This Mask Mimics the Effects of an Expensive Cryotherapy Facial, so I Tried It

Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.

The majority of our Deep Reviews will feature our editors' honest, ultra-hot takes on entire product categories or multiple products from a particular beauty brand, but every so often, we'll sprinkle in a special single-product format called Honestly, I Love It. As the name suggests, these reviews will hone in on one standout beauty formula our editors quite literally can't shut up about. This time around, I'm highlighting the new Clarins Cryo-Flash Cream-Mask ($80), an at-home facial treatment that mimics the effects of a cryotherapy facial.

'Tis a rare day that I'd ever refuse a luxurious facial treatment. Whether that's in-office with a skilled esthetician or in the comfort of my own home, I'll do (almost) any treatment that gives my skin the ultimate glazed-donut look. Once, I even had the privilege of getting a facial with master celebrity esthetician Sarah Akram. At the time, I'd been dealing with some aggressive skin-barrier damage and stubborn acne along my jawline and cheeks. I honestly never thought my skin would ever heal, but Akram was quick to set me straight. She decided to incorporate a treatment called cryotherapy into my facial, which, at the time, I hadn't experienced before or heard of, but she broke it down for me. Cryotherapy involves blowing controlled, freezing air onto the face and helps with things like inflammation, brightening, firming, and lifting the skin.

Naturally, when I heard Clarins would be releasing a leave-on mask that mimics the effects of this therapy, I jumped at the chance to give it a shot. I'll admit that I was mostly intrigued because you can do this mask in the comfort of your own home without coughing up the extra dollars to see a facialist for an expensive treatment. The ingredient list also sounded promising. With a molecule called MGA (a cooling menthol derivative) and line-reducing evening primrose oil, the mask nourishes and cools the skin while also giving it an instant lift. 

Below, I'll be breaking down my experience with the mask, the results it offered, and more about cryotherapy from Akram herself. Keep reading—good stuff ahead!

To tell you a bit about my skin, it's sensitive and acne prone and can react badly to certain products if I'm not careful. It also gets dehydrated easily these days, so maintaining optimal moisture levels is key. Luckily, this mask doesn't contain any acne-triggering ingredients and doesn't feel overly thick when you apply it. I popped mine in the fridge before trying it so it would be extra cold. I do have to warn you, though—even without putting it in the fridge, the mask is really cold when you apply it, so proceed with caution. I left the mask on for 10 minutes and rinsed it off. It is a bit hard to wash off, and you may need a washcloth to fully get it all, but the cooling sensation lingers a bit afterward and makes you feel like you're at a spa.

You can't see a huge difference in the above photos, but I can tell you there were differences in the way my skin felt. It felt tighter around my jawline, and my skin felt more hydrated overall. In addition to lifting and firming the skin, the mask helps reinforce the skin's natural barrier, something I definitely need since I've been dealing with skin-barrier damage for a while that hasn't been easy to repair. I also noticed that it reduced the redness that came along with said barrier damage. I think the more I use this mask the better results I'll see.

Clarins PR manager Lucas Pétry filled us in on the inspiration behind this product. "When visionary Jacques Courtin-Clarins created Clarins in 1954, he already recognized the major effectiveness of cold in the prevention of signs of aging and recommended using it daily in the form of a spray of cold water on the face and body to help shape and firm tissues," he says. 

Now, let's get into the star ingredients of this formula. What makes this formula unique is Cryo-Starter Technology. It's a proprietary blend of the molecule MGA (a menthol derivative) and organic evening primrose extract that dramatically cools the skin and delivers an instant and visible lifting effect in just 10 minutes."This pure molecule acts like a thermal starter for the calcium flash on the skin," Pétry says. "Its powerful cooling effect activates the penetration of calcium into cells and helps prevent skin from aging." Fun fact: It took Clarins four years and the testing of 56 different cooling ingredients before the brand decided to go with this specific menthol derivative.

More About Cryotherapy

Since Akram was the first to introduce me to cryotherapy, I asked her to give any curious folks a bit more information about cryotherapy in general. I received one of the best facials I've ever had from Akram, and when she used this modality on my skin, it looked brighter, felt firmer, and glowed for at least a few days after the facial. "Cryotherapy (particularly used in a facial) is controlled, freezing air that is blown on the face for less than two to three minutes that causes vasoconstriction (a narrowing of blood vessels)," she shares. "This, in turn, stimulates the collagen of the skin. The activation and production of collagen contribute to a more lifted, brightened, and toned appearance in the skin. Cryotherapy has become a powerful anti-aging tool in aesthetics for this reason."

Akram loves using a form of cryotherapy after a chemical peel or microdermabrasion treatment since it's perfect for calming, firming, lifting, and brightening the skin. It's also pretty well-tolerated for most skin types, but Akram does have a few notes. "Generally, most skin types can benefit from cryotherapy. With that said, I've seen instances where the extreme cold can trigger outbreaks of rosacea. I always recommend a client consult their licensed skincare professional before getting the service," she says.

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