The 16 Best Face Masks for 2021 and Tips for Making the Most of Your Face Mask

Thirsty Skin? Puffy Eyes? Breakouts? We got you. From detoxing clay treatments to hydrating gel masks, we’re breaking down the top 16 face masks of 2021.

Face masks are the foundation of any good skin care routine. They have the power to do great things to your skin. How? By quickly delivering a potent dose of powerful ingredients.

There isn’t much a good face mask can’t cure, from banishing dry, dull, aging, or congested skin to minimizing pores and zapping zits. Face masks work by creating a barrier between the air around your skin and the active ingredients being absorbed. So, the product is kept from evaporating into the air, leaving it with nowhere to go but into the skin.

When your regular skincare routine just isn’t cutting it, it’s time for a face mask. Ahead we’re giving you the best face masks for 2021 and giving you tips to make the most of your face mask’s powerful skin-loving ingredients.

Best Face Masks

Best Face Mask Overall: Herbal Dynamics Beauty Cacao & Chamomile Clearing Clay Mask

This skin-clearing mud face mask packed with antioxidants and botanicals targets both breakouts and the signs of aging. The gentle clays deep clean pores as botanical extracts calm breakouts, brighten, and even out skin texture.

Best Clay Mask: Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Facial Treatment 

This detoxing face mask is made of pure bentonite clay that you mix with a liquid of your choosing and then apply to your face. You can mix this clay mask with water or even apple cider vinegar to eliminate oil, dirt, and impurities.

Best Hydrating Mask: Herbal Dynamics Beauty Diamond & Pearl Firming Gel Mask

This peptide and diamond complex face mask with hyaluronic acid hydrates and plumps to soften fine lines and the signs of aging for firmer, supple skin. It boosts radiance and revitalizes dull complexions. Acacia collagen and amino acids help lift and firm skin for the ultimate youth-restoring treatment.

Best Mask for Acne: Herbivore Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask

This face mask gently clears acne-prone skin with fruit Enzymes, white willow bark, aloe, and blue tansy essential oil to soothe the appearance of redness. If you are looking to treat blemishes, this cooling gel mask does the trick.

Best Overnight Mask: Herbal Dynamics Beauty Hyaluronic Acid & Oat Recovery Mask

Rejuvenate your skin with this ultra-nourishing overnight face mask treatment. Extracts of broccoli and aloe help fight pollutants and oxidation, rescuing skin from daily environmental stressors. Hyaluronic acid and tremella mushroom draw moisture deep into skin as oat extract and rose oil smooth tone and texture.

Best Firming Face Mask: Grown Alchemist Deep Cleansing Masque

A deep cleansing face clay mask formulated to detoxify the skin’s appearance while noticeably improving skin firmness. Leaves skin looking visibly revitalized, decongested, and feeling smooth, toned, and prepared for moisturizing.

Best Anti-Aging Mask: Peach & Lily Super Reboot Resurfacing Mask

This three-in-one face mask deep-cleans, purifies, and resurfaces. This mask combats clogged pores, rough patches, and bumps for a smoother texture while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for a total skin reboot.

Best Exfoliating Mask: Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

This triple-action manual, chemical, and enzymatic exfoliating treatment addresses a dull, aging, and congested complexion. It exfoliates with pumpkin enzyme, clears with alpha hydroxy acid, and polishes with aluminum oxide crystals.

More Face Masks to Consider

Versed The Shortcut Overnight Facial Peel

This face mask works overnight to resurface and renew your complexion. The blend of lactic and glycolic acid (which work together to break down dead skin cells) and vitamin A (one of the most powerful and proven anti-aging ingredients available) exfoliates, brightens, and hydrates while skin-conditioning allantoin, rosehip, and vitamin E keep skin calm.

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

This hydrating face mask soothes thirsty, stressed-out skin by steeping skin cells in a nourishing mix of vitamins, ceramides, antioxidants, and gently exfoliating extracts. The creamy formula hydrates, plumps, gently exfoliates, and saves dry, tired-looking skin in minutes.

Renée Rouleau Triple Berry Smoothing Peel

This face mask contains a powerful blend of antioxidant-rich berries with five skin smoothing fruit AHAs, BHAs, and enzymes to clear blemishes and clogged pores, fade post-breakout marks, lift discoloration, stimulate cellular renewal and smooth surface texture while reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and large pores.

Glamglow Supermud

This face mask fights breakouts and imperfections with charcoal, a blend of six acids, and K-17 clay. The activated-x charcoal helps lift dirt, toxins, and excess oil from the pores’ deepest and toughest areas. The six acid blend helps loosen dead skin cells to exfoliate and sweep them away, leaving fresh, smooth skin behind.

Kora Organics Turmeric Brightening & Exfoliating Mask

This two-in-one exfoliating face mask is formulated to revitalize, brighten, and promote skin cell renewal. Turmeric, papaya enzymes, aspen bark, peppermint, and rosehip deeply detox pores and refine tone and texture for glowing, healthy skin.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial

This face mask uses a unique blend of alpha and beta hydroxy acids like glycolic, tartaric, lactic, citric and salicylic, to resurface the skin, revealing a clearer, improved skin texture and a more youthful radiance while minimizing the look of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. The mask also features chickpea flour, pumpkin ferment, and a soothing antioxidant blend of matcha tea, milk thistle, and apple to improve skin elasticity.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask 

This exfoliating face mask uses beta hydroxy acids from white willow bark and pomegranate enzymes to instantly smooth and soften skin, reversing dull skin within minutes.

