 2 masks.

Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody: Bulbs and nanometer measurement

After listening to that the CurrentBody Pores and skin masks is costlier than the Shark CryoGlow masks (by greater than $100), you’d naturally assume that the CurrentBody is extra highly effective. However you would be off.

Whereas the CurrentBody masks does have extra LED bulbs on paper (237 versus the Shark’s 160), not one of the bulbs within the CurrentBody Pores and skin masks are blue gentle bulbs. They’re purple and close to infrared solely, and never each bulb within the CurrentBody masks can emit each purple and NIR (close to infrared) gentle. There are 110 purple gentle bulbs (633nm) and 110 NIR bulbs (830nm), plus 16 deep NIR bulbs (1,072nm) across the eyes and mouth for further advantageous line consideration. An improve from the unique model of the CurrentBody masks, the Sequence 2 has an added chin strap to increase protection to the jawline and possibly a tiny little bit of the higher neck.

In the meantime, the Shark masks has purple (630nm), close to infrared (830nm), and blue gentle bulbs (415nm), and each single bulb can emit any of these wavelengths on the similar time. That technically totals 480 simultaneous gentle sources contained in the Shark masks, guaranteeing that extra of your face is being hit by any of the wavelengths. The nm (nanometer) quantity is a unit of measurement for every wavelength. Each masks hit the usual purple gentle and NIR nanometer measurement usually thought-about “sturdy” sufficient to provide any kind of at-home outcomes. The Shark CryoGlow masks would not do deep close to infrared in any respect, however do not forget that the CurrentBody solely has 16 of these.

So as to add blue gentle to your current CurrentBody routine, you’d have to purchase the $469.99 Anti-Pimples masks individually. That is almost $1,000 in comparison with the CryoGlow’s $349.99 price ticket. So, there’s that.

In additional scientific phrases, purple gentle masks are sometimes given an irradiance measurement, or a measurement of energy density on the supply of the LED. All the tri-wick bulbs packed into the CryoGlow carry it to a most irradiance of 128mW/cm², whereas the CurrentBody masks maxes out at 30mW/cm² of the Omnilux.

There may be one space of the face the place the CurrentBody’s protection dominates: the beneath eyes. The CryoGlow masks would not have any LEDs beneath the attention holes, as a substitute utilizing the area for cooling pads that mimic a cryotherapy de-puffing impact. They do really feel wonderful if you’re half awake within the morning, however the outcomes solely final for a couple of minutes. The under-eyes are universally one of the cussed spots to deal with with over-the-counter skincare, so an at-home purple gentle masks may very nicely be somebody’s last-ditch effort earlier than paying for a legit process. So whereas the CurrentBody may converse to you extra in case your essential skincare purpose is long-term discount of darkish circles or eye baggage, I believe the Shark’s blue gentle choice and tri-wick bulb scenario will get extra in your cash total.

Winner: Shark

Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody: Settings and distant

That is the place Shark actually begins to drag forward of CurrentBody. If you happen to’re dually involved about advantageous traces and texture in addition to zits, the CryoGlow is overwhelmingly the higher masks.

Each masks have remotes which are connected to the masks by way of a wire. Nonetheless, I am not precisely certain why CurrentBody did not simply go wi-fi and transfer the distant’s lone “on” button to the masks itself. It is not just like the masks can do anything however merely be on — there’s only a single fastened purple gentle and infrared setting. I perceive that that is in all probability within the title of simplicity, but it surely’s painfully primary to me.

It nearly feels unfair to match it to the Shark CryoGlow distant, which contains a small LCD display screen and a wheel to regulate cooling pad temperature and pan between three modes: Higher Getting old (purple and infrared gentle), Blemish Restore (all three wavelengths in various combos), and Pores and skin Maintain (all three wavelengths on the similar time). As soon as you’ve got chosen a setting, the display screen counts down how a lot time you’ve got left in your session.

