Never underestimate the simple pleasures of slapping on a beauty face mask. Tired? Breaking out? Bored? A little tender care is needed. Using a face mask, or two if you’re a multi-masker, is blissfully relaxing and a great skincare step. With our beauty face masks inspired by nature, vegan face masks, and face masks suitable for a variety of skin types, we have you covered. Our favourites? The Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask, Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Night Mask, and the Pumpkin Mask. Read our top tips to find your perfect skin mask in our Benefits of Face Masks.
Face masks serve many purposes and come in nearly as many formats—clay, gel, cream, sheets, and more—yet they’re like nothing else in your skin care routine. “Masks are typically not used daily, like a cleanser, moisturizer, or sunscreen,” says board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp, M.D., And yet, they feel just as indispensable as the products you apply every morning and night. Chalk that up to their unique dual nature of both luxury and potency. “They are formulated to deliver a high concentration of active ingredients to help address particular concerns, like dryness, dullness, acne, or discoloration,” Dr. Camp says.
InStyle editors tested dozens of formulas to discover which masks refine, calm, hydrate, and perform better than others. Keep reading to discover the masks you should incorporate into your regimen once or twice a week.
Best in general
Gleamin Vitamin C Treatment Mask
What We Love: Gleamin’s Vitamin C Treatment Mask is the definition of an overachiever, addressing a wide range of concerns with impressive efficacy, particularly its ability to reduce different types of discoloration, from acne scars to age spots to melasma. Plus, the clay base is just as effective at keeping pores clear in the pursuit of fewer breakouts and even helps treat ingrown hairs and bumps wherever they may pop up. Over time, we observed more evenness after using the thick, creamy formula.
Who It’s For: If you like those feel-it-working masks that tighten and sometimes tingle, you’ll love how this will make your skin feel immediately softer after 10 minutes. The accompanying little brush also makes it easy to apply the thick creamy formula evenly.
Best Brightening
Tatcha Violet-C Radiance Mask
What We Love: This popular product works to smooth out uneven texture, lighten dark spots, and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. It is safe for all skin types. Made with two kinds of vitamin C—one that’s water-soluble to add luminosity, and another that’s oil-soluble to provide ample protection against UV damage—this mask works hard to visibly brighten skin immediately and in the long term. Unlike other vitamin C-based formulas, the thick, creamy texture didn’t burn or make our skin tingle whatsoever, but rather offered an amazing balance between hydrating and active ingredients.
Who It’s For: If you’re looking to glow, this mask is for you. Aside from brightening and hydrating skin, the formula also targets uneven texture, smoothing the complexion over time. Major bonus: The light purple hue means that there’s no better mask to take selfies in.
Active Ingredients: Japanese beautyberry, fruit extracts | Key Benefits: Brightens, plumps | Size: 1.7 oz.
Best Exfoliating
Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask
What We Love: It’s made with pumpkin enzyme, which smooths the skin’s surface; alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which deeply exfoliate; and aluminum oxide crystals, which effectively polish the skin and clean out pores, resulting in skin that felt really clean and refreshed every time we used the mask.
Who It’s For: If you’re looking to refresh dull skin, this mask is just the thing you need. Aside from its ability to make your face glow, the mildly gritty consistency isn’t too harsh on the skin, so it doesn’t require any rubbing to get the full brightening benefits.
Active Ingredients: Pumpkin enzyme, alpha hydroxy acids, aluminum oxide crystals | Key Benefits: Brightens, exfoliates, clarifies.
Overall, the best LED face mask is A Standout Device That Addresses Various Skincare Concerns
Best for:
Those looking for a skincare treatment that takes less than five minutes
Addressing signs of both aging and acne
Users looking for a controller-free LED face mask
Skip if:
You prefer a lightweight, flexible, or silicone LED face mask
Although it comes with a higher price tag than comparable options on the market, we chose this Dr. Dennis Gross mask as our winning pick because of how comfortable it is on, its versatility in targeting signs of aging as well as acne, and its quick treatment time of three minutes (which is well under the average). Our tester found it very easy to add this component to her daily skincare routine. Instead of featuring silicone, as is common in other masks, this one is made of a rigid, lightweight plastic that’s contoured to the shape of a face. Our tester found it to be more comfortable than others she’s tried, and better at hugging her facial features. A silicone head strap keeps the mask on securely, and the completely wireless aspect makes it that much easier to use without juggling an attached controller.
The mask has three different treatment settings: a red light option to target signs of aging like fine lines and discoloration, a blue light version to help minimize acne, and a combination of the two to target various concerns in one go. Our tester used the blue light setting a few times while dealing with minor breakouts and noticed the redness around pimples disappearing a little faster than usual. According to the brand, it’s safe to use the mask with your eyes open or closed, and without safety goggles (which can be purchased separately). Although our test subject felt more at ease using it with her eyes closed, she did not find the brightness of the LED lights to be overpowering or irritating to her eyes.
