Dermalux LED Face Mask or Shark CryoGlow?
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Written by Mel van Wellen, Aesthetic Nurse, NMC 13E2603E. Last updated 28th August 2026.
The Shark CryoGlow uses blue light and the Dermalux LED Face Mask does not, and that single difference settles most of this comparison. If active breakouts are your main concern, the Shark is the better device of the two and you should buy it. If you are treating fine lines, loss of firmness, redness or general skin quality, the Dermalux is built for that: it runs 633nm red, 830nm near-infrared and 1072nm deep near-infrared at a published 36 mW/cm², which is a measure of how much light power reaches your skin. This article sets out what each mask is designed to do, what the price difference buys you, where each one wins, and how to choose between them. We treat patients with Dermalux LED phototherapy at The London Road Clinic in Newark, and this shop sells the Dermalux LED Face Mask, so read this knowing that.
Dermalux LED Face Mask or Shark CryoGlow?
Pick by the concern you are treating.
Buy the Shark CryoGlow if breakouts are the problem. It has a dedicated Blemish Repair mode built around blue light, and Shark publishes a four week study of 60 people showing a 21% improvement in blemishes with daily use. The Dermalux mask carries no blue light at all, so it has nothing to offer a blemish-prone skin and we would not sell it to you for that.
Buy the Dermalux LED Face Mask if you are treating lines, firmness, redness or dullness. Its three wavelengths were chosen for those concerns, and the deepest of them, 1072nm, is not something the Shark offers.
Both are home masks. Both come with eye protection, both carry a two year warranty, and both are used daily for under ten minutes. Neither one is the better mask in the abstract. They are built for different faces.
| Dermalux LED Face Mask | Shark CryoGlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Fine lines, firmness, redness, skin quality | Blemishes, fine lines, under-eye puffiness |
| Light used | Red and near-infrared. No blue | Red, blue and infrared |
| Session | One 10 minute treatment, daily | 4 to 8 minutes depending on mode |
| Modes | One | Four, including under-eye cooling |
| Under-eye cooling | No | Yes, 5 to 15 minutes |
| Eye protection | Integrated moulded eye guards | Silicone eye shields |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
Dermalux figures read from dermalux.com on 28th August 2026. Shark figures read from the FW312UK product page on sharkninja.co.uk on the same day.
The blue light difference, and what it is for
Blue light is the wavelength used for blemish-prone skin. It works at the surface, on the bacteria involved in breakouts, and it is the reason the Shark has a mode aimed at blemishes and the Dermalux does not.
Red light goes deeper and is the wavelength associated with firmness, tone and the appearance of fine lines. Near-infrared goes deeper still and is used for redness, soothing and recovery. The Dermalux LED Face Mask runs three of these and no blue: 633nm red, 830nm near-infrared and 1072nm deep near-infrared. Shark describes its own iQLED system as providing red, blue and deep infrared light, developed with dermatologists.
We use blue light in the clinic. The Dermalux Tri-Wave system in our treatment room in Newark runs 415nm blue alongside red and near-infrared, and blue is part of how we treat blemish-prone skin here. Blue light does a job worth having. The Dermalux home mask is not the device that does it. We have written separately on how the home mask compares with the LED we treat with in clinic.
Shark publishes its wavelengths as "red", "blue" and "infrared" rather than in nanometres, and publishes no figure for the light power reaching the skin. Dermalux publishes all of it. A line-by-line technical comparison is therefore impossible, so what follows compares what each device is designed to do and what each manufacturer has tested it for.
What the extra money buys you
The Dermalux is the more expensive of the two. Both product pages carry current prices and both of them move, so check those rather than any figure in an article. Three things account for the difference.
A third wavelength. 1072nm deep near-infrared sits alongside the red and the near-infrared. It is the longest of the three and reaches the deeper tissue where the visible signs of ageing sit. Shark's range covers red, blue and infrared with no deep near-infrared equivalent.
Published numbers you can check. Dermalux states 36 mW/cm² of light power at the skin at 10mm, and a treatment dose of 21.6 J/cm² at the same distance, across 144 LEDs and 318 LED chips. Anyone can read those on the product page and hold the company to them.
The clinic lineage. Dermalux is a British manufacturer that builds the professional LED phototherapy systems clinics treat on, including the one we use at The London Road Clinic in Nottinghamshire. The home mask is a smaller device with a fixed protocol rather than a professional system, and Dermalux does not claim otherwise. Their own wording is that it "is designed to the same high engineering and safety standards that define our professional LED Phototherapy devices".
