These are my favorite VitC masks to buy on amazon (well, my favs that are not $8 ea) I say this due 2 what is in the ingredient list, but more so what is NOT. This mask does do what it claims, hard to find even today in the results driven skincare world. I am a licensed esthetician & I specialize in studying & identifying cosmetic ingredients, those that are great, ok, those that just are & the ugly. So so many masks out there, tons on amazon (i mean it's a needle in a haystack out there) have the ugly. I hunt the good 1s for clients, but my study of ingredients began long before I went back 2 medical esthetics school for myself.
I am hormonal acne prone, plus sensitive to so many things. Every time I placed a mask on my skin promising to brighten, decongest, or tone, I was finding breakouts later on instead.
Let me pause 2 say that unless it's an allergic reaction or sensitivity that happens immediately w/ in the 1st 24 hrs, if a product "breaks you out" you won't see it till possibly 1-3 weeks later. It takes time for acne to develop; so if a product causes clogged pores the resulting whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, could be weeks away. You may have already had some blockages & those may surface immediately after using a clearing mask, that's what it should do, pull congesting to the surface, but if u break out the day after a new product then it is either a reaction to an ingredient, maybe over-exfoliation, or think back a week or 2 to what the real cause could be, then watch your skin in the following weeks to check to see if the new product really is causing breakouts.
Ok sry, just used 2 always having clients complain something has "broken them out" after waking up the day after using a new mask/other product 2 a pimple(s), it's just not true. This knowledge allowed me to determine which things my skin actually was affected by & maybe it can help you too.
I personally cannot handle silicones of any kind. Many sheet masks contain them & almost every moisturizer on the market these days has at least 1 if not more. They are used as a delivery agent for active ingredients often to avoid using drying alcohols, also as smoothers (like in primers) or moisturizers (while not actually moisturizing themselves, they help lock in skin's moisture & prevent it from evaporating away). While so many Derms, estheticians, & skincare sites will say silicones are noncomedogenic, & strictly speaking this is true, what many do not explain is their inability to be absorbed by the skin (it's why impants are made of enert silicone) cause of large molecular size & their occlusive sealing properties. This means that if another ingredient in a product is irritating or comedogenic, the silicones essentially seal that ingredient against the skin & hold it there. They do this with sweat & sebum as well, meaning skin cannot "breathe" (ok, skin doesn't breathe) It needs to be able to shed dead skin cells & keep sebum & sweat from building up inside pores, silicones can prevent this, especially if constantly applied in moisturizers 24/7 & for the acne prone like me that means breakouts. Acne causing bacteria love anaerobic environments. Silicones can help to give it to them.
Silicones are just 1 group of ingredients I avoid & they are not found in this mask. It also does not have parabens, alcohols, sulfates & other possibly comedogenic or irritating ingredients. Take the time 2 read the lists of all sheet masks found on amazon, found anywhere, even the most expensive prestige masks. You'll find the selection a bit depressing. I have not studied the ingredient lists of the other 3 versions of these masks by Rael, but I would hope they are also free of the more ugly things used in skincare.
For those of you in the US, let me remind that the FDA Does NOT regulate skincare & cosmetics. It tests pigments & dyes used to color cosmetics & bans a whopping 10 ingredients from use in cosmetics/skincare. In the EU over 1500 are banned & they regulate the industry more closely. So many clients I see do not realize this & blindly trust that skincare products are safe for application because they are regulated somehow. In the US they are not. If an issue arises, the FDA might make a recommendation to the manufacturer but not much more. It is up 2 us to understand what we are placing on our skin. Get an ingredient dictionary for $6 on Amazon & learn a about them, there are a ton of great sites out there that will explain the use of cosmetic ingredients, why they are there & if they are seen as safe, plus give them a comedogenic rating. Use google to quickly check the ingredients in products you buy & your skin will thank you.
I've gotten far away from just reviewing this mask now & I'm sorry, but this is a topic I'm passionate about. Studies have seen a huge increase in the occurrence of adult acne in recent decades. 80% of adult women have dealt with breakouts, 30% on a regular basis. This in increase can be tied to stress, diet, & the addition of hormones & antibiotics to our foods, yes, but also the use of so many comedogenic, irritating ingredients in skincare. Oil free & noncomedogenic on a label does not mean it won't break u out, it might not even really be oil free. Remember no regulation means no definition of "noncomedogenic" & no 1 to check if it really is.
When I experience hormonal breakouts, I can heal them fairly quickly, but it's my skin's tendency toward marking & hyperpigmentation that I deal with in the long run. Post inflammatory erythema (red marking) & post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (dark marks) can both be aided by Vit C. I find these sheet masks to be effective in lightening the hyperpigmentation (it would aid melasma as well) & the antioxidant & anti-inflammatory properties of Vit C can def aid red marking as well, caused by inflammation & tiny broken blood vessels directly under the skin. Along with Vit C, other ingredients contained in this mask aid these issues as well, niacinimide (vit B3) is a great 1. This mask will even your tone & help to smooth texture. The fact that in the process of providing these benefits, it also will not cause other issues is the reason for my 5 star rating. If u have great skin, never breakout, always clear, then this mask can help keep u that way. Vit C's antioxidants help to protect against sun damage by neutralizing free radicals, but also heals prior damage (wear sunscreen!). But if u are like me & have to be ever so careful what u apply to your skin, then hopefully you found a winner too. After a breakout (maybe that time of month 😞) I can use these every other night for a week if I want w/ no issues & quickly see the healing benefits.
I know this review is long & full of info not everyone will want, but if u made it the end, I hope this helped you & that you found a new product your skin will love.
I will say that I received a coupon code in 1 order that didn't work & when i contact cust service they said it was expired...but, i received the same code in 2 more orders after that! If u are going 2 place a coupon code inside orders, make sure it stays active until all of those products are sold. It made me wonder, ok, did u plan poorly & take the code down too soon? Or, was the code up for a while before u took it off & these masks are really old? So far this has been my only issue & I'm willing to deal with stuff like that when the product is great!
Always use all the extra serum in the packet too. After applying the sheet, i rub the excess on my neck, arms, chest & even the tops on my shoulders & thighs where u get sun & could use the Vit C antioxidant's repairing properties.
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