I inherited my looks from my dad: same dark hair, same facial features, same very large pores (ugh). Over the years I’ve tried all the blackhead removal strips, acid toners, and deep cleansers I could find, hoping against hope I could reduce the appearance of my pores and achieve smoother skin. Finally I saw an esthetician who explained that pore size is just genetic (meaning there’s really no changing it) and that what many of us think of as blackheads are actually just sebaceous filaments, which are a natural part of healthy skin.
It was nice to know my nose, chin, and cheeks weren’t studded with blemishes, but that didn’t mean I suddenly liked the look of the filaments either. My esthetician explained that while you can’t change your pore size and sebaceous filaments always return, you can hydrate the skin well. The plumping effect of deep hydration helps reduce the appearance of pores. Nothing but a professional facial had ever really accomplished that for me, though… until I tried the BeautyBio GLOfacial Hydro-Infusion Pore Cleansing + Clarifying Tool. This handheld device sucks up impurities and congestion, infuses skin with a hydrating essence, and makes me look and feel like I just left my esthetician’s office in a matter of five minutes at my bathroom sink.
Stats
- Price: $199, but it’s been on sale at Ulta for half off for weeks now! Refills of the GLOfacial concentrate are $45.
- Who it’s for: Anyone whose skin leans dry and who has blackheads and sebaceous filaments that won’t budge.
The Device
The BeautyBio GLOfacial tool is a handheld, rechargeable facial device intended to “reduce the look of blackheads, oil, and gunk while infusing skin with visibly clarifying and plumping salicylic and hyaluronic acids — plus a blue LED for a clear, healthy-looking complexion.”
The tip of the device provides blue light therapy while essentially sucking the gunk out of your pores and pushing a hydrating concentrate deep within the skin, all as you sweep the tip across your face. All you have to do is fill up the chamber with distilled water and the included GLOfacial concentrate to get started.
The tool comes with large and small cleansing tips so you can cover large surface areas like the cheeks, and get into smaller crannies of the face, like around your nose. Other accessories include a cleaning brush and a charging stand.
The Ingredients
What’s in the GLOfacial concentrate, exactly? Here are the hero ingredients:
- Salicylic and hyaluronic acids to clarify, plump, and resurface skin
- Niacinamide helps hydrate and minimize the appearance of pores
- Antioxidant-rich botanical complex to calm the skin and provide a gorgeous glow
While it’s not included when you buy the device, there is another GLOfacial concentrate you can buy: the Firming Collagen Concentrate & Smoothing Peptide Solution. This one is formulated to target fine lines and dryness using collagen to firm, hyaluronic acid to hydrate, and peptides to smooth.
How I Use The BeautyBio GLOFacial Hydro-Infusion Pore Cleansing Tool
My favorite way to use the device is after a shower, when my pores are the most open and whatever’s inside is (*gag*) softened. I usually fill up the little distilled water and concentrate chamber beforehand. I love the results from the GLOfacial concentrate, but I have also put the Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant in there and enjoyed that too.
When you’re ready to start, you can pat water over your face or apply a facial mist, but you’ll want a little moisture on your skin to allow the device to glide over it. Then you just hold the device up to your skin and, when you feel the suction start, move it slowly over the entirety of your face. I try to reduce the pulling on my skin by using my other hand to sort of hold my skin in place.
When I see that I’m about halfway through the water and concentrate in the device, I’ll swap the large cleansing tip to the smaller one and focus on my nose and chin. These are the areas where my pores are most noticeable, so I like to take my time with those. One note: You’ll want to make sure you don’t leave the suction on one spot for more than a few seconds. I haven’t experienced a face hickey from the device, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility.
After the device runs out of clean solution, I empty the waste chamber (which is the most satisfying part), clean the pieces, and lay them out to air dry. Then, I apply whatever serum or moisturizer I normally would at nighttime.
The Results
See those things swirling around in the waste chamber? Yeah, they’re not bubbles. That’s dead skin and face gunk. Mind you, the water looks like that after me taking a shower and washing my face with a little silicone scrubby. The GLOfacial genuinely lifts away so much congestion from my skin, and it’s crazy to see every time.
Aside from the swirling vortex of my blackheads, I also see a massive difference in my skin after using the device. I have dry skin and have found moisturizers and serums that work well for it, but nothing makes my skin stay hydrated and feel plump quite like the GLOfacial does (except an actual facial with an esthetician). And while I’ve tried every topical product I can find to reduce the size of my large pores, I mean it when I say my pores appear smaller post mini facial with this thing — it hydrates many layers deep.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- While the product is an investment, I use it once or twice a week and I could not afford facials at the same frequency.
- The device and included concentrate are vegan and cruelty-free.
- My skin actually stays feeling plump and hydrated for a couple days — not something serums and moisturizers alone have ever pulled off.
- Because of that deep and lasting hydration, plus the deep clean of my pores, they do actually look smaller for a couple days too. That has never happened for me before.
- Since my skin is better hydrated and ultra clean, I think my other serums and products might be working even better.
Cons:
- While you can put whatever toner, essence, or solution in the device you want, the manual does say to use the BeautyBio brand concentrates or plain distilled water. This is likely because that’s what the product has been tested with, and the brand can’t guarantee other products won’t cause unforeseen wear and tear, so DIY it at your own risk.
- As the device gets low on clean water, you have to hold it upright to keep the flow going or it pauses. This obviously makes sense, but does get a little hard to maintain perfect vertical alignment toward the end.
Final Verdict
I am not one for having unnecessary gadgets that take up space or require charging, setup, and cleaning after use. The fact that I have consistently used this thing for months means it really does what it claims it will. I have loved the results and have seen such a difference in my skin. If my GLOfacial tool broke tomorrow, I’d order another with a quickness.
The TL;DR
This is the only product I’ve ever tried that actually makes my pores look smaller and my skin feel hydrated for more than a day. Do with that what you will.
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