The Shark CryoGlow distant.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The CurrentBody distant.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

That lineup goes to be rather more palatable to anybody who has multiple skincare concern. Personally, I desperately needed to attempt an at-home LED masks for its potential mitigation of the zits that simply randomly began exhibiting up in my late 20s — however my late 20s additionally introduced alongside the onset of advantageous brow and smile traces, and I additionally needed my make-up to cease caking in these. The Shark masks has a solution for each of these, and I like that the distant provides me the liberty to let me select what I wish to goal on any given day. The CurrentBody’s lack of customization is genuinely sort of stunning for the value, and felt like a downgrade after such a premium expertise with the Shark for a number of months earlier than it.

Shark’s settings additionally take barely much less time than CurrentBody’s: The three Shark settings take 4, six, or eight minutes, whereas the one CurrentBody setting takes 10 minutes. It is not an enormous distinction when it comes to the duties you’ll get executed throughout Masks Time, however once more, it is nonetheless good to have the ability to gauge what number of minutes are left. And whereas the CryoGlow’s battery life is way shorter, you may not less than gauge the timing earlier than your subsequent cost with the battery icon on the display screen. When the CurrentBody masks is lifeless, it merely will not activate.

Winner: Shark

Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody: Design and every day wearability

From the skin, it is only a given that you’re going to look ridiculous whereas sporting any purple gentle masks. The Shark CryoGlow is giving Jason Voorhees, whereas the CurrentBody Pores and skin is extra so embodying Dwight Schrute when he cuts the face off of a CPR dummy. I do not thoughts wanting humorous both manner so long as a masks is bodily comfy to put on. FWIW, neither masks is unbearably heavy in any respect. The Shark CryoGlow is a bit heavier — a bit over a pound, in comparison with the CurrentBody at lower than a pound.

CurrentBody on the left vs. Shark on the correct.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Each masks have adjustable straps, however the Shark masks’s sliding adjusters (just like the again of a baseball cap) are a way more seamless course of. CurrentBody has manner too many intersections of velcro, together with The Large Strap that must be executed and undone on the again of your head every time you put on it. It is simply begging to get caught in your hair, and it made me miss the simplicity of slipping the CryoGlow on and off.

The presence of a shirt/pants clip on each remotes implies that it is best to be capable to roam the home whereas sporting the masks hands-free. Proper? When you clearly cannot count on to see completely out of any LED masks, I discover the Shark CryoGlow to be a lot simpler to put on than the CurrentBody Pores and skin. When the lights are on, the CurrentBody masks is simply… a lot extra in your face when it is in your face. The lights across the eyes are borderline blinding, a lot in order that something you may see outdoors of the purple glowy haze is tinted blue.

It appears to be like wild, however like, in a enjoyable manner.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

My pupils can’t be critical.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

To be truthful, the CryoGlow masks is not unnoticeable whereas it is on, both. The shell is so thick that I’ve to carry my fingers out annoyingly far in entrance of me to see what I am doing. However I can nonetheless considerably get stuff executed whereas sporting the CryoGlow, like feed the cats or make my mattress, whereas the CurrentBody Pores and skin feels too trippy to do something however sit on my telephone. If you do not have a squirrel mind like I do, chances are you’ll not thoughts having to zone out for a second — a CurrentBody masks proprietor on Reddit really talked about that they admire being pressured to lie down for 10 minutes a day.

The inside of the masks are additionally barely completely different supplies. The within of the Shark is your basic slippery plastic that may be wiped down tremendous simply for sanitation functions. The within of the CurrentBody masks, which touches your face instantly, has a stickier silicone-y materials that weirds me out. A ton of cat hair and fuzzies get caught to it, too.

Winner: Shark

Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody: Outcomes

In my expertise, the Shark CryoGlow masks works significantly better than the CurrentBody masks.

I received my pores and skin into fairly wonderful form after about three months of every day CryoGlow utilization. Earlier than that, I used to be struggling exhausting to get my zits beneath management — it felt like a brand new pimple was popping up each single day. After I was persistently switching between the Shark masks’s zits setting and “Higher Getting old” setting, I used to be going not less than every week with out a new pimple popping up.

The state of my chin and jaw earlier than beginning my CryoGlow routine.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The state of my chin and jaw after three months of CryoGlow utilization.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

After I switched to testing the CurrentBody Pores and skin masks, I clearly needed to put the CryoGlow on pause to isolate the CurrentBody outcomes. The CryoGlow masks works so nicely on zits that I used to be terrified to surrender that blue gentle setting — and my concern got here true.

