Red light devices promise a lot—but do they deliver? Wirecutter supervising editor Rory Evans demystifies the science behind them, shares her top picks, and explains who might want to think twice before trying one.

Correction: In this episode, we misstated that the irradiance, or power over an area, of red light devices is measured in megawatts per square centimeters. It is measured in milliwatts, not megawatts.

Products we recommend:

• Best red light wand: LightStim for Wrinkles
• Best flexible red light mask: Omnilux Men
• Best rigid red light mask: Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask

Additional reading:

• The Solawave Wand Costs Half the Price of Other Red-Light Tools. But We Didn’t Love It. 
• The Best Red-Light Device

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

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The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel.Engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman. Episodes are mixed by Catherine Anderson, Efim Shapiro, Rowan Niemisto, Sophia Lanman, and Sonia Herrero. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Diane Wong. Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. Hosted by Rosie Guerin, Caira Blackwell and Christine Cyr Clisset.

Find edited transcripts for each episode here: The Wirecutter Show Podcast

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