The mineral format
Clay masks
Twenty-seven masks, 19 of them European, and a format with an unmistakable fingerprint: kaolin on 19 lists, bentonite on 11, magnesium aluminium silicate on 9. It is aimed at oily and combination skin far more than at dry - 21 and 23 of the 27 against 7 - and it is a format you buy in a pot, which is why most of the per-use prices here are estimates rather than counted applications.
- In the catalogue
- 28from 23 brands
- Median per use
- €1.25€0.23-€6.33
- Median list length
- 22.54-63 entries
- Fragrance-free
- 13of 28
Prices are indicative, captured once from the source recorded on each product page, and they drift. 20 of the 28 per-use figures are estimated from pack size at a typical application rather than counted off a sheet count.
The short read
Kaolin, bentonite and magnesium aluminium silicate turn up roughly five times more often here than across the catalogue as a whole. That is as close to a fingerprint as a format gets.
Eleven of the 27 contain a drying alcohol - the largest share of the five formats here. Sixteen do not.
Nine list iron oxides and nine titanium dioxide, both classed as colourants in the encyclopaedia, each at more than three times its share of the catalogue.
Nineteen of the 27 price-per-use figures are estimated from pack size. A pot does not come with an application count on it.
What these lists print that others do not
Not the most common ingredients - water is on nearly every list ever written and tells you nothing about a format. These are the entries that appear far more often here than across the 215 masks as a whole, counted by encyclopaedia entry rather than by printed name.
- Well tolerated
- No meaningful concern for most people; irritation is possible but rare.
- Depends on you
- Genuinely relevant for some people, or depends on dose and pH.
- Magnesium Aluminum Silicate9 of 28 here·12 of 215 overall
- Bentonite12 of 28 here·16 of 215 overall
- Kaolin20 of 28 here·30 of 215 overall
- Loess7 of 28 here·11 of 215 overall
- CI 77491 (Iron Oxides)9 of 28 here·19 of 215 overall
- Ci 77891 / Titanium Dioxide9 of 28 here·24 of 215 overall
- Stearic Acid7 of 28 here·19 of 215 overall
- Sorbitol7 of 28 here·20 of 215 overall
Names without a link have no encyclopaedia entry yet, so we make no claim about them beyond the count.
All 28 clay masks
Cheapest use first. Every one is on sale in the EU and has a published ingredient list we could source and check.
Balea
Gesichtsmaske Totes Meer
21ingredients
1 ingredient we would look at twice€0.23 per use
Luvos-Heilerde
Anti-Stress-Maske
33ingredients
6 ingredients we would look at twice€0.38 per use
BIO:VEGANE
Gesichtsmaske Pore Detox Clay Mask
19ingredients
€0.48 per use
alkmene
Mein Teebaumöl Anti-Unreinheiten Maske
16ingredients
4 ingredients we would look at twice≈€0.54 per use
Schaebens
Totes Meer Schlamm Maske
14ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€0.60 per use
Beauty of Joseon
Ground Rice and Honey Glow Mask
35ingredients
≈€0.64 per use
Salthouse
Totes Meer Therapie Gesichtsmaske Mineral & Heilerde
17ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€0.68 per use
Luvos-Heilerde
Anti-Aging-Maske
27ingredients
4 ingredients we would look at twice€0.85 per use
Luvos-Heilerde
Hydro-Maske
33ingredients
8 ingredients we would look at twice€0.85 per use
Luvos-Heilerde
Reinigungs-Maske
28ingredients
8 ingredients we would look at twice€0.85 per use
Luvos-Heilerde
Vital-Maske
30ingredients
8 ingredients we would look at twice€0.85 per use
Q+A
Activated Charcoal Face Mask
18ingredients
≈€1.18 per use
Isntree
Mugwort Calming Clay Mask
38ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€1.20 per use
La Roche-Posay
Effaclar Purifying Clay Mask
20ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€1.22 per use
Dr. Scheller
Detox Heilmoor Maske
22ingredients
1 ingredient we would look at twice≈€1.28 per use
AXIS-Y
Mugwort Pore Clarifying Wash Off Pack
36ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€1.63 per use
Origins
Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores
23ingredients
≈€1.82 per use
Luvos-Heilerde
Hydro Booster mit Clean Maske
63ingredients
8 ingredients we would look at twice€1.89 per use
The Ordinary
Salicylic Acid 2% Masque
19ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€2.07 per use
Caudalie
Vinergetic C+ Instant Detox Mask
33ingredients
12 ingredients we would look at twice≈€2.08 per use
The Body Shop
Charcoal Pore Minimising Mask
37ingredients
11 ingredients we would look at twice≈€2.16 per use
Dr. Hauschka
Clarifying Clay Mask
4ingredients
1 ingredient we would look at twice≈€2.27 per use
Avène
Cleanance Detox Mask
18ingredients
2 ingredients we would look at twice≈€3.14 per use
Kiehl's
Rare Earth Pore-Minimizing Clay Mask
19ingredients
1 ingredient we would look at twice≈€3.33 per use
Aesop
Chamomile Concentrate Anti-Blemish Masque
16ingredients
9 ingredients we would look at twice≈€4.56 per use
Rosental Organics
Avo Clay Mask
17ingredients
1 ingredient we would look at twice≈€5.28 per use
SKIN1004
Madagascar Centella Poremizing Quick Clay Stick Mask
23ingredients
1 ingredient we would look at twice≈€5.68 per use
THALGO
Klärende Intensiv-Maske
32ingredients
4 ingredients we would look at twice≈€6.33 per use
Read another format
The other formats
The single-use format
Sheet masks
90 masks · median €1.95 per use
Cheap by the application
Cream masks
31 masks · median €0.48 per use
The longest lists
Hydrogel masks
24 masks · median €4.43 per use
The one you leave on
Overnight masks
16 masks · median €1.15 per use
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