25 Best Face Masks for Every Skin Type, Tested by Skincare Experts and Dermatologists
Whether you're battling dryness, acne, or blackheads, we got you.
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Face skincare masks are a key step in most professional spa facials for a reason — they can quickly infuse concentrated ingredients into skin to address a laundry list of issues (dryness, acne, irritation, and more) and deliver almost any benefit (firming, brightening, purifying, the list goes on) that your skin needs. Best of all, you can get the complexion-boosting effects of a face mask at home, too, at any budget.
Do face masks really help your skin?
Yes, they can. "At-home treatments such as face masks work with consistent long-term use," says Joyce Imahiyerobo-Ip, M.D., a dermatologist in Dedham, Massachusetts. Incorporate one into your regimen once or twice per week by applying it on your clean, dry face, avoiding the eyes and mouth (unless the mask is made for those areas). Remove it per packaging instructions, and follow with other leave-on skincare products as directed or needed.
How do I find the best face mask for my skin type?
- If you have oily skin, "masks containing ingredients such as clay or charcoal work by absorbing oil out of pores,” Dr. Imahiyerobo-Ip says. Look for terms like “purifying,” “clarifying,” or “detoxifying” on product packaging.
- Face masks for dry skin should be labeled “hydrating,” “moisturizing,” or "nourishing" and contain softening ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and plant oils and butters.
- For sensitive skin, I.D. key terms like “soothing” and “calming” on mask packaging and anti-inflammatory ingredients such as aloe and oat.
- For combination or normal complexions, look for face masks targeted to your current skin needs or goals (i.e. brightening, pore-minimizing, acne breakouts, etc.). Or try “multi-masking” and spot treat certain areas with specific masks, like a purifying formula for an oilier T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and a hydrating formula for the rest of the face. You can also try DIYing a face mask with ingredients at home to suit your needs.
No matter what skin type or what you're looking for — firming, acne-nixing, blackhead-removing, a drugstore bargain, a glow — we have the sheet masks, mud masks, and overnight masks that really work. Here, the best face masks you can buy for 2020, as tested and recommended by Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab scientists and beauty experts:
Mary Kay Clear Proof Deep-Cleansing Charcoal Mask
Treat your complexion to this rinse-off charcoal and clay Mary Kay mask, a Good Housekeeping Seal star and Beauty Award winner, which is proven to nix grease and clarify. The formula reduces skin’s oil 89% and shine 84% in 15 minutes, Lab data evaluation showed. It’s also a favorite of GH’s Beauty Director: “I have dry skin and am wary of clay masks, but unlike some that can dehydrate, I was amazed that this left my face clarified and baby-soft.”
A spa-like treatment at drugstore-level price and Good Housekeeping Beauty Award winner, this clarifying, creamy clay mask is like a smoothie for skin, with calming oats plus pomegranate and kiwi extracts. It leaves the face “refreshed and radiant,” a tester raved.
Mary Kay TimeWise Repair Lifting Bio-Cellulose Mask
Give skin a professional-level treatment with this Good Housekeeping Seal star and Beauty Award-winning Mary Kay sheet mask infused with anti-aging and hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid. An impressive 87% of testers said their skin looked and felt firm after they used it twice weekly for two weeks.
Fresh Crème Ancienne Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask
Yes, it’s pricey, but this Fresh pick is one of the best face masks GH's beauty director has ever tried for relieving dehydrated skin. This super-rich and indulgent formula is made of real honey and shea butter, and full of botanical oils (meadowfoam, jojoba, sunflower seed). “I have painfully raw and flaky skin all year long, and always apply a face mask in the shower for extra nourishment,” she says. “This feels hydrating and pampering on my desert-dry face and never irritates.”
Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask
Based on charcoal and clay, this Origins face mask is a favorite of Wnek’s for getting rid of grease and shine on her oily skin. “It really cleans out my pores and mattifies my face without making it feel tight,” she notes.
Bioré Blue Agave & Baking Soda Whipped Nourishing Detox Mask
Soak away grime with Bioré's creamy balancing mask, great for combination skin, which purifies with salicylic acid and softens with glycerin. "My face felt clarified yet silky at the same time," a tester reported.
This GlamGlow charcoal and clay mask is a beauty editor go-to for blemishes. “Whenever my skin feels congested or I feel some breakouts coming in, I always make sure to squeeze in a dose of this,” says beauty editor Dori Price. “If I just think my skin needs a detox, I’ll use it all over, but if blemishes are brewing, I will use it as a spot treatment on certain areas—the blend of six acids really works to unclog my pores and purify my skin.”
