Tech Test
Shark's Depuffi Tool Has Officially Replaced My Frozen Gua Sha
The hot-and-cold beauty device has earned a permanent spot in my routine.
Partying, crying, eating a party-size bag of chips — based on the state of my under-eyes every morning, you'd think that's what I was up to the night before. Chances are, I was in bed before midnight. But somehow, the more sleep I get, the puffier I look. It’s just my default setting at this point.
As a result, I’ve become a depuffing connoisseur. My morning routine typically consists of a parade of techniques, from eye patches and ice rollers to lymphatic massages. I swear by using a metal gua sha that I keep in the freezer overnight for an ice-cold a.m. session. The only problem? If I forget to stock the freezer the night before (which happens more often than not), I’m fresh out of luck.
Enter: the Shark Depuffi, a massaging tool that takes my favorite part of my gua sha routine and automates it, offering both hot and cold therapy at the touch of a button. As someone who has dedicated an entire corner of her freezer to depuffing, it sounded almost too good to be true — so naturally, I had to try it for myself. Ahead, my honest review.
Fast Facts
- Price: $199
- Best for: Depuffing and muscle tension relief.
- Rating: 4.7/5
- What I like: The quick temperature changes and face-to-body versatility.
- What I don’t like: The short battery life.
The Shark Depuffi
Ever since Shark’s FacialPro Glow — an at-home facial device that includes both pore extraction and temperature therapy — went viral late last year, people have been asking for a standalone version of its hot-and-cold attachment.
Now, Shark is giving the people what they want with the Depuffi, a gua sha-inspired massaging device with six temperature levels — three hot and three cold. According to the brand, the cold settings, dubbed InstaChill, help depuff and sculpt, while the InstaHeat function is designed to boost circulation, relax muscles, and make your skin look more radiant.
A short press of the power button lets you switch between the hot and cold settings, which Shark says takes around 30 seconds. The brand recommends using the cooling mode in the morning, then heat at night — though there’s nothing wrong with using both back-to-back for the suggested eight-minute session. Designed for daily use, the Depuffi also comes with a travel case and USB-C charger.
To start, apply your favorite moisturizer or serum for extra slip and glide it across your face, neck, jawline, and shoulders using light pressure. For a more lifted look, Shark recommends sweeping outward across the face and downward along the sides of the neck to encourage lymphatic drainage.
My Review
Truth be told, I’m not patient enough to wait around for most skin care devices to deliver results. If the payoff is six weeks away, I’ve probably forgotten about it. The Depuffi, though, is all about instant gratification — right up my alley.
To my surprise, it actually got as cold as the gua sha I store in my freezer, though it felt way less jarring than pressing a frozen piece of metal directly onto your skin first thing in the morning. I did notice that the cooling effect softened after a few minutes — especially as the device started venting warm air to maintain its temperature. That being said, it just went from ice-cold to pleasantly chilled. Within five minutes of using the coldest setting right after I woke up, my undereyes looked noticeably less puffy — and, as a bonus, I felt more awake.
The real party trick is how fast the Depuffi shifts from ice-cold to hot-stone warm. It’s rare to see a brand underpromise and overdeliver, but I think Shark’s calculation of 30 seconds is actually pretty conservative. In my experience, it took closer to 10 seconds to reach the hottest temperature after being cold — and once it did, I found myself enjoying the warm setting way more than expected.
As someone who spends most of her days hunched over a laptop, the hot setting has quickly become my new favorite way to iron out my neck and shoulders. Plus, the heat gave my face a little extra glow, making my skin look noticeably more radiant afterward. Basically, I came for the depuffing, but I’m staying for the warm massages.
The Verdict
If you're expecting the Depuffi to completely transform your face, you might be disappointed. The difference was subtle, but noticeable: a little less puffiness around my undereyes and more definition overall.
I’ve recently found myself using it way more than any of the other depuffing tools in my arsenal, and part of that comes down to the shape: it has a softer angle than other gua shas I've tried, which allows it to glide more comfortably across the contours of my face without feeling like it’s digging into my skin. Plus, the size strikes the perfect balance between a facial tool and a body massager — hefty enough to work out my shoulders, but not so bulky that it feels awkward to use around my undereyes and jawline.
Sure, the battery life leaves something to be desired — I’ve been charging it pretty much every other use, which admittedly takes away from the convenience factor. (Instead of remembering to put your gua sha in the freezer, you’re remembering to plug it in.) Even so, the Depuffi has earned a permanent spot on my vanity. If all you’re looking for is depuffing, there are other options. But its combination of hot and cold therapy plus massage makes this tool feel like more than just a gua sha replacement.