Ole Henriksen Cold Plunge Pore Mask

This detoxifying clay face mask purifies and diminishes pores with an exhilarating, cold chill. Inspired by the “cold plunge” part of a Scandinavian sauna cycle, this face mask detoxifies, controls oil, and reduces the look of pores. The mask uses alpine willowherb and snow lotus to soothe, mattify, and refine pores.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Face Mask

You can use a face mask any time you feel like you need a boost in your skincare routine. When and how often you use them depends on your skin’s individual needs and the type of mask you’re using.

No matter what mask you choose, you can do things to help you make the most of your mask’s ingredients. We’ve got the skin-boosting tips and hints below to make your face mask work harder for you!

Cleanse before masking

Always cleanse your skin thoroughly with a gentle cleanser before applying a face mask and exfoliating any areas susceptible to clogged pores (think t-zone, brow area, and jawline).

Open your pores

To boost the potential of a face mask, open your pores by steaming your skin beforehand with a hot shower, face steamer, or by placing a hot towel over your face for a few seconds.

Choose the right ingredients

Pick a face mask with ingredients targeting your specific skincare needs. Clay masks are best for oil control and blackhead management, while gel masks are best for dehydrated skin.

Try multi-masking

You can treat different problem areas at the same time by multi-masking. Check the labels on your face masks. Then, build them on top of one another from longest to shortest application time.

Use a face mask brush

Using a face brush is much easier to control how much product gets picked up and placed onto your skin.

Apply your face mask with a simple, soft bristle brush. This guarantees that all of the mask ends up where you want it. It also ensures you have an even application over your face.

Close your pores

Closing your pores locks in the powerful active ingredients in your face mask. It also keeps dirt out of your newly cleaned pores. Close them by washing off your face mask with cold water.

Apply toner beforehand

Toner is an often overlooked step. However, a toner will help your skin better absorb the benefits of the mask. These full benefits will keep your skin smoother, plumper, and younger. It will also help the moisturizer you use after penetrate the skin deeper.

Seal it in

Seal everything in by hydrating your skin and boosting your skin’s circulation. Gently massage a moisturizer into your freshly masked complexion.

You might want to consider a natural face moisturizer for healthy skin. All-natural products limit your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. They’re not just better for your skin, but for the environment, too.

Natural moisturizers may also pair better with certain products, such as acne treatments.

How Often Should I Mask My Face?

As a general rule, you should limit your use to once a week. However, some skin types may benefit from more frequent treatments.

If you have dull or oily skin, a clay or mud mask can purify your skin. You shouldn’t need to apply it more than three times a week. Don’t leave it on for more than a quarter of an hour.

Charcoal masks are similar to clay masks. Apply them once or twice a week to deal with oils and acne. If you have sensitive skin, you might need to restrict your use to every few weeks.

Cream and gel masks typically ensure your skin is properly hydrated. Most people can safely use them three times a week. Some creams and gels are even formulated for nightly use.

Aggressive face masks that exfoliate and peel off shouldn’t be used more than once a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which face mask is best for the skin?

There’s no one type of skin. Some people have dry skin, others have oily skin prone to acne. It’s not uncommon for people to have a combination of oily areas and dry patches.

Creamy or gel-based face masks are good for dry skin. Clay masks are well-suited for oily or acne-prone skin.

Do you wash your face after a face mask?

Only with cold water to close the pores. Other than that, you shouldn’t wash your face after removing a face mask. Scrubbing and wiping your face can reduce some of the mask’s benefits. For some masks, you can gently massage any lingering product into the skin.

Which comes first, toner or mask?

You should always apply face toner before you use a mask. If you’re unsure how to order your beauty routine, consider the consistency of each product. Watery cleansers should always be first, followed by chemical exfoliants and face toners.

Then comes serums, lotions, and creams, moving from lighter to heavier consistencies. Use specialized creams, such as eye creams, before you apply overall face cream.

A face mask works best on skin that’s prepped. Toner can help your skin absorb the mask’s full range of ingredients.

However, a quick spritz of toner after you remove your face mask can moisturize the skin. The toner can also soothe the skin and keep out irritants. So for best results, try using a toner before and after you apply a mask.

Do face masks really help the skin?

A face mask can help the skin if it’s used properly. If it’s misused, however, it can damage the skin instead. For example, mishandling skincare products is one possible reason for adult acne.

A few important things to keep in mind include:

• The face mask’s list of ingredients. When it comes to face masks, more isn’t necessarily better. A longer list means there’s a greater chance your skin will find something irritating.
• Try out a face mask on a patch of skin first. The inside of your wrist is a good place. Please give it a couple of days to make sure there are no ill effects.
• If you experience pain when you remove the mask, or your skin is red and burning, do not use it again.

Can I use a face mask 2 days in a row?

It depends on the face mask. Hydrating face masks can usually be safely used every day of the week. Harsher masks that exfoliate or combat oily skin shouldn’t be used two days in a row.

Find a Face Mask Right for You?

Face masks can provide an occasional boost to your skincare efforts, or you can make them a part of your normal routine. How often you should use a face mask depends on its ingredients and purpose. Gentle masks that moisturize are often safe to use daily, while masks that exfoliate and affect the skin’s oils should be used sparingly.

Many products will have specific directions on how often they should be used. Be sure to double-check before you incorporate them into your overall routine!