Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant for combination skin
Yeast Extract
Cucumis Sativus Extract
Bentonite
Witch Hazel Extract
Lactic AcidAverage
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other cleansing masks fit it 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 moderate cleansing for your combination skin, as bentonite and kaolin clays help absorb excess oil and impurities, while yeast extract and lactic acid provide balancing and gentle exfoliation.
- While beneficial for general skincare and oily shine, the cleansing and mild exfoliation are not specialized enough to significantly address your primary concern.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
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 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, this product is highly regarded by users with oily, congested, and acne-prone skin for its purifying and rebalancing effects, leading to clearer, brighter, and tighter skin. The product's challenging smell and sticky texture are frequently mentioned as drawbacks.
Highlights
Clears acne Mostly Mentioned
- “pimples flattened and healed”
- “speeds healing of blemishes”
- “breakouts disappeared”
Unpleasant smell Mostly Mentioned
- “smells like fermented soya sauce”
- “smell makes me vomit”
- “smells like cat piss”
Balances oil Often Mentioned
- “regulates excess oil”
- “leaves skin mattified”
- “reduces excess oil production”
Refines pores Often Mentioned
- “shrunk my pores”
- “pores look smaller”
- “tightens pores”
Brightens skin Sometimes Noted
- “face glows”
- “skin is much brighter”
- “restores radiance”
Smooths texture Sometimes Noted
- “smooths your skin”
- “leaves skin soft”
- “improves skin texture”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “outrageously expensive”
- “best investment”
- “pricey product”
Sticky texture Sometimes Noted
- “sticky consistency”
- “brown goo”
- “hard to spread”
Initial purging Rarely Noted
- “purge for the first week”
- “small breakouts coming to surface”
Skin irritation Rarely Noted
- “face would turn red”
- “tingling sensation”
- “burning”
Sources: lovi.care, paullabrecque.com, shoprescuespa.com, pickyskincare.com, victoriaroggiobeauty.com, femaledaily.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant work for combination skin?
Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant works reasonably well for combination skin by using clays and lactic acid to absorb extra oil and gently exfoliate, though other products fit this skin better. To truly excel for combination skin, a cleansing mask needs a well-rounded mix of hydrating and calming ingredients that maintain balanced moisture without adding oiliness while helping to manage breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for combination skin?
Bentonite and kaolin clays help absorb excess oil in shiny areas, while yeast extract and lactic acid gently balance and exfoliate your skin. To be a top fit for combination skin, a mask of this type needs a richer blend of hydrating and calming ingredients to keep dry spots comfortable while managing oil.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
What does Yeast Extract do for combination skin?
Yeast extract helps balance combination skin by supporting moisture and keeping the skin calm when exposed to daily environmental stressors. It also helps improve skin tone and smooth out uneven spots while maintaining a very gentle profile.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2013
What does Cucumber Extract do for combination skin?
Cucumber extract helps keep combination skin hydrated and refreshed while improving overall softness and smoothness. It may also soothe the skin and help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. To truly benefit combination skin, a product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and soothing plant extracts that balance moisture without feeling heavy.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024Fitoterapia, 2013
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleansing mask is used once a week as part of a weekly routine after cleansing, and is unlikely to irritate combination skin. A cleansing mask for this skin type needs clay and balancing ingredients like bentonite, kaolin, and yeast extract to absorb excess oil and impurities while keeping the skin calm.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this mask in your routine, but avoid using it on the same nights as retinol to keep your skin calm. Apply the mask on clean skin during your weekly routine steps, and save your retinol for a different night to prevent dryness.
How often should I use this mask?
You can safely use this cleansing mask once a week as part of your weekly routine, since it is gentle on combination skin. If your skin handles the clays and mild acids well and you want more oil control, you may carefully try using it more often.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This mask is unlikely to cause irritation on your combination skin, but initial purging may sometimes happen. A product for this skin needs balancing ingredients like clay and gentle acids to manage oil without harsh effects.
Is this mask fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
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, 2025Topical moisturizers improved skin barrier function and surface moisture, while a postbiotic moisturizer with yeast extract uniquely supported microbiome balance and modulated biomarkers of skin barrier, structure, and inflammation in participants and ex vivo explants exposed to environmental aggressors.
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023Quaternized 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, 2017Hamamelis bark proanthocyanidins strongly increased the proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes and reduced transepidermal water loss and erythema formation in SLS-irritated skin, whereas the polysaccharide fraction had no effect.
Phytochemistry, 2001A maintenance therapy with a cosmeceutical formulation containing hydroxyphenoxy propionic acid, ellagic acid, yeast extract, and salicylic acid over 20 weeks significantly improved even skin tone, spot intensity, spot size, and overall hyperpigmentation in 33 healthy subjects with moderate facial dyspigmentation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015A methanol yeast extract increases proliferation and migration while decreasing entrance into senescence and apoptosis phases in 3T3 fibroblast cells.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2014Yeast extract from the A154 mutant strain increases cell viability by 1.4- to 1.9-fold in human skin cell lines (HFF, A431, HaCaT) after UVA irradiation and exhibits stronger ROS-scavenging properties compared with the parental strain.
BMC Microbiology, 2026Transgenic cucumber expressing poly-γ-glutamic acid synthesis genes increased water content by 6-14%, reduced water loss by 11-12%, decreased facial wrinkles and roughness by 19.58% and 24.97%, decreased skin melanin by 5.27%, and improved facial elasticity in human skin and zebrafish compared to controls.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024Copper Oxide nanoparticles synthesized using cucumber extract exhibited antibacterial, antifungal, UV protection, and reactive-oxygen species inhibition properties with low cellular toxicity and skin-rejuvenating effects when incorporated into skin cream.
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders Drug Targets, 2021Topical treatment with Holothuria parva extract gel showed significant wound contraction compared to the negative control in full-thickness wounded rats.
The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, 2024Vectorization 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 Hamamelis virginiana leaf extract increased LOXL1 expression twofold, decreased elafin synthesis, restored functional elastic fibers, reduced nonfunctional elastin aggregates, decreased wrinkles, and improved skin firmness.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2018Witch hazel bark extract and hamamelitannin showed pronounced anti-inflammatory activity, supported keratinocyte migration in a wound healing assay, and inhibited Staphylococcus aureus growth, whereas their skin microbiota metabolite ellagic acid stimulated inflammatory mediator release.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2025Hamamelis virginiana bark extract inhibited Cutibacterium acnes-induced IL-6 release and TNF-α-induced IL-8 release in human keratinocytes without showing antibacterial or antibiofilm activities.
Antioxidants, 2022Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.
Cutis, 2004Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020
Ingredients
Yeast Extract, Water, Propylene Glycol, Bentonite, Kaolin, Alcohol Denat, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Vinegar, Lactic Acid, Witch Hazel Extract Bark Twig Leaf, Hypericum Perforatum Stem Extract Flower Leaf, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum
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
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