Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque for combination skin
Amazonian White Clay
Bentonite
Glycerin
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceHigh
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for combination skin; a few cleansing masks fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers excellent pore cleansing for your combination skin, as kaolin and bentonite effectively absorb excess oil and impurities to manage oily shine. Aloe barbadensis leaf juice and avena sativa oat kernel flour provide soothing benefits, complementing the seboregulating action for your skin type.
- The formula is highly suitable for combination skin, with kaolin and bentonite offering excellent seboregulation and mild exfoliation to address your oily shine.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use this cleansing mask during your PM routine once a week to control oil. Start slowly 3 times a week and increase if your skin feels comfortable.
- Apply the cleansing mask after the cleansing step and before using your hydrating toner. This ensures it works effectively on your skin.
- Spread an even layer over your face using gentle motions. Avoid any harsh rubbing to keep your skin calm.
- Apply the mask to clean and slightly damp skin for the best results. This helps the product target oily shine efficiently.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Do a simple patch test before your very first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this clay mask is widely praised by users with oily and combination skin for its ability to deeply cleanse pores and reduce shine without being overly stripping. Most users report softer, smoother skin and visibly smaller pores. A minority experience immediate stinging or redness upon application.
Highlights
Leaves skin soft Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels incredibly soft afterwards”
- “texture feels refined and smooth”
- “face feels like a baby's bottom”
Deeply cleanses pores Often Mentioned
- “sucked the gunk out of my pores”
- “pores look noticeably smaller”
- “clears up sebaceous filaments”
Reduces excess oil Often Mentioned
- “keeps my oils at bay”
- “mattifies without drying me out”
- “great for my T-zone”
Non-drying formula Sometimes Noted
- “doesn't crack or feel tight”
- “creamy texture, not chalky”
- “less drying than other clay masks”
Burning/stinging sensation Sometimes Noted
- “burned my face immediately”
- “intense tingling upon application”
- “stings for the first few minutes”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “expensive for a clay mask”
- “pricey but lasts a long time”
- “not worth the money”
Messy removal Rarely Noted
- “hard to wash off completely”
- “need a washcloth to remove”
- “leaves a residue if not scrubbed”
Redness/irritation Rarely Noted
- “left my face bright red”
- “caused a breakout”
- “too harsh for sensitive skin”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, amazon.com, kiehls.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Kiehl's Rare Earth Cleansing Masque a great fit for combination skin?
This mask is a great fit for your combination skin because kaolin and bentonite absorb excess oil and impurities to manage oily shine. Aloe barbadensis leaf juice and avena sativa oat kernel flour provide soothing benefits that complement this oil control while keeping your skin calm.
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for combination skin?
Kaolin and bentonite make this mask a great fit because they absorb excess oil and impurities to manage oily shine, while aloe barbadensis leaf juice and avena sativa oat kernel flour soothe your skin. These clays provide excellent seboregulation and mild exfoliation without irritation.
What does Amazonian White Clay do for combination skin?
Amazonian White Clay helps improve skin evenness and hydration while reducing excess oil and shine for combination skin. Twice-weekly use of a clay mask is well tolerated and may also help reduce breakouts and dryness.
What does Kaolin Clay do for combination skin?
Kaolin clay helps absorb excess oil in oily areas while keeping dry patches comfortable and calm. This gentle mineral ingredient is unlikely to irritate sensitive combination skin.
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleansing mask goes in your weekly routine after a cleanser and enzyme powder, and before a hydrating toner, treatment, and moisturizer. It helps absorb excess oil and impurities from your pores while keeping your skin calm.
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleansing mask in your routine alongside retinol, but apply them on different nights to keep your skin calm and comfortable. Using a clay mask on the same night as retinol may cause dryness or irritation for combination skin.
How often should I use this mask?
You can use this cleansing mask once a week as part of your weekly routine. Its clays absorb excess oil and impurities to manage oily shine, while soothing ingredients help keep your skin calm with no risk of irritation.
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This mask is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for combination skin, as kaolin and bentonite absorb excess oil and impurities while aloe vera helps soothe the skin. The formula is very safe and well-suited for managing oily shine without harsh ingredients that typically trigger irritation.
Is this mask fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A bentonite-based facial mask with Alcea sulphurea extract combined with oral azithromycin significantly reduced total lesion count and acne severity index while enhancing patient satisfaction in patients with moderate acne compared to placebo plus azithromycin over 8 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/organic montmorillonite nanocomposite demonstrated superior moisture-adsorption and retention compared to hyaluronic acid, good UV-protection ability, negligible dermal irritation, and prominent moisture-retention efficacy on human stratum corneum when formulated into a cosmetic cream.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2017Vectorization of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid with clay enabled its penetration into deeper skin layers and led to a significant clinical reduction in fine lines in the crow's feet area compared to placebo after 28 days.
Skin Research and Technology, 2024Twice-weekly use of a clay mask over 4 weeks in 75 adults with oily or combination skin improved acne-related outcomes, sebum content, skin evenness, hydration, and reduced dryness and irritation.
Skin Research and Technology, 2023Clay jojoba oil facial masks reduced total skin lesions by a mean of 54% after 6 weeks in 133 participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and mild acne compared to baseline.
Forschende Komplementarmedizin, 2012A novel water-in-oil emulsion with a lecithin-modified bentonite prevented epidermal degradation and inflammatory protein secretion induced by urban dust and cedar pollen more effectively than a conventional water-in-oil emulsion in a reconstructed human epidermis model.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020Bentonite nanoparticles and honey co-administration improved skin wound healing in BALB/c mice by reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and increasing fibroblastosis, new epithelium thickness, granulation area, and collagen density compared to the untreated control group.
The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2025A novel electrospun chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/montmorillonite clay scaffold proved to be a suitable material for cell proliferation and demonstrated strong antimicrobial and scavenging efficacy for wound healing applications.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Formulations containing 0.10%, 0.25%, and 0.50% freeze-dried Aloe vera extract increased stratum corneum water content compared with the vehicle in 20 female subjects, while transepidermal water loss was not modified.
Skin Research and Technology, 2006
Ingredients
Water, Kaolin, Bentonite, Propanediol, Glycerin, Ci 77891 Titanium Dioxide, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Zea Mays Corn Starch, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-20, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Aloe Barbadensis Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa Oat Kernel Flour, Allantoin
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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