Is an LED face mask worth the $400 investment? I tested the Ulike ReGlow so you don’t have to

The Ulike ReGlow LED face mask is a great way for skincare fanatics to boost their skincare routine. As someone who spends a good 20 minutes in the bathroom every morning (and night) applying various toners and creams, an LED face mask was the natural progression for my routine.

I’ve found the ReGlow useful for tackling breakouts and evening out my skin tone. The four light settings make me feel like I can fine-tune the routine depending on my changing skin needs. And I appreciate the 360º mirroring to make sure I’m hitting my whole face.

However, the hard shell design is uncomfortable during long sessions and makes the mask particularly difficult to store. It also becomes warm with extended use. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Ulike ReGlow review.

Ulike ReGlow review: Specs

Ulike ReGlow review: Price & availability

The Ulike ReGlow LED face mask is available for purchase from Amazon U.S. for $399 and from Amazon U.K. for £199. However, U.K. pricing has fluctuated between $159 and $349 over time, so it’s a good idea to look out for this mask during sales events. The official U.K. pricing on the Ulike website is £349.

Like with most at-home beauty treatments, such as IPL machines, an LED face mask is a big investment. There are more expensive ones on the market, too, like the Flikeze PhotonMask Quint LED face mask for $459. The Flikeze has a soft silicone design, so the mask molds to your face. This will be more comfortable for longer sessions, though the hard shell of the Ulike is comfortable enough for short treatment sessions.

Another soft mask currently being tested by the Tom’s Guide team is the Project E Beauty LumaLux Face ($369), which has 800 LEDs. The Ulike ReGlow, on the other hand, only has 272 LED beads. More LEDs mean a more uniform skin coverage and, therefore, better consistency with the treatments. However, the Ulike mask is mirrored to ensure the lights are reflected all over your face, so not all is lost.

One of the most popular masks on the market is the Shark CryoGlow, which is cheaper than the ULike at $349. The Shark mask comes in a range of colors and has built-in under-eye cooling pads to enhance the pampering experience.

Ulike ReGlow review: Design

As you’ll no doubt notice, the Ulike ReGlow is anything but subtle. My neighbors probably had serious concerns if they looked through the window to see my face glowing.

Like the popular Shark CryoGlow, the Ulike ReGlow is a hard mask, so if it doesn’t fit your face, that’s just tough luck. My colleague Erin was using the mask before it was passed on to me, and it wasn’t the right fit for her. However, she’s since tried out the Project E Beauty LumaLux Face, which is a much better fit thanks to its soft silicone design.

While the ReGlow was a good fit for me, after each treatment cycle, it started to feel very tight around my eyes. When doing two sessions back to back, I was left with scuba diving-style marks on my face.

The mask is secured with a padded strap around the back of the head, but unfortunately the mask can’t be slackened once fitted. That's because the inside is mirrored and would direct the light into my eyes — obviously not good. The inside uses 360° mirror technology, so although there are only 272 LEDs (compared to the 800 of other masks like the LumaLux), the light is directed all over your face. This aims to provide a more even coverage of light.

Storage of the mask is tricky. Since the mask is hard, you essentially have to find somewhere to store a head. I found this to be harder than I thought. It doesn’t fit into drawers, so it just sits in the corner of my room watching me sleep… creepy.

Controls

The mask is powered by the control pack, which plugs into the chin via USB-C. You hold the large button to turn the mask on and then press the arrow to cycle through the settings. This is very easy, and you get a small light by each setting to indicate which option is being used.

The different settings emit specific frequencies of light to penetrate skin layers, stimulate cells, and promote collagen production. There are four settings on the mask, and their functions are as follows:

Ulike ReGlow review: Performance

I tried out all the settings on the Ulike ReGlow mask to see what works for my skin and was impressed with the results. Ulike recommends using the mask three times a week with one to two modes per session, but not exceeding 20 minutes.

I wasn’t expecting the Firm setting to be effective for my skin. At the ripe age of 21, a man pointed at a line on my forehead and asked me how old I was — he was quite the charmer. But that fine line has always been there, even in my elementary school photos. The only explanation is the kind of extreme stress that only comes from holding too much real estate in the sandbox. I didn’t expect the mask to help with this. And as for the rest of my skin, I’m 24 now and pretty comfortable with where I’m at, so I don’t really need the Firm setting.

The Glow mode brightens the skin, although I couldn’t see a huge difference when I implemented this mode into my sessions. I use a lot of brightening products in my skincare routine anyway, so perhaps someone with a more basic skincare routine would see a bigger difference here.

I enjoyed using the Rejuvenate mode as it evened out my complexion the most. However, since this cycle is eight minutes long, I noticed the mask getting a little warm by the end of the treatment session.

My favorite setting on the mask is Clear. I used this to halve the time my breakouts usually last. It works to kill bacteria on the face and reduce redness. The effect was literally immediate.

Overall, I would say that my skin appears to be more even after consistently using the mask, and using it for breakouts has become a complete game changer as someone who suffers from stress acne, weather changes, and hormonal fluctuations.

Ulike ReGlow review: Battery life

Ulike doesn’t specify any battery life information available for the ReGlow, but from my testing, I got around 20 sessions before needing to charge up again. These sessions varied in length between five and eight minutes, and I used the mask three times a week — meaning over 6 weeks of use.

The controller for the mask acts as a portable battery pack, so you’re not recharging the mask itself but the controller. The controller fully charges via a USB-C-to-USB-A cable in around three hours.

Ulike ReGlow review: Verdict

The Ulike ReGlow has been a calming addition to my skincare routine. While it’s an investment at almost $399, I’ve found it to be a useful tool in the arsenal when battling breakouts and great for evening out my skin's complexion. There’s a good selection of settings to deal with different skin worries, and the 360º mirroring technology was very effective at ensuring the light was hitting all of my skin.

However, unless you have a flatter face shape, the hard shell design limits comfort, and the goggle section can leave marks. The mask is tricky to store because of the hard shell. I also noticed that after two sessions the mask became warm, although you’re not advised to use it for longer than 20 minutes.

Overall, this is a decent way to super-boost your existing skincare routine… as long as you have the right face shape and space to store it.