Throughout my CurrentBody Pores and skin testing interval, it felt like I misplaced quite a lot of the skin-clearing progress I made. Take my CryoGlow “after” picture from the correct above and use it as my CurrentBody “earlier than” picture. Under is the present standing of my chin after two months of strict CurrentBody masks utilization. I’ve one whitehead that is determined to pop, plus purple spots from recently-healed zits.

The state of my chin and jaw after two months of CurrentBody utilization.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

My pores and skin was significantly extra unpredictable after I was utilizing the CurrentBody than it was with the Shark masks, with recent pimples persistently establishing camp on my chin and cheeks just a few occasions per week. Granted, that is nonetheless much less erratic than my zits cycle earlier than testing both of the masks.

For the reason that CurrentBody Pores and skin would not have blue gentle, I knew it wasn’t going to kill pore-clogging micro organism just like the CryoGlow can. However purple gentle can nonetheless be on the protection in opposition to zits — it is stated to advertise the regeneration of pores and skin cells, support with irritation, and possibly even assist to stop scarring from present zits. I am tremendous liable to post-inflammatory erythema (purple spots that keep behind the place a pimple was once) that lasts for months, and I do not even really feel just like the CurrentBody did a lot to fade or forestall that.

It is not that I believe the CurrentBody Pores and skin masks did completely nothing. My pores and skin held up a constant glow and smooth-enough texture to exit bare-faced throughout my time with the CurrentBody, although the advantageous traces on my brow and round my eyes are positively nonetheless current. I have never gotten Botox in my brow for months, and I hoped the CurrentBody would make me wish to maintain off on making a touch-up appointment (it did not). And given how stark different folks’s CurrentBody outcomes appear to be on social media, I anticipated my pores and skin to even out rather more than it did.

Winner: Shark

Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody: Portability and packability

I am terrified to go every week with out the CryoGlow’s zits setting. That is a testomony to how reliably it prevents deep pimples from popping up on my face, but in addition a reminder of how deeply unlucky it’s that the CryoGlow could be ridiculously inconvenient to journey with.

The CurrentBody masks is barely extra travel-friendly than the cumbersome Shark masks.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The inflexible design makes the Shark much less preferrred for journey.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

It is not that the Shark masks weighs that a lot, but it surely’s an enormous, cumbersome hunk of plastic that does not bend in any respect. It’d simply take up a clumsy quantity of area in a suitcase, particularly in the event you’re a heavy packer and really want to consolidate for a aircraft journey. The Currentbody’s construct is not almost as unforgiving. It is bodily thinner and versatile sufficient to be packed in with garments with out hogging a ton of cargo area. At any charge, each do include a drawstring journey or storage pouch.

The CryoGlow’s brief battery life would additionally make it annoying to tackle a visit. It must be charged each few days in the event you use it every day, whereas the CurrentBody masks’s battery life barely even must be charged as soon as per week.

Winner: CurrentBody

Shark CryoGlow vs. CurrentBody: Our winner

The Shark CryoGlow masks is irrefutably a extra well-rounded LED masks than the CurrentBody masks, in addition to a greater worth price-wise. Based mostly on how simple it has been to include the masks into my every day routine and the outcomes I’ve grown to count on from every, I genuinely look ahead to sporting the Shark — whereas sporting the CurrentBody typically seems like a chore.

Regardless of being the extra compact masks, the CurrentBody Pores and skin is extra cumbersome to put on. The purple lights glow so uncomfortably vivid close to your eyes that it is exhausting to see a lot of something whereas sporting it.

The CurrentBody Pores and skin’s lack of adjustable settings simply feels so primary in comparison with the customization made doable by the CryoGlow distant’s intuitive LCD display screen. I am certain I am not the one 30-something particular person on the market who’s coping with age-related advantageous traces and grownup zits — and between these two masks, the Shark CryoGlow is the one one with devoted purple gentle, blue gentle, and close to infrared combos to focus on a number of pores and skin considerations. The CurrentBody might enchantment to you extra in case your sole purpose is anti-aging across the eyes, however once more, my beneath eye and crows ft outcomes have been barely noticeable. I am telling somebody to decide on the Shark CryoGlow masks each time.