Do Those Friday The 13th-Like LED Face Masks Work? A Doctor Explains

InnovationHealthcareDo Those Friday The 13th-Like LED Face Masks Work? A Doctor ExplainsByJesse Pines,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jesse Pines is an expert in healthcare innovation and wellness.Follow AuthorMay 28, 2026, 12:00pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.A glowing LED face mask promises clinical-grade skin rejuvenation at home. Yet, the evidence behind the technology is more nuanced than the marketing suggests.gettyLast November, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority banned ads from for at home light emitting diode (LED) face masks marketed to consumers. This included the brands Beautaholics, Luyors Retail, Project E Beauty and Silk'n. The reason: their use of unauthorized medical claims in their advertising. The regulator had flagged social media ads across platforms promoting claims to cure conditions like acne and rosacea. Under UK law such claims are reserved for licensed medical devices.At-home LED face masks have surged in popularity partly because of their visual impact: the hockey-mask like, glowing red panels strapped to wearers’ faces that call to mind Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th series are hard to scroll past.LED face mask brands are racing to capture the growth with claims about erasing wrinkles, eliminating acne, and reversing sun damage, all from the comfort of your home. While to date, there has been no equivalent enforcement action in the U.S., the same gap between marketing for the masks and evidence exists. As a physician who has reviewed this literature, I find the technology genuinely interesting. But there is a large gulf between marketing claims for at home LED masks and the results people should expect.Here’s The Biology Behind LED Face MasksLED face masks work through what’s called photobiomodulation (PBM). In PBM, light energy is absorbed by receptors in mitochondria, ak...