The 20 Best Skincare Tools and Devices of 2023, Tested & Reviewed

Jun 21, 2023

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The techy upgrades your at-home beauty routine deserves.

Hands down, my favorite thing about professional facials is all the techy gadgets and devices, like LED light therapy, microcurrent wands, and pore vacuums, that the aestheticians use on my face during a treatment. So back in 2020, when the pandemic arrived and it was no longer safe to hit up the spa IRL, I immediately immersed myself in the world of DIY facial tools to try to replicate at home what I loved so much about the pro facial experience. And considering the recent massive growth and innovation by beauty brands in the skincare tools category, I’m guessing you all did the same.

But here’s the thing about these devices: They’re expensive (often double or triple the price of regular skincare products) and there’s an overwhelming amount of options to choose from—some are total standouts and others aren't worth your cash. So to save you from an unnecessary game of trial and error, I researched, tested, and reviewed tons of new and old skincare tools and devices to create this list of the 20 best options for you. Learn about these picks and shop all my favorites, below.

Think of these as your investment pieces. They’re all expensive, yes, but each device serves multiple purposes, uses multiple technologies, and produces multiple benefits for a true all-in-one experience. So if you’re not sure where to start on your tools journey—or you want a jack-of-all-trades device that you can use on days when you’re breaking out, feeling puffy, or looking dull, these four options should be on your radar.

The perfect starter option for anyone who is curious about devices but doesn’t know where to begin. Depending on the setting and attachments you use, the TheraFace delivers microcurrent, LED light treatment, facial massage, and hot and cold therapies.

Meet NuFace’s Trinity+, the OG microcurrent device’s most recent upgrade. Sync it with the NuFace app to unlock a bunch of different treatments designed to blur fine lines, lift and firm skin, and contour your features.

This viral four-in-one wand is totally deserving of the TikTok fame. Just glide it across your face to experience the glow-boosting benefits of microcurrent, LED red light, gentle warmth, and facial massage.

Finally, an at-home laser that offers comparable results to the clinical ones offered in derm offices and medspas. Lyma is painless, safe for all skin tones, and proven to soften lines, improve skin tone and texture, and boost skin elasticity with 12 weeks of consistent use.

Let your skin quite literally chill out with one of these cryotherapy-inspired masks, wands, or rollers. They harness the anti-inflammatory power of icy cold to soothe stressed-out skin, reduce puffiness, tighten up your pores, and increase blood flow for a healthy glow. And while there’s no such thing as a “quick fix” in the skincare world, cryo tools are generally fast-acting, so you can expect instant (albeit temporary) results from using one in your routine.

This dual-ended cryo wand does all the things. To activate, dip it in cold water for 10 seconds and then press the tiny bead end on a breakout as a cooling spot treatment or glide it around your eye area to de-puff and brighten. Then flip the tool over and use the flat side to lift and sculpt your cheekbones or melt away tension in your jaw area.

This stainless steel massage “stone” is the only thing that gets me through allergy season. It’s clutch for relieving facial tension and sinus pressure, and when you glide it on skin in upward and outward motions, it’s really great at making your face look more lifted and wide-awake too. Just be sure to store it in the fridge when you’re not using it for best results.

Most ice rollers can be kinda clunky and hard to maneuver, but this one from StackedSkincare is honestly the exact opposite. The egg-shaped roller and ergonomic handle make it super easy to massage, sculpt, and de-puff your eye area, jawline, cheekbones, and more.

There’s no better hangover cure than this mask and a bacon, egg, and cheese—trust me. Just pop the mask over clean skin and let the acupressure points and cryo technology provide instant tension relief and help reduce any alcohol-induced inflammation, puffiness, and blotchiness from the night before.

Dermatologists and facialists love LED masks and wands for their calming, clearing, and skin-regenerating properties. Most LED devices (like the four top-rated picks below) use red light, blue light, or a combo of the two to work their magic. Red light is known to reduce inflammation and boost collagen production, while blue light is praised for anti-acne benefits.

