Clarifying, brightening, moisturizing, and more — you name the formula, we’ve tried them.
When it comes to our skin-care routines, there’s no step perhaps more indulgent than doing a face mask. Whether you prefer a deep-cleansing clay mask or a hydrating overnight gel formula, there’s no better form of beauty T.L.C. than devoting 20 to 30 minutes to take care of your skin. “[Face masks] are designed to deliver high concentrations of active ingredients to your skin,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, tells Allure. “Generally speaking, masks are used intermittently to help give your skin a boost when it needs it.”
The exact way in which to use a face mask generally depends on the type of mask used, since there are so many options available on the market — and each one has a specific function for overall skin health. “You can get masks for clarifying, brightening, hydrating, soothing, or anti-aging,” explains Claire Wolinsky, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in NYC. “You should test the ingredients of the mask on your hand first if you have sensitive skin, and always keep it on for the least number of minutes the first time using it.” After applying and letting it dry, wash it off with water (or a gentle cleanser if it’s an acid-based mask), and apply moisturizer. Wolinsky also suggests not using drying masks more than twice a week at most, but you can use hydrating masks more often if you need to.
And while our desks are continually graced by new product launches on the daily (a tough job, we know, but someone’s got to do it), we’re taking a step back to spotlight the best face masks that left our complexions brighter, dewier, less congested, and just generally glowed-up.
Here, we’ve rounded up 21 of our all-time best face masks, including editor favorites, Best of Beauty winners past and present, and dermatologist-approved formulas that deliver every time. Time for a well-deserved self-care moment.
Fenty Skin Cookies N Clean Whipped Clay Detox Face Mask
The Fenty Skin Cookies N Cream Whipped Clay Detox Face Mask is the perfect mattifying treatment for oily, acne-prone skin, which is why it won a Best of Beauty Award in 2022 and Readers’ Choice Award in 2023. It features a double dose of charcoal and salicylic acid, two ingredients known for their shine-reducing abilities, to mattify your complexion and balance oil production.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is perfect for oily and acne-prone skin because its main ingredient, salicylic acid — along with kaolin and charcoal — sloughs off dead, pore-clogging skin cells and speeds up the healing process of inflamed pimples.
Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate and Glow Dream Mask
The Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate and Glow Dream Mask snagged a Best of Beauty Award in 2019 for its powerful-yet-gentle formula. With four plumping, moisture-boosting ingredients — squalane, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and betaine — your skin will start the morning feeling refreshed and replenished. Plus, vitamin C and prickly pear extract help turn up the skin’s natural brightness.
Fresh Floral Recovery Calming Mask
If a good night’s rest can improve your mood, catching eight hours with 2022 Best of Beauty-winner the Fresh Floral Recovery Calming Mask is downright transformative. The overnight treatment is made with squalane, which smooths and softens skin as you sleep.
Hyper Skin Fade and Glow AHA Mask
Touted as one of the best brands out there to treat dark spots on colored skin, Hyper Skin’s Fade and Glow AHA Mask contains a 2022 Allure Best of Beauty-winning combo of two of the most effective AHAs (or alpha hydroxy acids) — five percent glycolic acid and five percent mandelic acid — to gently exfoliate the skin and get rid of congestion. But not just that: “This mask also contains niacinamide and bearberry to fade dark spots and soften the skin,” says Dr. Wolinsky. “This makes this mask ideal for people who currently have acne-prone skin since it’s so decongesting, but it also helps those looking to treat older scars and smoothen their skin.”
The Inkey List Kaolin Mask
Many decongestant masks contain acids, which makes them less than ideal for very sensitive skin. That’s why Dr. Michele Farber, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Philadelphia, PA, is such a huge fan of this acid-free Kaolin Mask by The Inkey List. “Containing a potent combination of both kaolin and smectite clay, this mask sucks up excess oil, especially in acneic skin,” she says.
Still, it’s probably best not to use this type of face mask every day, since that may dry up the skin too much and cause your cells to actually create more oil to help balance the skin out. According to Dr. Farber, one to two times a week is best.
Pai Skincare Resurrection Girl
Sure, the name of Pai Skincare’s Resurrection Girl mask may sound akin to the name of a thriller, but the hydrating results post-treatment are anything but nail-biting — in fact, they’re quite the opposite. This Allure Best of Beauty 2022 winner is infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid and blue tansy oil, a moisturizing ingredient that’s rich in antioxidants.
Tatcha The Clarifying Clay Mask
It can be hard to know when you’ve kept your mask on for the correct amount of time — too much and you can irritate the skin, but too little, and you wonder if you actually made a difference. The Clarifying Clay Mask by Tatcha, however, has helped fix that problem by changing from green to red after it’s been massaged in, so you know when it’s time to take it off. Containing a mix of Japanese clay, konjac, and volcanic ash, it works to decongest pores, all while exfoliating and hydrating the skin at the same time. (It’s no wonder our editors love it!)
