Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque for acne-prone skin
Amazonian White Clay
Bentonite
Glycerin
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceAverage
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other cleansing masks fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 suitability for your combination skin as kaolin and bentonite effectively absorb excess oil and impurities, helping to cleanse pores and reduce blemishes. Aloe barbadensis leaf juice and oat kernel flour provide some soothing benefits, though more targeted acne-fighting ingredients would enhance its effectiveness for your primary concerns.
- The formula is generally safe for your acne-prone skin, with no harsh or irritating ingredients identified.
- It provides excellent pore cleansing and oil absorption, aligning well with your combination skin type.
How to apply
- Use this cleansing mask during your PM weekly routine. Start 1x/week and increase if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleansing mask after using your pre-cleanser and cleanser , and before your hydrating toner.
- Spread an even layer of the cleansing mask over your face , avoiding any rubbing to protect your skin.
- Apply the cleansing mask to clean and dry skin to help clear up your blemishes effectively.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your 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
How well does Kiehl's Rare Earth Mask work for acne-prone skin?
This mask offers an average fit for your acne-prone skin because its clays absorb excess oil and impurities, though other products fit it better by including targeted acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid and zinc oxide to better handle blemishes.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Kaolin and bentonite help absorb excess oil and impurities to cleanse pores, while aloe barbadensis leaf juice and oat kernel flour provide soothing benefits for acne-prone skin. A product of this type needs targeted acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or zinc oxide to better manage blemishes.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
What does Amazonian White Clay do for acne-prone skin?
Amazonian White Clay helps clear impurities and control excess oil on acne-prone skin, making it look much smoother and less greasy. This type of clay needs strong oil-absorbing minerals and gentle purifying ingredients to deeply clean pores without causing irritation.
What does Kaolin Clay do for acne-prone skin?
Kaolin clay helps absorb excess oil and calms redness in acne-prone skin with a strong safety profile. Using a clay mask twice a week may improve acne and skin evenness while keeping dryness under control.
Skin Research and Technology, 2023Archives of Dermatological Research, 2024
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cleansing mask fits into your weekly routine as a step after your cleanser and enzyme powder, and before your hydrating toner and moisturizer. It helps absorb excess oil and impurities, though acne-prone skin also benefits from targeted acne-fighting ingredients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleansing mask in your weekly routine, but avoid applying it on the same nights you use retinol to prevent irritation. Instead, use the mask on a separate evening, or keep retinol for your nightly routine and use this mask just once a week as an extra step.
How often should I use this mask?
You can use this mask once a week as part of your weekly routine. It effectively absorbs excess oil and impurities with clays while soothing the skin, though acne-prone skin often benefits from adding more targeted acne-fighting ingredients.
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This mask is generally safe for acne-prone skin and is unlikely to clog pores, as its clays absorb excess oil and impurities. However, some users may experience mild stinging or redness, and a product of this type needs stronger acne-fighting ingredients to better prevent breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
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
Vectorization 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, 2012Quaternized 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, 2017A 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 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, 2001A 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, 2018Topical 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, 2010
Why other cleansing masks fit acne-prone skin better
A 30% supramolecular salicylic acid peel improved the global acne grading score and skin barrier indicators, decreased cutaneous microbiome richness and evenness along with Staphylococcus proportion, reduced inflammatory cytokines, and increased caveolin-1 expression in 28 patients with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2023A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Treatment with 45% mandelic acid peel showed nearly equal overall efficacy as 30% salicylic acid peel in patients with mild-to-moderate facial acne vulgaris, but with fewer adverse effects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
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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