Blog
From lifted cheekbones to glowing skin – these are the skincare tools that really deliver
Skincare tools have revolutionised every aspect of our regimes, and there’s now a clever device to aid almost any concern. Most of us already have a tech line-up for our hair – from high-speed hairdryers and rotating hot brushes to damage-limiting straighteners – and this year it’s the skin arena’s turn for a tech upgrade. Now, a host of clinic-born technologies are entering our homes, from microcurrent to radiofrequency, and even the world’s first low-level laser therapy device.
Skincare tools, the Bazaar top five
While a face serum or cream can work wonders on surface brightness and glow, a good skincare device can go deeper, bringing about results that bridge the gap between topicals and tweakments, all from the comfort of your own home. Personally, I’m beholden to my Lyma Laser for reversing the aesthetic toll of early motherhood, while Bazaar’s beauty director Amelia Bell relies on her Ziip Halo 2.0 microcurrent device for sculpting and creating contours. Beauty writer Katie Withington looks forward to using her facial steamer after a long day. And the one to unite us all? A good LED face mask is a prerequisite in any beauty expert’s stash: and happily, this particular category has undergone rapid development in the past year, and options abound.
What type of skincare tool should I buy?
Of course, when you’re investing in a piece of skincare tech, it’s important to ensure it’s the right choice for you and your specific skin concerns. The world of beauty devices can be heavy with jargon, so we’ve broken down exactly what to consider for the most common skin concerns, below.
- For acne. If breakouts are your key concern, you want a beauty device that’ll kill the p.acnes bacteria that leads to spots. An LED mask with blue light (many only offer red light, so be sure to read the details) is your best acne ally. Bolster the results with a gentle cleanser and salicylic acid or retinol treatment.
- For lifting and contouring. For those looking to sharpen their facial contours, microcurrent is the technology to know. These smart devices use electrical current to lift and tone the muscle beneath your skin, and the effects are both instant (great for pre-party) and cumulative.
- For tightening. To prompt the production of collagen within the skin’s matrix, radiofrequency is your best option. These tools heat the skin to the optimal temperature for collagen production, leading to firmer skin with consistent use.
- For brightening. Like acne, LED is your best bet for breaking up pigmentation at home, although for stubborn patches a clinic trip will be useful. At home, however, use one of the next generation of LED masks with a green wavelength, which research suggests can inhibit melanin production.
- For deep cleansing. Here, a good old facial steamer is best, working to soften the oil and debris that can collect within pores, allowing your cleanser to do its best work.
From the microcurrent tool that sculpts cheekbones to slick steamers for deeply cleansed pores, these are the beauty devices we’ve tested and crowned worthy of a place in your routine.
The best skincare tools of 2026
The best laser skincare tool
Ideal for: fading lines, rejuvenating skin
- Best for: skin laxity, pigmentation, acne
- Effort involved: minimal
- Results: instant and cumulative
The Lyma Laser is often mistaken for a high-powered LED device, but the secret to its skin-rejuvenating powers actually lies in LLLT (that’s low-level laser therapy) rather than traditional light therapy.
The only laser device on the market for at-home use, it features a central cold laser that penetrates past the skin barrier to switch the cells’ rejuvenating processes on, leading to better collagen production, faster skin recovery, and even the treatment of issues such as acne scars, pigmentation and (to a limited degree) rosacea.
The kit comes with the slick and weighty laser alongside the efficacy-boosting oxygen mist and priming serum, which bring a pampering element to the treatment. For the truly devoted, there’s now the high-strength Lyma Pro to invest in, and the two-strong Lyma Skincare system (which is again, outrageously priced, but I can attest it’s astonishingly good).
See my in-depth Lyma Laser review here.
The best LED skincare tools
Ideal for: brightening and healing
Dermalux Flex MD
- Best for: acne, dullness
- Effort involved: moderate
- Results: instant and cumulative
- Treatment time: 30 minutes
- Wavelengths: three
- LED colours: red, blue, near-infrared
Dermalux is the name to know in the light-therapy realm – they’re the brand your facialist likely uses – and the Flex is the gold standard in at-home LED devices.