Kora Organics Turmeric BHA Hydrating Treatment Mask
Dr. Wolinsky says that Kora Organics Turmeric BHA Hydrating Treatment Mask contains “plant-based ingredients like rosehip, peppermint, and turmeric [that] also serves as a physical exfoliant containing mineral powder. “After five to 15 minutes, the instructions to remove the mask include using circular motions to allow for a physical exfoliation.” This helps to not only clear clogged pores, but also to diminish the appearance of scars and blemishes by removing dead skin cells and debris.
Mario Badescu Super Collagen Mask
If you’re worried your clay mask may be too drying, you need to try Mario Badescu’s Super Collagen Mask. Even though the kaolin clay is designed to absorb oil from the skin, the soothing blend of oatmeal and collagen in this mask will boost up any hydration that’s been lost, explains Dr. Farber. While any skin type can benefit from this mask, it’s especially ideal for mature skin.
Chantecaille Jasmine & Lily Healing Mask
Chantecaille Jasmine & Lily Healing Mask is “more of a hydrating mask as opposed to a brightening or anti-acne option,” explains Dr. Wolinsky — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective. The rosewater base contains sodium hyaluronate (a type of hyaluronic acid) and botanicals like macadamia and primrose oil, while bisabolol (a chamomile extract that’s known for its anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties) and vitamin B5 can further help soothe irritated skin. You can even use it as a night cream if your skin seems particularly dull and lax.
Kiehls Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask
You probably know what wonders a clay mask can do for acne-prone and combination skin, and Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask is truly no exception. It won a 2020 Allure Best of Beauty Award for its powerful Amazonian white clay formula that clears clogged pores, reduces surface oil production, and visibly minimizes the appearance of pores. Aloe vera and oatmeal help soothe skin along the way. You can apply the mask as an all-over treatment or use it as a spot treatment to target specific breakouts or breakout-prone areas.
Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial
A whopping 25-percent alpha hydroxy acid formula packs a serious punch in Drunk Elephant’s T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial, which quickly won over skin-care fanatics with its gentle yet effective approach to at-home exfoliation. “Ingredients such as matcha and milk thistle contain potent antioxidant and anti-pollution properties, which help to condition and soothe redness,” Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, tells Allure.
Paula’s Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask
A 2020 Allure Best of Beauty winner, Paula’s Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask is a great choice for anyone, but especially those with dry and sensitive skin. The cream-gel formula is infused with calming reishi mushroom, soothing algae, shea butter, and glycerin to lock in moisture while you snooze away. Come morning, you’ll wake up to plumper, dewier skin. However, you can also use it as a 20-minute wash-off mask depending on your preferences.
Laneige Water Sleeping Mask
Don’t sleep on Laneige’s Water Sleeping Mask, which, as one Allure editor put it, is the beauty product equivalent of skin-care commercial models rinsing their faces serenely “by dramatically splashing water on it in slow motion.” It’s spiked with squalane, which is known to mimic your skin’s natural lipids, to boost moisture retention.
Caudalie Vinergetic C+ Instant Detox Mask
Combat excess oil and breakouts with the deep-cleansing Caudalie Vinergetic C+ Instant Detox Mask, which contains papaya enzymes to brighten, plus pink clay and coffee to target blackheads. Commerce writer Jennifer Hussein was thoroughly impressed by the instant, glowing gratification this mask provided after a mere 10 minutes — so safe to say, this one’s worth the hype.
Lancer Clarifying Detox Mask with Green Tea and 3% Sulfur
Those with acne-prone and oily skin will love the Lancer Clarifying Detox Mask with Green Tea and 3% Sulfur, which is made with a blend of clay, sulfur, azelaic acid, and fruit extracts. It was even created by a dermatologist for his own clients. According to Lancer himself, “acne and aging are triggered by the same mechanisms,” and his skin-care products take on both with a double whammy. Because of this, the mask won a 2019 Allure Best of Beauty Award.
Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask
The serious tingle factor from Herbivore Botanicals’s Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask will let you know it’s working. And thanks to the alpha and beta hydroxy acids and white willow bark, skin will be left looking and feeling smooth post-rinse and beyond.
Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay
The Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay is adored by many a beauty editor, and it’s easy to see why: It instantly minimizes the appearance of pores and leaves your complexion looking beyond glowy — and clocks in at under $30.
Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner
A pore-purifying powerhouse, this 2019 Best of Beauty-winning mask employs glycolic and salicylic acids to gently exfoliate and suck up oil. Tiny beads in the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner get massaged into skin, releasing iris root and rose extract to nourish skin as the mask tightens.
Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask
While Sisley’s Black Rose Cream Mask — you know, with its $166 price tag and all — exists firmly in “splurge” territory, the brightening, dewy results of this mask speak for itself.
