How to find the best LED mask for you

LED masks are booming, and it’s not hard to see why. Known to be safe, painless and backed by clinical evidence, the brilliance of LED light therapy is that it helps reboot your cells to function optimally: it’s the definition of longevity.

You can compare this NASA-developed technology to charging your electric car – LED recharges your skin cell batteries, or mitochondria. This results in multiple benefits for your skin. With consistent use, you can expect at-home LED masks to help calm inflammation, stimulate collagen, reduce breakouts and brighten your complexion, while professional devices can even settle clinical skin conditions such as acne and eczema.

But, despite breathless marketing and influencing, not all devices are created equal. Just recently, the advertising standards agency (ASA) initiated a crackdown on LED masks, banning some that made unverified medical claims. So it’s more important than ever to get your facts right so you don’t waste your money, or worse, buy an unsafe product.

As always, knowledge is power, as is being realistic about your expectations. As cosmetic physician and longevity specialist Dr Sophie Shotter, who judged the LED mask category for the 2025 Get The Gloss Beauty Awards, says: “I recommend seeing at‐home LED masks as a supplement or maintenance, not a transformational treatment.”

So here’s a checklist of the most important questions to ask, plus eight masks we really rate.

1. Does the LED mask feature proven wavelengths?

There are only four clinically-proven wavelengths. They are:

• Red (630-680 nanometres or nm) Treats a wide variety of skin issues including wrinkles, wound healing and hair restoration, and is thought to be mildly collagen-boosting.
• Blue (415nm): Kills acne-causing bacteria. This is NOT the same blue light that the sun and your digital gadgets emit.
• NIR or near-infrared (830nm): Deep-penetrating, this reduces inflammation, improves healing time and enhances the anti-ageing benefits of red light. In professional devices, it can be used to reduce muscle and joint pain.
• ‘Deep’ NIR (1070nm): Having only recently acquired ‘proven’ status, it’s the only FDA-cleared wavelength for healing tissues, with strong anti-inflammatory and anti-free radical properties.

Other wavelength colours like green, yellow and purple simply don’t have the clinical evidence, says Shotter. However, a good mask will give the option to combine two wavelengths, resulting in a ‘combo colour’:

Pink/purple: the anti-spot setting on your device will often shine purple, combining blue and red lights – because red light has been shown to enhance blue light’s spot-busting benefits.

Orange: red and NIR or (‘deep’ NIR) light are a killer combo for anti-ageing, and combined, they can look yellow/orange. If wrinkles are the issue you want to tackle, choose a mask that combines these two.

2. Does it have plenty of light points?

Generally, seeing more light points (they’re not actually bulbs) inside your mask equals more coverage and more power. The new Nooance EliteX 600 mask (scroll down for our review) features, the brand says, the most LEDs: 600. However, by LEDs, brands don’t mean lights. The different LED wavelengths are emitted by the same light points, so you have to divide the stated number of LEDs by the number of wavelengths the masks offers to know the actual number of lights. With the Nooance boasting 600 LEDs and two wavelengths, that means 300 lights.

But having fewer light points needn’t mean a mask is ineffective. In fact, says Tracy May-Harriot from LED specialists iSmart, as long as a mask is carefully calibrated, it will be able to fully saturate your skin with fewer lights in as little as ten minutes. Conversely, you can actually “overwater the plant,” she says: once your skin is saturated, more light can become counterproductive.”

Additionally, the more separate colours a mask offers, the more diluted each wavelength is, which is another reason why you don’t want to see a crazy seven or so colours.

3. Does it have good coverage and a close fit?

It’s important the lights sit very close and flush to the skin (so not at an angle) to maximise the light penetration. You also want your mask to cover the full face (forehead, sides of the nose and even around an under the chin), with the LED strategically placed to hit every surface evenly.

4. Does it have the right intensity?

Your mask needs enough power (wattage) to work, but this power needs to be optimised rather than turned up to the max (too much power too quickly can generate heat, which will have adverse effects). A decent hack for knowing whether this is the case is to see if the manufacturer declares the mask’s mW/cm² (milliwatts per centimetre squared) ‘irradiance’ or intensity value. Not many disclose this detail but if they do, it’s a good sign. The effective and safe optimal value sits between 30 and 50 mW/cm².

5. Does the device itself have clinical proof?

The quality and stability of the bulbs is extremely important – if your brand references light point quality and testing, that’s a good thing. As is referencing clinical evidence that the device itself delivers a carefully calibrated optimal dose of light (as opposed to evidence for LED technology in general, which is what many brands rely on).

6. Is it FDA-cleared?

If your device is FDA-cleared, it means it has been passed as safe and that its clinical proof, (as submitted to the US authorities) has been accepted. Watch out: ‘FDA-approved’ just means it’s safe!

This sounds great, but often this label is ‘massaged’. Many brands will get clearance for a cosmetic claim like ‘helps reduce wrinkles over time’, then market that clearance as if it applies to the full spectrum of medical LED applications, from acne to pain. In most cases you won’t know the detail unless you study the papers submitted to the authorities (and who does that?). But it means ‘FDA clearance’ can mean less than you bargained for, which is frustrating in the case of very expensive masks.

To ensure your device is safety-cleared by UK authorities, make sure you spot a UKCA mark.

7. Does it treat medical skin conditions?

Currently no LED masks are UK-cleared to treat medical skin conditions (eczema, acne, pain, muscle and joint conditions); only The Dermalux Flex MD (see below for review), Celluma MD panels and some Omnilux MD devices, which are used in-clinic but available to buy for at-home use. Most people are interested in what LED can do for their complexion; however, and plenty of masks have clearance for cosmetic use. It means they will have a beneficial effect on signs of ageing, radiance and spotty breakouts.

8. Is it made by iSmart?

One reliable shortcut is to see whether a mask is manufactured by British therapeutic LED specialists of 20 years iSmart: it’s a guarantee the device’s technology and claims are proven. You don’t often see their name mentioned on the packaging, but we can tell you that masks by Omnilux, Facelite, The Light Salon, Beauty Pie, Déesse Pro, MZ Skin and Dr Sabrina all come from this company’s labs.

9. Is LED light safe for me?

While all LED wavelengths and combos are generally very safe and are used widely to calm inflammation and brighten skin, they may sometimes do the opposite.

“If you have an active pigment disorder like PIH or melasma, or inflamed or very reactive skin like serious cases of eczema, rosacea, studies show using a mask might trigger or worsen it.” says Dr Shotter. This is thought to be due to the (gentle) heat the lights emit, and to blue light sitting relatively close to the UV spectrum.

Those with dark or Asian skin can be particularly susceptible to hyperpigmentation issues when using LED, she adds. Those on certain meds like isotretinoin, or suffering conditions such as lupus, may also experience adverse effects from LED masks.  Not every brand discloses this, so it’s best to consult with a medical pro. And whatever you do, don’t use your device more often or longer than recommended to avoid adverse outcomes.

10. Am I going to use it enough to get results?

Consistency of use is key here. So make sure you can stick to your mask’s specific guidelines. Most recommend 10 minutes every 3-5 days

Ready to buy? 8 LED masks we rate