Why These New Face Mask Trends Are Worth Your Time

Peel-off masks are really taking off (er, literally) at the moment: The bonus is the dramatic GIF-friendly experience of pulling them off. An example is Dr. Dennis Gross’s Hyaluronic Marine Hydrating Modeling Mask. The blue-hued plumping and moisturizing mask, which is loaded with hyaluronic acid and glycerine, solidifies on your skin in five to seven minutes. “Because it adheres so closely to the skin, it blocks out oxygen and allows the concentrated ingredients to penetrate deeper,” explains Gross, a dermatologist based in New York. And, thanks to its Silly Putty-like texture, it’s remarkably easy to peel off.

If you’re obsessed with cleaning your pores, try StriVectin Labs Silver Peel-Off Purifier. This mask lifts away surface dirt and dead skin cells with colloidal silver, which also detoxifies the skin. After you let it set for 15 to 20 minutes, take a Tin Man selfie and watch your “likes” tally soar.

For brighter looking skin, try Bliss Mask a-‘Peel’. It contains a powder spiked with vitamin C—a superhero ingredient that evens out your skin tone and helps diminish photo damage—and turns into a rubbery paste when you add water. Pull it off after 20 minutes and you’re fresher and energized for your close-up.

Some popular anti-aging masks come with application tools. Take Philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Pearl Mask. These “pearls,” which contain omega-fatty-acid-rich apricot oil and are coated with collagen-boosting gel, come with a cloth pouch. Scoop some pearls into the pouch and then hold it to your face; apply pressure to crush the pearls and then massage the creamy mask into your skin for an overnight anti-aging treatment.

Or consider Dr. Brandt Magnetight Age-Defier Skin Recharging Magnet Mask. This mask, which has a whipped, creamy texture and is infused with magnetized iron particles, reparative ceramides, calming lavender and energizing black tourmaline to soften lines, soothe irritation and “zap” (ha, get it?) the signs of environmental damage, comes with a triangular magnet. After applying the mask and letting it set for 10 minutes, you cover the magnet in a tissue and hover it over your face to lift up the unabsorbed bits, which helps draw out toxins from the skin. Just think of the slo-mo-video potential of the process.

The mask with the highest kooky factor goes to Peter Thomas Roth Brightening Bubbling Mask Radiance Oxygenating Treatment. It comes out of the tube like a gel and then, as the name implies, transforms into a magically bubbling foam once the ingredients hit the air and the surface of your skin. While it looks like a hilarious Snapchat filter on your face, there’s real science behind it: The mask delivers a burst of antioxidant botanicals (bearberry, mulberry, licorice). It also uses the proprietary Fiflow compound to deliver hydrating oxygen into the skin to fight dark spots and photo damage over time.

The 111 Skin Meso Infusion Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin C Micro Mask mimics mesotherapy, a procedure in which tiny needles are inserted into the upper layers of the skin to deliver a variety of ingredients, from those that brighten to those that fight wrinkles. This mask comes with two half-moon-shaped pads covered in dozens of micro-spikes that can be placed anywhere on your face (around the eyes, lips or nose) to lightly prick your skin so that concentrated doses of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C can get beneath the surface. The pain factor is pretty minimal, and after 90 minutes your skin is left super-glowy.