Skin icing – or facial cryotherapy – is one of the latest skincare trends flooding Instagram Reels and TikTok – and for good reason. Quite apart from the mesmerizing effect of watching celebrities and facialists massage ice globes onto their faces, the action of skin icing tightens and contracts the skin, leaving it sculpted and plump with an outdoorsy glow. A case in point is Irina Shayk, whose morning skincare routine comprises an ice tool by Nicole Caroline to wake up her face: “Trust me, it works!” she says in the IGTV for British Vogue.
The idea of applying ice or using a cryotherapy tool in a professional facial treatment isn’t new but the recent innovation of ice-based tools has meant it’s now easier than ever to give yourself an at-home skin icing treatment, without the unglamorous and frankly annoying downsides of melting ice cubes dripping on to your clothes. Whether you want to de-puff skin or get the blood circulating for a post-walk-in-the-cold glow, skin icing is your ticket to see results. Throw in the immediate lifting effect and the added benefit of lymphatic drainage and it becomes an even more exciting prospect.
Watch any YouTube tutorial and you’ll see before and after shots of icing: skin is glowing, pores are a thing of the past and, most noticeably, the face is lifted. Facialist Teresa Tarmey has been using cryotherapy in her treatments for years because the “ice-lift effect instantly and dramatically lifts saggy and puffy skin, rejuvenating a dull complexion and sculpting the face.” Indeed, icing was proving so popular in her salon that Tarmey created her own cryo-ball so that her clients could continue the treatment at home. “I first intended for it to be used before big events or to save stressed or problematic skin, but it’s so effective, many people use it every morning to de-puff and de-stress skin. The results are seriously impactful,” she says.
The promise of an immediate glow, tightened pores and de-puffing on your skin is reason enough to start skin icing but if you don’t fancy using simple ice cubes, make space in your freezer for one of these cryo tools.
Teresa Tarmey Cryo-Ball
This surgical-grade steel ball contains fluids that stay freezing cold while you roll the ball over the architecture of the face, along the jawline, up the cheekbones and across the forehead for a lifting effect.
Fraîcheur Ice Globes
Satisfyingly chic, freeze these spherical ice globes overnight and use them to give morning skin a massage. From enhancing circulation to taking down redness and puffiness, consider it a worthy AM skin ritual.
Georgia Louise Cryo-Facial Freeze Tools
In lieu of facialist Georgia Louise’s own hands and high-tech in-clinic procedure, look no further than her Cryo Freeze Tools. Louise recommends first rolling from the inner areas of the face, outwards; then, covering the eyes with the tools for 10 seconds to de-puff.
001 Skincare Cryopress
Counting the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Gigi Hadid as fans, this little tool maintains a temperature of between -8 and -25 degrees Celsius to get the job done – and efficiently. The brand also claim it helps more sensitive skins, like those that suffer with eczema and psoriasis, too.
Foreo UFO 2
This nifty little tool has a number of settings, from LED light to heat therapy and, of course, a cryo function which helps to shrink pores, reduce puffiness and take down inflammation. It’s not the coldest, at five degrees Celsius, but it does the job well.
Anne Semonin Express Radiance Ice Cubes
Specifically designed for the eye area, these skincare-infused ice cubes can fit in even the tiniest of freezers and make brightening tired eyes a total breeze.
Kassy Rose Makeup Artistry 