Published: July 30, 2025
From cooling globes to skin icing, many of the current skincare trends are all about harnessing the power that cold temperatures have on the skin. Officially known as cryotherapy, there are a number of medical treatments around that make use of extreme cold, and this concept has now spread into the skincare sphere.
However, when it comes to the skin, taking things to the extreme is never usually advised. Instead, most experts recommend keeping things gentle, so where do the frigid temperatures of cryotherapy come into this? Is the cold really going to do your skin any favors? Read on as CBGärdN takes a deep dive into cryotherapy to help you determine whether or not this is a skincare concept that you should be buying into.
Cryotherapy in Skincare: What’s it All About?
Cryotherapy essentially means ‘cold therapy’. It dates back to the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, who relied on cold compresses to ease pain and soothe the skin.
Today, cryotherapy takes many forms, but they all involve applying cold temperatures to the skin in some way. This triggers a number of reactions, from vasoconstriction to soothing the feeling of inflammation, all of which can help with a variety of visible skin concerns.
What the Cold Can Do for Your Skin
So, what exactly does cryotherapy do for the complexion? Here are a few of the effects that you can expect to see:
- Reduces the look and feel of inflammation. This means that it calms the appearance of redness and blotchiness, which can be particularly useful for people who suffer from an inflammatory skin condition.
- Boosts blood circulation. Cryotherapy causes the blood vessels to shrink and then dilate. This increases the access that your skin cells have to nutrients and oxygen, leaving them feeling healthier in the long run. The improved circulation also provides an instant glow to the skin.
- Leaves the pores looking tighter. This is down to how cold temperatures cause the skin to contract.
- Gives the skin a more elastic feel. Again, this is due to the constricting effect that cold temperatures have.
- Reduces the look of puffiness. The way in which cryotherapy constricts blood vessels makes it a great way to diminish the look of puffy eyes.
- Enhances product absorption. The shrinking and then dilating that the skin goes through with cryotherapy encourages the absorption of any skincare products that you apply afterward.
- Soothes the feeling of discomfort. This can be useful if you’re dealing with any skin conditions that are causing itching or pain.
- It could potentially prevent the appearance of acne. Some research shows that cryotherapy leaves the skin feeling less greasy, meaning a lower chance of acne developing. However, more studies are needed to confirm this.
Are There Any Downsides?
As with any skincare technique, cryotherapy is only effective if it’s carried out safely and correctly. Get things wrong and you could experience:
- Redness and swelling
- Hyperpigmentation. Darker skin tones are particularly susceptible to this
- Blisters or rashes
- Scarring
- Temporary numbness
Adding Cryotherapy to Your Skincare Routine
Curious about cryotherapy but don’t want to experience any of the downsides? Here are some safe and easy ways to bring cryotherapy into your skincare routine:
Refrigerate Your Skincare Products
The easiest way to get started with cryotherapy is to put some of your skincare products in the fridge. This way, when you use them, you’ll be imparting those chilled temperatures to your skin, giving it access to some cold to reap some of the benefits we’ve just discussed.
Some skincare products take to refrigeration better than others. Hydrogel sheet masks, for instance, are designed to have a cooling and calming effect on the complexion. Putting a hydrogel mask in the fridge for a few hours before using it will really enhance that sensation. Give this a try with the CBGärdN CB BioLeaf Hydrating Facial & Eye Mask. You could even treat your décolletage to cryotherapy too with the CB BioLeaf Hydrating Neck & Chest Mask.
Face mists and toners work well when refrigerated too. Keep the CBGärdN CB Facial Toner in the fridge, and not only will it provide some intense hydration when you spritz it on, but it will also leave your skin feeling refreshingly cool.
Eye serums and eye creams can also be more beneficial when stored in a fridge. Chilling them before use will quickly smooth away the look of puffy eye bags, especially if the products you’re using are geared toward doing this too.
Use a Cooling Globe
Cooling globes are handheld skincare tools that are usually made from glass or metal. They’re often hollow, filled with a gel or liquid that captures cold temperatures and holds onto them for an extended period of time. When rolled over the skin, not only does the globe cool the skin down, but it also provides a soothing massage.
