Over Christmas and after going back to work my face started to really break out. A little bit of hormones, a little bit of too much chocolate and a lot of awful weather meant my skin needed a pick me up. This is where The INKEY List Kaolin Clay Mask came in. I’d bought it in my LookFantastic haul, but I hadn’t tried it properly until the new year.
Where to Buy
| Amazon | LookFantastic | Cult Beauty | FeelUnique |
Kaolin Mask
Alternatives:
Ingredients
Aqua, Kaolin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, 2-Phenoxyethanol, Dimenthyl Sulfone, Centella Asiatica Extract,Glyceryl Caprylate, Decyl Glucoside, Cellulose Gum, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Carbomer, Tocopherol, Macrocystis Pyrifera (Kelp) Extract, Sea Water Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Vitis Vinifera seed oil, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract,Sodium Hydroxide, Lonicera Japonica Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Geranium Maculatum Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Ingredient Benefits
Aloe barabadensis leaf juice powder is the powder form of the aloe plant. It is obtained from dried leaves of the aloe plant and functions as a skin-conditioning agent.
Cetearyl Alcohol is used as an emolllient and helps soften your hair and skin.
Cetyl Alcohol works as an emollient, emulsifier, thickener and carrying agent. It keeps oil and water from separating and helps the spreadability of the formula. It conditions and softens the skin.
Coconut Oil is an extremely good emollient and conditioner. It helps to retain moisture and make your hair and skin look and feel hydrated and smooth.
Glyceryl Stearate is a naturally derived fatty acid, most often used as an emulsifier. It gives the skin a soft and smooth appearance as it acts as a lubricant as well as creating a barrier reducing water loss.
Glycerin promotes skin cell maturation which can help fight effects of skin problems such as psoriasis whilst improving the appearance of skin in general. It is a humecant and helps the skin maintain it’s moisture which in turn makes the skin look healthier.
Kaolin helps cleanse and exfoliate debris and skin cells. It absorbs moisture into itself which helps support products that are self preserving and helps keeps products fresh.
Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is used as a fragrance ingredient, surfactant and emulsifier. When combined with other fatty acid ingredients, the outcomes often are moisturising products.
Tocopheryl Acetate is a form of vitamin E, a natural skin-conditioning agent and antioxidant but is more stable and less acidic than pure vitamin E. It is the most readily absorbed member of the vitamin E family.
Vitamin E is a naturally occuring antioxidant which is used in skincare products. It is a skin conditioning agent which helps reduce inflammation and rebuild skin cells.
Water acts as a solvent and enables multiple other chemicals to work much better than if they were without water. As water is water, it is also suitable for all skin types and won’t be over-drying or make skin oilier.
Sodium Hydroxide is an alkaline ingredient used to hold the pH of a product. It can be a skin sensitizer when used in high concentrations.
Ethylhexylglycerin is a skin conditioning agent which has emulsion properties, allowing products that use it to have better hyrdation benefits.
Safflower Seed Oil acts as a lubricant giving the skin a soft and smooth appearance. It is also used as a skin conditioning agent
Sunflower Seed Oil acts as an emollient and cleansing agent for the skin.
How To Use
Use once or twice a week.
Apply a thin layer to dampened, clean skin.
Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water.
Gently pat your face dry and continue with skincare routine.
Step in Skincare Routine
- Cleanser
- Masks and Exfoliators – Use at least twice a week alongside rest of skincare routine.
- Toner (+exfoliating toner)
- Treatment Products (acne, antioxidant serums, acids, retinols/retinoids)
- Mists
- Serum
- Moisturiser
- Eye Cream
- Oil
First Thoughts
My first thought was that it was cheap and I could afford this again and again if it was good. Clay masks are usually great for me because I get blackheads easily and Kaolin Clay helps target skin impurities and unclog pores in general.
I was slightly worried about posible skin irritants and skin sensitisers because of some strong alkaline ingredients. However, I didn’t see many bad reviews about this.
My first thought on trying the product was that it looks a lot different than expected. With some clay masks and that the INKEY is black packaging I expected a grey coloured product. This is a very beige mask, which doesn’t really show on your skin when using it.
During Use
When applying the texture is super creamy and feels more like a lotion than a clay mask. Because of this, the product doesn’t dry and crack like most masks, which makes it feel weird when you’re waiting to wash it off.
I have quite sensitive skin and whilst on my skin didn’t feel irritated or itchy at all. I also found that it didn’t cause any redness after which is always a bonus for my skin. This made it different to many other masks I’ve used in the past.
After Use
After I rinsed off the mask, my skin didn’t feel too different at all. I found my spots did seem to dry up a little bit, but they didn’t look as good as they could have been. Plus, despite emollient ingredients, my skin didn’t feel mosturised or hydrated from this product (although using serums after helped!). I also found that this mask didn’t really do much for blackheads, which are a big issue for me.
Would I Re-Purchase?
I don’t think so. I’ve used a lot of masks over the years and The INKEY Kaolin Mask just didn’t live up to it’s possibilities.