Yes, it comes with a price tag to match, but this flexible canopy boasts serious strength, with 360 lights at precisely honed wavelengths that cover the entirely of your face and neck, emitting either red, blue or infrared light (or a combination of all three).
The pre-set treatments take 20 minutes, during which you’ll need to be lying down, goggles on, which will either be a deal maker or breaker for you (I’m firmly the former). Of course, it’s neither as portable nor as practical as a wearable LED mask, but the power is unrivalled. For those with a little time to spare (and a spare shelf in their cupboard), it’s a stellar investment.
See my in-depth Dermalux Flex LED review here.
Foreo FAQ 202
- Best for: acne, dullness
- Effort involved: minimal
- Treatment time: 5-15 minutes
- Results: instant and cumulative
- Wavelengths: 8
- Light colours: red, blue, green, orange, yellow, cyan, purple, near-infrared,
The LED mask market has boomed in recent years, with stronger, sleeker models coming to the fore. One that stands at the front of the innovation is FAQ’s 202 Mask, which is lighter and more comfortable than most, and also boasts an impressive array of treatment options.
Impressively, this one emits eight different wavelengths through 600 light points, including the classic red, blue and near-infrared, and an intriguing green setting that research suggests can brighten hyperpigmentation.
Currentbody Skin LED Multi Light Therapy Mask
Best for: acne, dullness, pigmentation, fine lines
Effort involved: minimal
Results: in 4 weeks
Treatment time: 10 minutes
Wavelengths: 6
LED colours: red, blue, green, yellow, near-infrared, deep near-infrared
British brand Currentbody is a leader in the skincare tool industry, and its latest LED mask is really worth considering. With 6 ultra-precise (and clinically proven) wavelengths and 5 pre-set modes – from anti-ageing to acne-clearing – it’s one of the most advanced and targetted models on the market, allowing you to tailor your treatment to your skin’s current needs.
But don’t just take our word for it: Veritace is the brand’s own quality-control system, used to forensically test every element of each LED mask, ensuring utmost accuracy.
Foreo Espada 2
- Best for: acne and breakouts
- Effort involved: minimal
- Treatment time: from 4 minutes per area
- Results: cumulative
- Wavelengths: 1
- LED colour: blue
To stop acne at the source, blue light can really help: the right, presice wavelengths help to kill the p.acnes bacteria that feed a burgeoning breakout. For success, however, consistency is key, which it why we love the Foreo Espada. This torch-style device simply needs to be held over a breakout after cleansing in order to do its best work. (I keep mine by the sofa to ensure I don’t forget.)
The best microcurrent skincare tools
Ideal for: lifting and sculpting
Ziip Halo 2.0
- Best for: tightening, sculpting
- Effort involved: moderate
- Treatment time: 4-15 minutes
- Results: instant, but temporary
The Ziip Halo is an app-controlled device that uses differing levels of electric current – both microcurrent and the lesser-used nanocurrent – to stimulate the muscles beneath the skin and encourage collagen production closer to the surface.
It must be used with a conductive gel to direct the current effectively: the brand makes several options, each souped up with skincare ingredients, but you can also use any simple alternative. I love the four minute ‘Lift’ ritual, which has both instant and long-lasting smoothing and tightening effects.
See Beauty Editor Medina Azaldin’s in-depth Ziip Halo review here.
NuFace Trinity+® Starter Kit
- Best for: sculpting, lifting
- Effort involved: moderate
- Treatment time: 5 minutes
- Results: instant but temporary
- Modes: three
Using a very low level of electrical stimulus and a conductive gel, this toning tool employs microcurrent to stimulate, strengthen and lift the face. The device works on the muscles (rather than just the skin) to define your facial contours and tackle fine lines. Start with the daily five-minute programme to lift the brow or contour cheeks within weeks.