Image Skincare I Mask Hydrating Hydrogel Sheet Mask
Image Skincare's gel sheet face mask is loaded with soothing, hydrating ingredients like glycerin, aloe, green tea, hyaluronic acid and chamomile to calm dehydrated or irritated skin. "After a peel and microdermabrasion treatment I received at a doctor's office, the aesthetician placed this mask on my face as a last step," GH's beauty editor reported. "It instantly cooled my skin, made it feel plump with moisture, and quelled any inflammation."
Skin Laundry Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask
A winner of the GH Beauty Lab's test of trendy sheet masks (paper or cloth masks soaked in skincare ingredients), Skin Laundry gave skin the best quick infusion of moisture to plump and nourish. Per calculations with the Lab’s Corneometer device, it raised skin hydration by 25%.
SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Masque
From the dermatologist-backed brand SkinCeuticals, this clear gel mask is based on high levels of hydrating glycerin and hyaluronic acid. “This gives instant relief for my extremely parched skin that's prone to eczema flare-ups,” GH’s beauty director says.
Aveeno Positively Radiant MaxGlow Peel Off Face Mask
This clarifying peel-off mask from Aveeno with citric and glycolic acids earns raves from GH Beauty Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D. “My daughter hasn’t been able to get her monthly facials which were helping keep her acne in check, so we’ve been doing at-home facials with this mask, which makes an immediate difference in de-clogging pores,” Aral says. “You layer it on thick, wait for 15 to 20 minutes for it to dry out, then peel it off, which lifts all the dirt off the top layer of skin.” Even better, “the formula doesn’t sting or burn already-aggravated areas,” she notes.
Chantecaille Bio Lifting Mask
Like a luxurious anti-aging cream, this Chantecaille mask packs line-smoothing ingredients like peptides and hyaluronic acid, plus decadent botanical extracts such as rose and jasmine, and can even be left on skin overnight. "It smells like fresh wildflowers and my face instantly feels more revitalized and youthful," GH's beauty director reports.
Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels
For a fast temporary undereye fix, stick on these Skyn Iceland gel patches, a winner of the GH Beauty Lab's undereye masks test and one of Aral's go-to's. Evaluations with the Visia Complexion Analyzer device found they diminished the look of wrinkles by 23% in just 10 minutes.
Burt's Bees Overnight Intensive Lip Treatment
An overnight mask but for lips, this GH Beauty Award-winning buttery balm from Burt’s Bees contains skincare ingredients like ceramides to nourish as you doze. A tester reported that her cracked lips improved within a few nights.
RELATED: 11 Best Lip Masks That Make Chapped Lips Soft, Smooth, and Full
This Caudalie mask, made with purifying pink clay and nourishing botanical oils, earns raves from both GH’s beauty director with dry skin and GH Beauty Lab chemist Danusia Wnek, who has an oily complexion. “It is life-changing — hands down the best clay mask I have ever tried and I would use it every day if I could,” Wnek says. “It mattifies my face without over-drying, minimizes the appearance of pores, smooths out texture, and leaves my skin feeling baby-smooth.” GH’s beauty director agrees that “it is the closest to a facial you can get at home.”
Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Mask
Skin drinks up this herbal-floral scented green gel Tata Harper mask. It's loaded with a laundry list of botanical ingredients to deliver nutrition and softness: sunflower, coconut, and olive oils, and extracts of flowers like camellia, lavender, rose, arnica, and calendula. "My skin was dewy, plumped, and smooth," a Sephora reviewer said.
Amorepacific Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Mask
Amorepacific’s rich formula topped the GH Beauty Lab’s test overnight face masks test, upping skin's moisture level by a whopping 49%. The no-rinse mask is like a super-strength night cream: Swap it for your go-to product before bed whenever you need an extra hydration boost.
Julep Night Shift Deep Sleep Facial Mask
A winner of GH’s Beauty Awards and the Beauty Lab's overnight face masks test, this no-rinse Julep formula is made with a nourishing mix of shea butter and natural oils. It raised skin’s hydration levels by an impressive 43%, per evaluations with the Beauty Lab’s Corneometer device, which gauges skin moisture.
Ole Henriksen PHAT Glow Facial Mask
GH beauty assistant Katie Berohn turns to this polyhydroxy acid mask based on the iconic aesthetician Ole Henriksen’s facials for giving her skin an instant glow. “It gently exfoliates, helps even my skin texture, and brightens,” she explains. “Some masks can make my skin feel dry or slightly irritated, but this one always leaves me glowy — plus, it smells great and goes on pink, which makes it feel extra luxurious.”
Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial
This GH Beauty Award-winning Aveeno mask, a face cleanser and mask hybrid, is applied in the shower to work with the steam, exfoliating and purifying skin with glycolic acid and kaolin clay. A tester noted that her face looked clearer and more vibrant after use.
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