SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque for acne-prone skin
Kaolin
Bentonite
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Glycerin
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit ExtractAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- 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 benefits for your acne and blemishes as kaolin and bentonite clays absorb excess oil and impurities, while Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract and Citrus Limon Lemon Fruit Extract provide mild exfoliation suitable for combination skin.
- The formula is safe for your combination skin, with Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract offering soothing properties and no risk of irritation.
- While it effectively cleanses pores, the product lacks sufficient humectants to fully address drier areas of your combination skin.
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
★4.8Overall rating based on 900+ reviewsUsers consistently praise this mask for effectively decongesting pores and reducing excess oil without stripping or drying out the skin, making it a favorite for oily, combination, and acne-prone types. The formula is frequently noted for leaving skin feeling smooth, soft, and balanced, with many users reporting visible improvements in pore size and skin texture after regular use.
Highlights
Non-drying formula Mostly Mentioned
- “doesn't strip skin”
- “leaves skin soft”
- “creamy texture”
- “hydrated feel”
Pore refining Mostly Mentioned
- “pores look smaller”
- “cleans out pores”
- “removes blackheads”
- “decongests skin”
Oil control Often Mentioned
- “controls excess oil”
- “mattified look”
- “balances skin”
- “reduces shine”
Smoothes texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels smooth”
- “soft and supple”
- “improves skin texture”
- “exfoliates gently”
Soothing effect Sometimes Noted
- “calms red skin”
- “soothing on application”
- “doesn't irritate sensitive skin”
- “calms breakouts”
High price Sometimes Noted
- “cost a bit more”
- “expensive”
- “pricey”
- “investment product”
Application difficulty Rarely Noted
- “hard to smooth”
- “takes effort to apply”
- “thick consistency”
- “hard to spread”
Jar packaging Rarely Noted
- “dip fingers in”
- “jar is unhygienic”
- “prefer a tube”
- “messy jar”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “smelled like sulfur”
- “strong smell”
- “medicinal scent”
- “earthy odor”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, bluemercury.com, skinceuticals.com, lookfantastic.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque work for acne-prone skin?
SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Masque works moderately well for acne-prone skin because the kaolin and bentonite clays soak up extra oil and impurities while plant extracts gently exfoliate. It is unlikely to irritate, but this skin type needs a product with stronger acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid and zinc oxide, along with more hydrating agents to keep drier areas balanced.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for acne-prone skin?
The kaolin and bentonite clays in this mask help soak up extra oil and impurities to clear blemishes on acne-prone skin. Additionally, aloe vera and chamomile extract provide soothing benefits to help keep skin calm without irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
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
What does Bentonite Clay do for acne-prone skin?
Bentonite Clay helps clear breakouts and calm acne-prone skin by soaking up excess oil and reducing the number of blemishes. It is a good fit for oily and breakout-prone skin when used as a facial mask.
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cleansing mask fits into a weekly acne-prone routine after cleansing and before a hydrating toner, though this skin type needs a product that also includes extra hydrating ingredients to fully address drier areas.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
How often should I use this mask?
This cleansing mask works best when used once a week as part of your weekly routine. To better fit acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs extra hydrating ingredients to lock in moisture and soothe drier areas.
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This mask is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts because kaolin and bentonite clays help absorb excess oil and impurities. However, because it lacks sufficient moisture-binding ingredients, an acne-prone skin type needs extra hydration to keep drier areas balanced.
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
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, 2018Vectorization 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, 2025Topical 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, 2006A 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, 2001Fermented bilberry extract improved wrinkle depth, skin smoothness, roughness, firmness, elasticity, antioxidant capacity, and complexion evenness compared to a placebo in 66 subjects over 84 days.
Nutrients, 2024Topical application of oil-in-water creams containing wild bilberry leaves extract and seeds oil produced significant beneficial effects on the skin of healthy human volunteers.
Antioxidants, 2021Bilberry fruit extract incorporated into chitosan-based hydrogels demonstrated antioxidant, anti-hyaluronidase, and anti-tyrosinase activities, supporting their potential use in topical anti-aging preparations.
Antioxidants, 2024
Why other cleansing masks fit acne-prone skin better
Chemical peels with 30% supramolecular salicylic acid effectively treated acne and reduced facial sebum secretion while improving skin hydration and barrier function in 25 patients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022A 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, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ci 77891 Titanium Dioxide, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-20, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Sunflower Seed Oil, Saccharum Officinarum Sugar Cane Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Orange Fruit Water, Citrus Limon Lemon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharinum Sugar Maple Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Rosemary Oil Leaf, Cucumis Sativus Cucumber Fruit Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil Flower, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Curcuma Longa Turmeric Root Extract Extract, Sclareolide, Rosa Spp Rose Oil Flower, Jasminum Officinale Jasmine Extract
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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