The 9 Best Gua Sha Tools of 2024, Tested by PEOPLE

July 2024 · 21 minute read

What do people who swear by monthly facials and people who rarely wash their face have in common? They could all benefit from using facial tools at home. No matter what your skincare routine is, incorporating facial tools like gua sha is a way to further the efficacy of the products that you do use. A gua sha tool can also offer a host of radiance-boosting benefits to your skin, from helping to sculpt and define your jawline to subtly smoothing out wrinkles and reducing puffiness.

“A notable advantage and my favorite benefit from using a gua sha is the promotion of lymphatic drainage and improved circulation,” says Rachel Liverman, the CEO and founder of Glowbar, a results-driven facial studio. However, these effects aren’t always designed to last; she also points out that the effects of a gua sha are typically “temporary and short-lasting.” 

Armored with our research, the PEOPLE Tested team tried 18 gua sha tools and facial stones in order to see which had the most notable and lasting results on our skin. We tested them out in the real world, spending hours over four weeks to see which ones made a difference in terms of radiance, depuffing, and sculpting, as well as how easily they fit into our daily self-care routines. During the testing period, we carefully considered the experience of applying the tool and noted the immediate and any lingering effects. Those that earned the highest scores earned a spot on this list.  

Read on for the best gua sha tools for rejuvenated and radiant skin, whether you’re looking to sculpt your jawline, depuff your under eye area, or boost the efficacy of other skincare products.

Our Top Picks

Face Gym MultiSculpt PHOTO: Sephora

Our Ratings

Pros

We’re all familiar with those who frequent the gym to maintain their physical fitness, but what about those who want to improve their skin fitness? Face Gym is designed with that in mind, and their proprietary MultiSculpt tool provides several ways to mimic the brand’s in-studio workouts.

There are five sides: a long edge, which helps de-puff, contour, and aid lymphatic drainage, plus a grip that sculpts and releases tension, a medium edge to define cheekbones, teeth to boost circulation and plump fine lines, and a short edge to lift and minimize tension along the eyes and eyebrows. Each edge offers another way to achieve spa-like benefits from home, and helps skin to more readily absorb moisturizer and other serums.

We love that this one is made from hypoallergenic and recyclable stainless steel, which creates a cooling sensation on skin that our tester found pleasant and subtly effective. Not only does she wakes up less puffy in the morning, she uses it every night for its super relaxing benefits and because it's so easy to maintain. 

Material: Stainless steel | Key Features: Plumping, sculpting, depuffing

Wildling Empress Stone PHOTO: Wildling

Our Ratings

Pros

This gua sha stone is jaw-droppingly impressive — it’s better equipped to lift and tighten your jawline than any other at-home tool we’ve tried. Our tester “felt a difference immediately,” noting that “it got deeper than any other gua sha I’ve ever used.” After using it three times, she saw a visual difference in her face: "This anti-aging stone rewinded time and gave me a jawline that I used to have in highschool!"

The best-selling stone was thought up by Wildling’s founders, who boast years of expertise in the field as an acupuncturist, holistic esthetician and an herbalist. It’s crafted from sustainably sourced Bian stone, which boasts over 40 minerals famed for their rejuvenating and antioxidant benefits, including a measurable ultrasound pulsation, far-infrared wave and negative ions, which promote a general sense of well being. 

Featuring a comb edge, long edge, pointed tip, U-edge and a short edge, it’s a dream to work this stone across the face to immediately relieve tension, sculpt your jawline and cheekbones, lift the skin, soften crow's feet and smile lines, and reduce puffiness. The results go beyond the usual short-term effects of gua sha — our tester saw a huge difference in her jawline and neck, raving that it’s been the only product she's tried that helps smooth out her "double chin" and makes her look drastically younger.

Material: Bian stone | Key Features: Sculpts skin, minimizes wrinkles, brightens complexion, plumps skin

What Is Bian Stone?

Bian stone originated 65 million years ago in Shandong, China, after a meteorite strike. Celebrated for its healing properties, it has historically been used in traditional Chinese medicine for its ability to reduce inflammation and pain as well as promote relaxation and stimulate circulation.

Pink Moon Rose Quartz Facial Gua Sha Tool PHOTO: Pink Moon

Our Ratings

Pros

Lightweight yet sturdy, this delicate rose quartz tool tool is perfectly shaped for a variety of skin-soothing rituals: Our tester found that it was easy to understand when to use the flat side versus the toothed edge, adding that the brand’s instructional video made it easy to follow along.

Our tester loved adding this step into her skincare routine, noting that it became a restful moment that she looked forward to each day. While performing lymphatic drainage techniques, we noticed that the heart-opening crystal helped reduce sinus pressure and left eyes looking brighter and less tired than before. When combined with an ice roller, the depuffing effects were even more noticeable. 