Where the Shark wins
Breakouts. Its Blemish Repair mode runs an automated three phase routine, blue and infrared then red, over eight minutes. Shark's own four week study with 60 subjects using it once a day reports a 21% improvement in blemishes. If that is the problem you are solving, the Shark is the appropriate device and the Dermalux is not.
Price. The Shark sits below the Dermalux, and for a first LED mask that matters.
Under-eye cooling. Clip-on chill pads with three levels, used on their own for five to fifteen minutes or alongside any of the light routines. Nothing in the Dermalux range does this, and for morning puffiness it does a job.
Shorter sessions, and more of them. Six minutes for Better Ageing, eight for Blemish Repair, four for Skin Sustain. If you like changing what you are doing week to week, the Shark gives you the choice.
Where the Dermalux wins
Ageing skin, redness and skin quality. Three wavelengths selected for those concerns, with 1072nm reaching deepest. That is what the mask was built to do.
Transparency. Power at the skin, treatment dose, LED count and chip count are all published. You can see what you are buying before you buy it.
Eye protection built in. Moulded eye guards are part of the mask rather than a separate shield you have to remember to fit. Eyes are the one caution worth taking seriously with any LED mask.
One routine, no decisions. Ten minutes a day, every day. The result comes from doing it daily for weeks, and a device with a single programme is easier to keep up than one with four.
The company behind it. Dermalux's business is professional phototherapy systems for clinics, and we treat patients on their equipment in Newark.
Buy the Dermalux LED Face Mask 633nm, 830nm and 1072nm, a ten minute daily treatment, integrated moulded eye guards and a two year warranty. Sold by the retail shop of The London Road Clinic, where our practitioners treat on Dermalux.
Still not sure which one you need?
Most people who ask us this already know the answer and want it confirmed. If your skin breaks out, buy the Shark. If your concern is lines, laxity, redness or a dull, tired look, buy the Dermalux.
If you have both at once, which is common in your thirties and forties, treat the breakouts first and come back to skin quality afterwards. If you are near Newark and want someone to look at your skin before you spend anything, book an appointment at the clinic. If you are further afield, any experienced aesthetic practitioner can do the same for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Shark CryoGlow or the Dermalux LED Face Mask better? Neither, in the abstract. The Shark is better for blemish-prone skin because it uses blue light and the Dermalux does not. The Dermalux is built for fine lines, firmness, redness and skin quality, with 633nm, 830nm and 1072nm.
Does the Dermalux LED Face Mask have blue light? No. It runs 633nm red, 830nm near-infrared and 1072nm deep near-infrared. Some sources state that it carries blue, and they are wrong. Dermalux's own specification lists three wavelengths and none of them are blue.
Can I use the Dermalux LED Face Mask for acne? It is not designed for it and we would not recommend it for that. Acne is worth an assessment rather than a purchase, because it has treatments with far stronger evidence behind them than any home LED mask.
Which mask has the stronger light? There is no way to answer that from what the two companies publish. Dermalux states 36 mW/cm² at 10mm. Shark states no comparable figure, so there is nothing to set it against.
Do both masks come with eye protection? Yes. The Dermalux has moulded eye guards built into the mask. The Shark supplies silicone eye shields. Use whichever your device provides, every time, and keep your eyes closed throughout.
How long until I see anything? Weeks rather than days, with either device. Shark reports improved blemishes at four weeks and reduced fine lines at eight, from its own studies. Dermalux specifies one ten minute treatment every day and does not put a date on it. Using it daily does more for your result than the choice between these two devices.
Can I use an LED mask alongside treatments in clinic? Usually yes, and the timing is set by whoever treated you rather than by the mask's manual. Ask them before your next session.
Do I need the under-eye cooling? Only if under-eye puffiness is something you deal with. It is a genuine point of difference for the Shark, and it has nothing to do with the light therapy either mask provides.
Written by Mel van Wellen, Aesthetic Nurse, NMC 13E2603E, The London Road Clinic, Newark, Nottinghamshire. Shark figures were read on 28th August 2026 from the Shark CryoGlow product page, model FW312UK, on sharkninja.co.uk. Dermalux LED Face Mask specifications were read from dermalux.com on the same day. This article is general information and not a substitute for individual clinical advice. The London Road Clinic is a stockist of the Dermalux LED Face Mask and is not connected with SharkNinja.