If you’d like to add a cooling globe to your skincare routine, you’ll find one included in the Collagen Cooling Set. In fact, this whole skincare set is designed to keep the skin feeling cool and calm, making it great if you’re interested in cryotherapy.
Start by cleansing your skin with a gentle cleanser, like the CB Facial Cleanser. Then, spritz the Collagen Plumping Mist onto your skin. This is another product that feels even better when it has been refrigerated. Then, follow the usage instructions for the HydroCollagen Lift Mask before locking all of that goodness in with the Advanced Soothing Cool Cream. The cooling globe should then be rolled over the skin in circular motions.
Take a Cold Shower or an Ice Bath
The techniques that we’ve discussed above focus on cryotherapy for the face. However, the skin on your body can benefit from cryotherapy as well, which is where whole-body cryotherapy comes in. These are techniques that submerge the entire body in cold temperatures, giving you a radiant glow from head to toe.
A cold shower is the easiest introduction to whole-body cryotherapy. Turn the temperature of your shower right down, and then stand under that water jet for as long as you can tolerate. You may want to save this for the end of your shower if you don’t think that you’ll be able to handle it for too long!
If you’re feeling a bit braver, try an ice bath. Also known as cold water immersion therapy, you’ll need to fill a bath with cold water, along with plenty of ice cubes. Then, gradually immerse your body in the bath, until you’re submerged. To begin with, don’t remain in an ice bath for more than a couple of minutes. As your body starts to grow accustomed to the cold, you can gradually increase this.
Try Skin Icing
Skin icing is one of the recent trends that brought cryotherapy into the spotlight. There are a few variations of this trend – some choose to invest in a dedicated skin icing tool, while others prefer the ease and simplicity of using ice cubes.
How does it work? Start by carrying out your usual skincare routine. Cleanse your skin, apply a serum, and then finish with a moisturizer. This will give your skin some lubrication to allow the ice to glide over your skin’s surface in a smoother way. Then, take a couple of ice cubes and wrap them in a soft cloth. The soft part is essential – you don’t want anything rough pulling or scratching your skin.
Take your wrapped ice and then gently rub that over your skin for about a minute. If you’ve applied active ingredients to a particular part of your face, spend some extra time icing that area to really enhance the absorption of the products you’ve applied. However, make sure that you keep the ice cube moving. Holding it still on your skin for too long could cause ice burns or other forms of skin damage.
If your skin is sensitive, skin icing may be too much for you. If this is the case, consider buying an ice roller. They work in the same way, but they’re much gentler on the skin than ice cubes.
Keep Your Body Hydrated
Want your cryotherapy efforts to work as efficiently as possible? One tip worth remembering is that hydration plays a crucial role in this.
Cryotherapy can often stimulate the body into releasing toxins. Keeping your body hydrated will ensure that those toxins are flushed away rather than those toxins lingering around. Hydration will also help your skin to tolerate the cold temperatures better, while giving your circulation a boost that enhances the effects of cryotherapy.
If you plan on giving cryotherapy a try, make sure that you’re also drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. This will keep your skin hydrated from within, but topical hydration is important too for the surface layers of your skin. Incorporating a hydrating serum into your skincare routine will help to cover this. The CB Replenishing Serum from CBGärdN would be a great choice. It contains sodium hyaluronate, which is known for its hydrating power. Meanwhile, peptides keep your skin barrier feeling strong and supported while the numerous antioxidants in this formula work to give your skin a healthier finish.
Is Cryotherapy Worth Trying?
Cryotherapy offers a number of benefits, which is exactly why it has been utilized since ancient times. However, when done incorrectly, it could potentially damage your skin. This is why it’s so important to start off with a safe and simple form of cryotherapy and to take things slowly, listening to your skin as you progress. Begin with shorter exposure times to the cold, so that your skin can get used to it, before gradually increasing this. If you’re curious about cryotherapy but concerned about how it could affect your skin, speak to a professional about whether this technique would be suitable for your skin type/concerns.
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