In the world of TikTok-viral, at-home red light masks… which brand delivers results worth pursuing? I decided to find out.
A gal can only take so much exposure before she gets curious… what is the deal with these futuristic-looking devices?
Red light therapy has grabbed the attention of celeb makeup artists, aestheticians, and laypeople like myself for its ability to boost the radiance of skin, minimize the appearance of blemishes, and smooth fine lines. All appealing effects–but which of the top brands’ products delivers the most impactful results at the best price?
Reviews, comments, and Reddit pages led me to two top contenders: Solawave’s Wrinkle Retreat Face Mask & LightBoost Topical Kit and the HigherDOSE Red Light Face Mask.
Given their return policies (60 days and 30 days, respectively) I decided to order both, experience the two, and determine which felt right for me (thank me later, fellow skincare addicts).
Availability: HigherDOSE
Truthfully, I planned to test-run these two masks back in November, but when I tried to place an order from Solawave their Wrinkle Retreat Light Therapy Face Mask was sold out and available for preorder only (with the delivery date projected to be weeks out).
I never ran into any inventory problems while perusing the HigherDOSE website, and when I did place an order, it arrived promptly. By the time Solawave’s stock was ready for me, I placed an order without issue, but I couldn’t help but notice how many reviews expressed frustration with unexpected shipping delays and lack of inventory (particularly around the holidays).
While the level of demand likely reflected Solawave’s quality, HigherDOSE won this category for their seamless start-to-finish customer experience.
Best Price: Tied (Unless You Catch One On Sale)
The Solawave kit I bought combined their full-face red light therapy mask with the LightBoost Face & Neck Rich Cream for a total of $405. The HigherDOSE mask costs $349, and while the brand offers a Light-Activated Glow Serum, it’s only available à la carte ($69) or as part of uber-large skincare bundles (we’re talking sets upward of $600).
That meant that to get the equivalent of the full Solawave experience from HigherDOSE, I had to spend $418. This rendered the two masks (plus serums) at roughly the same price, so I called it a draw. That said, I appreciated the convenience of being able to buy both Solawave products at once, in one bundle.
Editor’s Note: At the time of writing, Solawave’s kit is 35% off, so roughly $264 (big savings if you can catch it in stock).
Design & Ease of Use: Solawave
First, I’ll level the playing field with features the masks have in common. Both are made with flexible, medical-grade silicone, contain 66 LED bulbs, and have wired controllers that attach to the masks. Both, too, are reminiscent of horror movie masks with cut-outs for only the essentials (eyes and mouth) to maximize coverage of the face.
The back of the HigherDOSE mask matched the front, in that it was giving hockey-meets-horror vibes. A headache’s worth of straps took me a good 5 minutes to arrange, and once I put the mask on I realized it was essentially one-size-fits-all, in that the velcro straps left very little room for size adjustments. I found that to be a strange design call—certainly all heads and faces are not the same size?
Solawave’s mask comes with a single, thick band already woven through the back of the mask. Unlike that of HigherDOSE, it tightens/loosens with the tug of one tab and is easy to slip on quickly (no assembly required) which I appreciated. The silicone was unexpectedly soft against my skin. It might sound silly, but I felt cuter in the Solawave mask. For these reasons, and the unnecessary complexity of the HigherDOSE mask’s infrastructure, Solawave won this category.
Overall Efficacy: Solawave
Both masks provide 630 nanometers (nm) of red light and 830nm of near-infrared light, which was a comforting thought. Both masks are click-to-start and automatically turn off, but HigherDOSE offers both 10- and 20-minute programs while Solawave only has 10 minutes. I decided to use both in 10-minute sessions for an apples-to-apples comparison.
I tested either mask for 10 days each (roughly 4 applications total) and took a 2-week break in between. During the course of both (admittedly not super scientific) experiments, I noticed my skin feeling brighter and more supple. I have two acne scars that my friends will tell me are “invisible” but have always felt ginormous to me, and during the Solawave stint (which was first) I swear they grew less obvious.
My ever-critical mother, bless her heart, even complimented my skin at the tail-end of my Solawave trial period, and that nearly sealed the deal for me. She’d never asked about my skincare before, but suddenly she was very curious: “Have you been trying something new?!”.
The fact that she noticed a difference substantial enough to comment on spoke volumes to me. Solawave won me over on this one (thanks, mom!).
Teaming Up with Topicals: Solawave
Last but not least, the topical add-ons (and lack thereof). The fact that the HigherDOSE Red Light Face Mask doesn’t come with their Light-Activated Glow Serum felt a little gimmicky to me. Right off the bat, I appreciated Solawave for setting me up with a paired cream to supercharge my results.
The more I looked into Solawave’s LightBoost collection (which my new cream was part of) the more necessary it seemed. The line is formulated to enhance the results of red light therapy in any form, from any brand. So theoretically I could’ve purchased the Solawave cream to pair with the HigherDOSE mask (more on my final decision very shortly). The cream ingredients included barrier-building ceramides, strengthening pro-vitamin D, vegan collagen to lift and firm… you get the gist. I was impressed.
In comparison, the #1 ingredient in the HigherDOSE Light-Activated Glow Serum is aloe leaf juice, followed by glycerin, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid (to name just a few components). This serum can be used with and without the HigherDOSE mask, and is also recommended for re-application post-treatment to “lock in all-day radiance.” That sounded great, but my skin runs oily so I did worry all that aloe may have been too much moisturization for me (had I chosen to partake).
The LightBoost Face & Neck Rich Cream is also meant for everyday use—even when I wasn’t using my mask—but only 1-2 times a day (during my normal skincare regimen and, if applicable, pre-treatment). I felt like I was moving closer and closer to the skin of my dreams and supporting the restorative effects of my red light therapy.
My Solawave kit was a steal: a rechargeable, salon-quality red light therapy device plus a foundational, everyday topical that strengthened my skincare routine as a whole. The natural inclusion of Solawave’s topical and the way the formula meshed with my skin edged Solawave ahead in this category.
At Long Last, My Final Pick Was…
The Wrinkle Retreat Face Mask & LightBoost Topical Kit from Solawave. Maybe you saw this coming. (It was, unexpectedly, a bit of a landslide). Seeing as so many of the technical details between the two masks were neck-and-neck, my evaluation crystallized when I looked at (a) the functionality of the masks and (b) how noticeable my results were. Well, are. These days, I’m using my Wrinkle Retreat Light Therapy Mask (and the paired cream) religiously.
HigherDOSE put up an intense fight, but the Solawave technology (and experience) felt elevated to me in almost every way, and at a lower price (I was lucky to have snagged mine on sale). Their mask also felt more intuitive and sleek to strap on, which made me more inclined to reach for it. I find skincare to be a lot like exercise, in that I strive for enjoyable routines I can see myself repeating without getting bored or fed up to achieve results. And, as you all know now, Solawave’s Wrinkle Retreat Light Therapy Mask is a ritual I won’t be skipping any time soon.