Material: Rose quartz | Key Features: Decreases puffiness, improves lymphatic drainage, relieves muscle tension, improves skin elasticity

Daily Concepts Gua Sha Facial Jade Tool PHOTO: Ulta

Our Ratings

Pros

This smooth and sleek gua sha is made of Xiyuan Jade, which is designed to stimulate the skin in order to boost radiance. During testing, we found it easy to maneuver at all different angles, allowing us to easily contour our face with the toothed edge and promote lymphatic drainage in the process. We noticed that the ritual aspect of sweeping the 4.5-inch stone across our skin helped to bring out our natural glow, as it allowed our go-to serums and oils to better penetrate the skin. 

Our tester regularly uses gua sha, and found this one straightforward and pleasant to use thanks to its lightweight feel and cooling effect. While it doesn’t produce drastic after-effects, it’s an excellent choice for anyone looking to elevate their self-care ritual with an indulgent step that will gradually help to improve their skin’s glow.

Material: Xiyuan jade | Key Features: Brightening, lymphatic draining, smooths fine lines

Ginger Chi Jade Gua Sha Face & Comb Tool PHOTO: Amazon

Our Ratings

ProsCons

Crafted from exceptionally high-quality Xiyuan Jade, this gorgeous tool combines all of the benefits of a classic gua sha with a comb edge that can be used to further stimulate the scalp and face.

During testing, we immediately noticed the quality of the matte jade stone, which never absorbed any product and was easy to clean with soap and water. The ergonomic design was effortless to grip, although we’d love to use an even larger size to see if it offered even better maneuverability.

It allows several different ways to use the stone, from sweeping the convex edge in short strokes under the eyes to relieve crows feet, to gliding the indent along the chin and jawline for sculpting. We were most enamored by the comb edge, which massages acupoints and meridian channels along the scalp to promote relaxation and hair growth. 

You can even gently use the comb on your face, which helps to improve circulation and cell turnover to bring out your natural glow. We found that our face looked lighter and less puffy with consistent use, but that — as with most gua sha — the effects aren’t cumulative, so you’ll need to be diligent if you want to maintain a sleeker jawline and puff-free cheeks. 

Material: Xiyuan jade | Key Features: Smooths fine lines, lifting, tightening, massaging

Sacheu Stainless Steel Gua Sha PHOTO: Sacheu Beauty

Our Ratings

Pros

Those with sensitive or acne-prone skin will love this gua sha from Sacheu, which is made from antibacterial stainless steel that prevents any bacteria from building up on the tool. After a bit of trial and error, we found this easy to maneuver, playing around with the different notches during testing in order to contour our face, jaw, cheekbones, eyebrows, under-eye area, and forehead.

We love that the material is self-cooling, so there’s no need to stash it in the freezer — although we did, and it remained pleasantly cold without ever feeling too chilly to use. Our tester found that it was easy to incorporate the brief ritual into her skincare routine, saying that it felt very meditative and is something she’s continued to do on a daily basis. 

She observed that its lightweight, durable construction makes it a great portable addition to any travel skincare routine. Our tester said she could bring this on vacation without worrying about whether it added too much bulk to her makeup bag.

Working the gua sha around the face also helped to penetrate serum and facial oils into our tester's skin, which instantly boosted her complexion. “I do feel that it helped keep my skin moisturized and more youthful,” she said, adding that it was a game changer as the weather cooled off going into winter.

Material: Stainless steel | Key Features: Relieves muscle tension, enhances contour, minimizes the appearance of wrinkles

Kitsch Stainless Steel Gua Sha PHOTO: Kitsch

Our Ratings

Pros

Those with acne-prone skin will appreciate that this gua sha is crafted from hypoallergenic, high-quality stainless steel, making it a breeze to clean and less likely to cause breakouts compared to a porous stone. Whenever we cleaned it during testing, it felt sparkling clean afterwards and there was never any oily residue left on it. 

After watching a few YouTube tutorials on how to use it, our tester found that the tool was straightforward to maneuver and that the results were immediately visible, with noticeable tightness and lift along her jawline and cheekbones. Her dark circles were also lighter and less puffy in the mornings after gua sha. 

We loved how soothing and effective this was with every use, helping to smooth our tester's skin in a matter of minutes. It’s also a conveniently portable size, which means you can toss it into your dopp kit to keep your face puff-free on the go. To that end, we’d love a protective cover in order to protect the tool against potential bacteria when we aren't using it. 

Material: Stainless steel | Key Features: Massaging, promotes circulation, stimulates pressure points

Yina Bian Stone Gua Sha PHOTO: Yina

Our Ratings

ProsCons

Each Yina Bian Stone Gua Sha is handcrafted in partnership with a woman-owned establishment in Shandong, China, where the stone originated 65 million years ago. It’s historically been used for its healing properties, and this gua sha channels them as it helps to reduce puffiness and improve circulation in your face and body. It’s larger than most palm-sized stones, making it an excellent option for anyone looking to use the tool on broader areas.

To use it, you simply stroke it in the same direction 5-10 times, working your way across your target areas one section at a time. Beyond the skincare benefits, we found this to be a relaxing and rejuvenating addition to our self-care routine. 

Our tester noticed a lasting improvement to her jawline, which slimmed over the course of the testing period. As someone with acne-prone skin who was using a gua sha for the first time, she noted that her frequent use of the tool seemed to prompt a breakout on her face, so this may not be the most suitable for those with sensitive or acne-prone skin.