Celeb facialist Shani Darden is the mastermind behind this LED light face and neck mask. It has three 10-minute treatment modes (one for fine lines, one for acne, and another for hyperpigmentation) and is by far the most comfortable full-face LED mask I’ve worn.

Three minutes a day. That’s all the time this red-light-powered mask needs to make lip lines look smoother, your lip color more pronounced, and the shape of your lips a bit more plump and perky. Consistency—specifically eight weeks of daily use—is key for visible results with this one.

The eye area is the first part of your face to show signs of aging and fatigue, like crow’s-feet, crepey texture, puffiness, and dark circles. Luckily, this targeted mask (it’s an upgraded version of the eye mask Dr. Gross launched a few years ago) with amber, red, and IR wavelengths helps target it all.

If you’re interested in using LED specifically to treat acne, this is the choice for you. The flexible mask uses a combo of red and blue lights to heal existing pimples (based on experience, it works best when used at the first sign of a breakout) and minimize acne scarring.

Whiteheads, blackheads, angry cysts…they’re all more manageable when you have one (or more) of these tools in your kit. Each is designed to deep-clean skin, unclog pores, eliminate acne-causing bacteria, and help minimize inflammation—all musts for clearer, brighter, happier skin.

Think of this as the at-home version of a Hydrafacial. It gently sucks buildup and debris from pores (see ya, blackheads) and infuses skin with clarifying salicylic acid and hydrating hyaluronic acid—plus it emits blue LED light to kill acne-causing bacteria.

Stop squeezing your blackheads (srsly, you’re only doing your skin more harm than good) and try gently extracting them with this spatula instead. It uses sonic vibrations to loosen and remove the excess oil and buildup that gets stuck in pores—all without causing pain, irritation, or redness.

The closest thing to a magic eraser for pimples, this wand uses high-frequency currents to zap zits and prevent tiny spots from turning into massive cysts. High frequency is said to oxygenate the skin and in turn kill acne-causing bacteria and reduce inflammation—two main causes of breakouts.

Washing your face with your fingers can only get you so far, but this silicone cleansing brush takes things to another level. It removes makeup and dislodges the gunk and dead skin cells that get stuck in pores—plus, it provides a nice massage to relieve facial tension. The purple version shown here is for sensitive skin, but there are options for combo and oily skin as well.

Fading dark spots, lightening up melasma, minimizing the appearance of large pores, and softening fine lines are no easy feats for topical skincare alone. That’s why these four tools—all intended to improve skin tone and texture by inhibiting excess melanin production, boosting collagen, and/or sloughing off dead skin cells—are necessary add-ons if you *really* want to see results.

Your skin barrier is designed to keep things out, so there’s a good chance that whatever brightening serums you’re layering on aren’t really penetrating your skin, making them not so effective at fading hyperpigmentation. Droplette is changing that by turning its tranexamic acid serum into teeny-tiny droplets that are infused into the skin via a super-fine mist for optimal spot-fading results.

Georgia Louise’s Ionic Wand helps max out vitamin C’s glow-boosting powers (it’s the primary ingredient in the accompanying serum ampoules) to fade discoloration like acne marks and sun spots. The wand emits galvanic current that pushes the serum deep into your skin and also provides a tightening and de-puffing effect by increasing circulation.

Professional microneedling is fantastic at jump-starting collagen and elastin production (two proteins responsible for skin firmness and smoothness) and improving skin texture, but it’s pricey and a bit of a commitment (think three or more sessions at $300+ a pop). FaceGym’s at-home system—complete with an electric microneedling device, ultra-fine treatment tips, and booster serums—is truly an excellent alt.

Chemical peels and exfoliating acids seem to get all the praise these days, but let’s not forget about microdermabrasion, okay? It’s a tried-and-true form of exfoliating, and the PMD offers comparable results to in-office treatments that derms and aestheticians have been offering for years. The combo of spinning disk and suction technology is basically your dead skin cells’ worst enemy.

Lauren Balsamo is deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for nine years at Cosmopolitan and has contributed to Women’s Health and Seventeen magazines as well. Follow her on Instagram.

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