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Can this sheet mask from Revolution Skincare clear up maskne?

With a cocktail of skin-soothing ingredients, is this the one-stop solution to your pandemic skincare woes?

Louise Whitbread
Tuesday 02 February 2021 06:27 EST
The vegan formula includes salicylic acid, a spot-busting superstar ingredient
The vegan formula includes salicylic acid, a spot-busting superstar ingredient (The Independent)

The pandemic has changed every aspect of normal life, with social distancing and face coverings becoming the norm.

The latter has brought with it its own problems, as we adjust to wearing some form of face mask, in almost all public spaces to help reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

Something new to contend with is “maskne”, the term coined for the breakouts and irritated skin experienced after long periods of wearing a face mask.

In our guide to treating the condition, Dr Adil Sheraz, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson, said: “Due to the tight-fitting nature of the mask, this can lead to blockage of the follicular openings (the surface of the epidermis) and cause outbreaks of spots and acne.”

The added humidity and sweating due to the tight-fitting nature of masks doesn’t help either, nor does continuously adjusting it, which combined can transfer oil, dirt and irritants to the skin and lead to outbreaks of acne.

Read more: 10 best niacinamide serums that rebalance your skin

As a result, beauty brands have pivoted to address our new skin needs. Eye make-up sales have soared as we’re ditching lipsticks likely to smudge in favour of playing with lashes, lids, liner and brows.

Budget beauty brand Revolution Skincare has gone one step further and created a sheet mask specifically designed to banish blemishes brought on by face coverings. Designed to be worn on the lower half of your face, it promises to be an easy to use solution to prevent congestion, rehydrate and exfoliate the skin.

Costing just £5, we put it to the test to see if we saw a difference in our skin and if it’s a budget beauty buy worth stocking up on.

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Revolution Skincare maskcare maskne calming & purifying lower face sheet mask

Revolution Skincare maskcare maskne calming & purifying lower face sheet mask.jpg

Formula

Like most sheet masks, this is a biodegradable cloth-soaked sheet that’s saturated through to adequately deliver enough product onto your skin, but it’s not dripping wet or as messy as others we’ve tried.

The vegan formula includes salicylic acid, a spot-busting superstar beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) that exfoliates the inside of your pores to break down debris and bacteria clogging them, which is what can cause breakouts.

Derived from willow bark, salicylic acid is particularly helpful for oily and acne-prone skin, as it can regulate oil production and excess oil can clog pores and lead to bouts of spots too.

Read more: 12 best anti-ageing day creams that help reduce wrinkles

Alongside that is hyaluronic acid and betaine. The former attracts and retains moisture, keeping skin supple and hydrated, while the latter helps balance skin that may be lacking in oil and moisture, e.g. combination skin types.

It’s fragrance-free too, which is a common irritant so if you have quite sensitive skin, you’re unlikely to experience any discomfort. It didn’t exacerbate the existing dryness we’re often contending with on our cheeks, nor did it make our T-zone oilier.

Fit

It’s not slippy, is easy to unfold and remained securely attached to our face while we wore it for the recommended 10-15 minutes. Cut to fit half your face (the half you wear your face covering on where acne is most likely to strike), it has the typical one-size-fits-all approach, so we found it came up to just under our eyes, but due to it being slightly oversized, excess material ended up in our hair by our ears.

Read more: Gigi Hadid’s silk face mask: Where to buy the supermodel-approved covering and similar styles

It’s not one to try without tying your hair up first either, otherwise you could end up with greasy strands. However, the cut-out for your mouth is a good size and fit, and the mask adequately covers the chin to reach all the areas of skin that suffer from being under a face mask. It comes with small slits on the bottom half of the mask, so you can adjust it and pull it tightly over tricker areas such as the jawline and chin, but it did have a tendency to unstick itself every few minutes, which is common with a lot of sheet masks.

Does it work?

When first applied, there was a slight tingle on a cluster of spots we were sporting on our chin and cheek, but it wasn’t painful.

If you have combination skin, with an oily T-zone and dryness on the cheeks, this mask is soothing for both skin concerns, without irritating one or the other, so if you’re sensitive to boot, we suspect this won’t give you issues. It covers exactly where our mask normally sits and wasn’t uncomfortable, slippy or overly wet to wear while wearing it.

Sheet masks are always going to be a temporary solution, so it’s important to be realistic about your expectations once it’s removed. We found that redness surrounding our spots subsided following the days after we had tried this sheet mask, while drier areas of skin on our cheeks felt plump and smooth.

Skin certainly feels better after use and it’s an inexpensive treatment we’ll reach for again, but it isn’t life changing, nor will it clear habitual acne you may have had pre-pandemic. If you’re suffering from recurring spots, cysts or anything more serious, we’d recommend seeing your doctor or a dermatologist where possible.

Sheet masks also have a bad reputation for their lack of sustainability, thanks to individual packaging and non recyclable materials, so it’s nice to see Revolution Skincare has created a biodegradable design while still keeping a low price tag.

  1.  £5 from Beauty Bay
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The verdict: Revolution Skincare maskne calming & purifying lower face sheet mask

It’s fun to try and has an immediate soothing effect on inflamed skin, so with its low price tag, it’s hard to complain.

We’d recommend this maskne sheet mask if you’re struggling with a few pesky spots as a result of wearing a face covering and want something affordable and effective without changing much of your existing skincare routine.

Just keep in mind it’s not a long-term solution to acne, nor will it completely clear up breakouts, it will however, speed up the healing process, and that’s good enough for us.

For more information on how to treat unwanted breakouts from wearing a face mask, read our expert guide on everything you need to treat maskne

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