Material: Bian stone | Key Features: Tones skin, smooths texture, depuffs, improves circulation

Lanshin Sculpting Spoon PHOTO: Lanshin

Our Ratings

ProsCons

If you regularly practice gua sha, you’ll love adding this sculpting spoon into your routine. It’s ideal for targeting smaller areas like underneath the eyes and along the sides of the nose, while also draining puffiness and sinus congestion.

Beginners will find that there’s a brief learning curve to using it, although Lanshin provides a video tutorial to guide your movements. Once we started to get the hang of it, we appreciated how easy it was to grip the long handle and how effortless it was to glide it across our skin when paired with a thick moisturizer or facial oil. 

Our tester immediately noticed that her face looked slimmer and less puffy along her cheeks and jawline after using the tool for about ten minutes. While the effects were temporary, she found them to be notable enough to make it worth the effort — plus, the experience of using the spoon felt like a comforting massage and helped to relax the muscles in her face. 

Material: Rose quartz | Key Features: Sculpting, draining puffiness, sinus congestion, jaw release 

Others We Tried

Skin Gym Jade Sculpty Heart Gua Sha Tool: We loved the contouring of this jade stone from Skin Gym, which our tester found easy to glide across her face while contouring her cheekbones and jawline. She saw subtle and temporary effects, particularly in terms of reduced puffiness around her cheeks. Ultimately, we rated this gua sha tool highly — our only gripe was that it didn’t create as noticeable or as lasting definition around our cheekbones and jawlines as the others which made this list.

Herbivore Rose Quartz Gua Sha: This rose quartz gua sha tool was perfectly sized to provide a relaxing and rejuvenating facial massage. We found the stone to be high quality and easy to clean, but didn’t notice any real results in terms of sculpting or reducing puffiness and fine lines. While we think it’s a great choice for those looking to incorporate a little more self care into their routine (and improve lymphatic drainage), it’s not the best option for those hoping to see more obvious results.

You'll Also Need

When using a gua sha tool, it's important to apply an oil, serum, or moisturizer before starting your routine in order to reduce dragging and tugging of the skin. We've tested 36 face oils to determine which ones are worth your money and actually provide the benefits they claim — but we recommend our Best Overall winner below.

Acure Radically Rejuvenating Rose Argan Oil

Amazon

This face oil by Acure is a PEOPLE Tested favorite. Not only is it relatively affordable, it earned top marks in every testing category during our trials. We found it to effectively reduce the appearance of fine lines and eliminate dry patches, even in the middle of winter. While it's rich and thick, it wasn't greasy, but there's still plenty of slip so your gua sha tool can effortlessly glide across your skin. It's also safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

Things to Consider Before Buying Gua Sha Tools

What It's Made From

When it comes to selecting a gua sha material, there isn’t much proof that certain stones offer substantially more benefits. While Bian stone is known for its healing properties, most jade or rose quartz stones will be able to achieve similar effects. Stainless steel boasts antimicrobial properties, which is great for those with sensitive skin. Vargas suggests picking “whatever you feel comfortable using,” noting that “a contour stone helps to fit the face better.”

What You're Targeting

Knowing your target areas is key before purchasing a gua sha, as delicate tools that can easily be used on the under eye area won’t be suitable for larger areas, and vice versa. “Different shapes are suitable for specific areas of improvement,” says Liverman. “A gua sha with bigger shapes is for broader areas like the cheeks and forehead, whereas those with smaller, more intricate curves are ideal for smaller areas and pressure points.” 

Desired Results

Those looking for more noticeable results in terms of facial sculpting and fine line reduction should focus on finding a gua sha tool that has the right contours for them. Many have a comb edge, which can be used to further stimulate the skin as well as the scalp, which also promotes relaxation and hair growth.

Of course, combining gua sha tools with other facial tools, like an ice roller, is a great way to achieve the benefits of both, which complement each other and overall will maximize the efficacy of your entire skincare regimen. 

People / Danielle Yersin

How We Tested

Over the course of four weeks, our PEOPLE Tested team researched and tested 18 gua sha tools from top brands in order to bring you the best ones on the market. We repeatedly tried them out at home in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions, taking photos at the start of the process, immediately after our first time using the tool, 5-6 hours later, and once again at the end of the testing period in order to visualize any noticeable differences.

After our testing period, we rated each product on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the best). The products that earned the best average scores, and were recommended most highly by our testers for their efficacy and overall value, made this list, earning their PEOPLE Tested seal of approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Trust PEOPLE?

Sophie Dodd is a PEOPLE contributor who has been writing for PEOPLE.com since 2018. She thoroughly examined our PEOPLE Tested team’s results and researched each recommended product in order to narrow down this list of the best gua sha tools to use at home. Sophie also received expert insight from celebrity esthetician Joanna Vargas and Glowbar CEO and founder Rachel Liverman on the benefits of gua sha and other facial tools and the most important things to consider when shopping for them.  

Meet Our Experts

What is PEOPLE Tested?

We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.

But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.

In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase. 

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