See everything you need to know about microcurrent facials here.
The best radiofrequency tools
Ideal for: tightening and firming
Déesee Pro Sculpta
- Best for: tightening, sculpting
- Effort involved: moderate
- Results: instant and cumulative
- Treatment time: 25 minutes
The Déesse Pro Sculpta is one for those who like to jump straight in at the deep end. Pulling no punches in the effectivity stakes, this multifunctional tool combines EMS (like microcurrent, only deeper) and LED with radiofrequency: a protocol relatively new to the at-home market.
The dual probes at one end deliver the EMS stimulation, working to grab the muscles round the eyes, cheeks and jaw to lift and tone them, while the opposite end administers hot radiofrequency that tightens the skin’s collagen matrix.
Whichever function you choose, know that this device pulls no punches: the EMS is strong (to me, it was alarmingly so) and the radiofrequency does feel akin to that you’d receive in a clinic. Don’t buy this one for the light therapy (there are much better devices for that) it’s these two advanced, strikingly effective, settings that seal the deal.
CurrentBody Skin RF Radio Frequency Skin Tightening Device
- Best for: tightening
- Effort involved: moderate
- Results: instant and cumulative
- Treatment time: 8 minutes weekly
For the firming benefits of a radiofrequency facial at home, this handheld device heats the skin to 43 degrees, which studies have found to be the optimal temperature for collagen production. There’s no pain, redness or downtime involved, and the results are satisfyingly swift: expect toned and taught skin, with an improvement in skin texture over time, too.
See everything you need to know about radiofrequency facials here.
The best multi-use skincare tools
Ideal for: multiple benefits
Therabody Theraface Pro
- Best for: massaging, lifting, sculpting, depuffing
- Effort involved: minimal
- Treatment time: 5-10 minutes
- Results: instant
Bypassing any endorsement deals, numerous A-listers count the Theraface Pro as a must-have in their personal regimes (the likes of Karlie Kloss, Maude Apatow and Sydney Sweeney have all told us how they use theirs). Why? The world’s first muscle-therapy device for the face offers so much more than tension-melting appeal; it also improves muscle tone and contour with its microcurrent attachment, and increases glow with its red LED wavelength. An excellent all-rounder you can use while sat on the sofa.
See everything you need to know about the Therabody Theraface Pro here.
Medicube Age-R Booster Pro
- Best for: acne, lifting, tightening
- Effort involved: minimal
- Results: instant and cumulative
- Treatment time: 5 minutes per mode
Social media has been in a frenzy over this Hailey Bieber-approved skin device, but cutting through the noise, what does it actually do?
In short, it’s a 6-in-1 skincare device hailing from South Korea, which already starts it off in good stead. It targets almost every conceivable skin concern with the use of microcurrent technology, EMS and electroporation alongside five wavelengths of LED, making it one of the most comprehensive skincare gadgets on the market (despite sitting at an impressive mid-tier price point).
See ecommerce writer Clare Stephenson’s in-depth review here.
The best deep-cleansing skincare tools
Ideal for: preventing breakouts, a facial at home
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Pro Hydro-Mist Steamer
- Best for: deep cleansing
- Effort involved: minimal
- Treatment time: 10 minutes
- Results: instant
Not just our go-to for advanced skincare, A-list favourite Sarah Chapman also makes some brilliant beauty gadgets. A slick take on a time-honoured favourite, this facial steamer emits nanoparticles of steam to penetrate the pores, softening the day’s oil and grime so your skincare can really do its best work. Proof that devices don’t have to be a labour of love, this is one you’ll really look forward to switching on at the end of a long day.
How we test skincare tools
The Bazaar beauty team are a very particular bunch and have a discerning eye when it comes to tech that really stands up to scrutiny. Everything we recommend will have been tested for at-least a month in order for us to truly assess the results. What’s more, we’ve consulted with facialists, dermatologists and skin experts to help us whittle down the products really worth investing in.
