The 8 Most Popular Face Mask Ingredients in the World
The world is totally and hopelessly obsessed with face masks. Google says so. In a recent report on the top beauty-related searches around the globe, “face mask,” “masque visage,” and “feisumasuku” came out on top. South Korea has certainly been ground zero for the craze, but snail mucus and panda-face sheet masks are just a small part of the story. Women the world over have an urge to cover their faces in goop or powder or slime or cloth or a combination of all of the above, close their eyes, and by the grace of the gods and modern science, emerge brighter, cleaner, stronger, better. It’s a tradition that transcends borders. Women from Argentina and Morocco, India and the States — whether we’re building on ancestral traditions or embracing new technologies — we simply love our masks. Which is why we traveled the globe (fine, we picked up the phone) to get the details on who’s doing what and where.
INDIA: Turmeric
Every Indian kitchen is stocked with turmeric and gram flour (aka chickpea flour). And according to models Bhumika Arora (from Karnal) and Rasika Navare (from Pune), every Indian woman has also put those ingredients on her face.
Mix in sandalwood paste and rose water, and you have a mask that softens and brightens your skin. We really tried to get an exact recipe, but Arora and Navare both insisted there’s no such thing. Their only mandate: Play around — just don’t overdo the turmeric. “If you’re using a full spoon of gram flour, less than a quarter spoon of turmeric is enough. It’s very powerful — and very yellow. You could tint your skin if you use too much,” says Arora.
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FRANCE: Prescriptions
“You need to listen to your skin,” says makeup artist, Estée Lauder global beauty director, and very chic French person Violette. French women tend to customize their face-mask routines based on very specific goals, similar to their culturally ingrained practice of going to la pharmacie for a single purpose.
“We’ll always ask the pharmacist, ‘I have this dark spot or this pimple or this dry patch — what do you think?’” In Violette’s mask rotation: African Botanics Marula + Plant Stem Cells Mineral Cleansing Mask (to decongest), Pratima Revitalizing Turmeric Cream (to reduce inflammation), Joëlle Ciocco Heat Mask (to purify), and Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Mask (to glow-ify).
USA: Charcoal
Americans are hyperfocused on their pores. In turn, they’re always on the lookout for new blackhead solutions. And any mask with charcoal is currently topping the list, says Jessica Richards, a beauty buyer at Free People and the founder of Shen Beauty in Brooklyn.
There are a ton of options — even the OG pore strip, Bioré, now comes in a charcoal version — but Richards’s favorite is the 100 percent natural Arlo Blak, which is a loose powder. Mix it with water until the consistency is goopy, and don’t let it overdry (five minutes does the trick). “After I rinse, my skin looks glowy, and my pores are clean and tight,” says Richards, who even adds the stuff to her toothpaste (to whiten her teeth) and drinking water (to detoxify).
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MOROCCO: Ghassoul Clay
Hammam rituals have become a staple at spas around the world, but they’re nothing like the ones at home, says model Hind Sahli, who grew up in Casablanca. What’s missing? Ghassoul clay.
“It’s like a soap that’s full of minerals,” she says. Add rose water to the dry powder and you have an all-natural blackhead remover and skin softener safe for the whole body, including your hair. It’s hard to find the raw clay in the States, so Sahli brings it back from Morocco. Take that as an excuse to use up some vacation days.
JAPAN: Sheet Masks
According to nail artist Mei Kawajiri (and that Google report), moisture masks reign supreme in Japan. “Japanese weather is so humid, but our skin is still dry because of the AC in the office, the subway, everywhere,” she says. But because it’s so hot, no one wants to use a thick face cream to compensate.
“Sheet masks are so much easier.” Kawajiri uses one at least weekly and often reaches for TonyMoly Pureness 100 masks, DHC Revitalizing Moisture Strips for Eyes, and the long-time beauty-editor staple SK-II Facial Treatment Mask.
RUSSIA: Dairy and Herbs
Russia’s traditional masking culture is basically a refrigerator raid. “Eggs, oats, dairy products, honey, local herbs, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, cucumbers — our mothers and grandmothers would mask with pretty much anything they could find in the fridge,” says Olga Karput, the founder of Moscow’s Kuznetsky Most 20 boutique.
Karput and her generation now incorporate that history into a multimask approach. “I’ll start with a homemade mask, like maybe I’ll mix a few different acids and some chia seeds. That opens my pores and prepares my skin for whatever I use afterward,” says Karput, whose second step is usually a high-end formula from a cultish skin-care brand. Biologique Recherche’s Biomagic Mask and Masque Vivant are current favorites. And before an event, she’ll use a sheet mask, like MagicStripes Hyaluronic Intensive Treatment Mask.
SENEGAL: Henna
When Khoudia Diop, a model and a brand ambassador for the creative agency the Colored Girl, told us about her favorite masking ingredient, we thought we’d misheard her. “Henna...like the ink?” Turns out there’s a colorless henna, and it does wonders for your skin.
“Pure henna comes from a leaf,” explains Diop, who was born and raised in Dakar. “Some hennas have more ink than others, and we use the less tinted ones to smooth and moisturize the face.” Beyond henna, most Senegalese face masks are simply fruit, says Diop. Cut-up grapes or a mixture of lemon and honey are her two favorite options. “The grapes are great for hydration, and lemon and honey help exfoliate and cleanse in the summer,” she says.
ARGENTINA: Mud
Model, actress, and activist Calu Rivero grew up in Catamarca — and has basically convinced us that the dirt there is infused with magic. “In the north of Argentina, the earth is really powerful. I used to go to the backyard of my grandmother’s house and make masks with mud,” she says. Yes, she literally scooped up some soil, applied it as a mask, and reaped the benefits: “Because of the minerals in the dirt, my skin would feel so much softer after 20 minutes.”
Today, since Rivero lives in New York City and the TSA doesn’t appreciate it when she loads up her suitcase with Argentinian soil, she digs (pun very much intended) the Guerlain Orchidée Impériale Brightening sheet masks to get a baby-soft complexion. (But note to Rivero: Ask Hind Sahli about her clay-smuggling technique — she may have tips for you.)
A version of this article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Allure. To get your copy, head to newsstands or subscribe now.
More on global beauty:
5 International Beauty Routines, Tried By One Intrepid Writer
8 International Beauty Brands That Are Coming to the US in 2017
Skin-Care Masks and DIY Recipes
