Indie Lee Clearing Mask for sensitive skin
Salicylic Acid
Glycolic Acid
Bentonite Clay
Colloidal Sulfur
Zinc OxideAverage
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other cleansing masks fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 exfoliation for your normal skin with sensitivity, as salicylic acid and glycolic acid help decongest pores, but it lacks sufficient humectants and emollients for optimal hydration and barrier support.
- The colloidal sulfur and zinc oxide provide excellent pore cleansing benefits, which are supportive but not directly targeted at your primary concerns of redness and irritation.
- The formula is safe for your skin, containing soothing Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract and avoiding harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this cleansing mask once a week as part of your weekly routine, starting slowly to see how your skin reacts.
- Apply this product after cleansing and enzyme powder, and before your hydrating toner and moisturizer.
- Smooth an even layer of the cleansing mask over your face, making sure to gently avoid rubbing.
- Put the mask on clean and dry skin to keep your sensitive face calm and comfortable.
- Do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the mask too close to your eyes.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsUsers with oily, acne-prone, and congested skin frequently praise this mask for its ability to rapidly calm breakouts and unclog pores without stripping the skin of moisture. While most find it effectively smooths texture and reduces redness, a minority of users find the medicinal scent overpowering or the price point too high for the small jar size.
Highlights
Clears acne Mostly Mentioned
- “zaps zits overnight”
- “great for hormonal breakouts”
- “cleared my skin fast”
- “stops pimples coming”
Decongests pores Often Mentioned
- “de-clogs pores”
- “draws out impurities”
- “pores look smaller”
- “skin feels detoxed”
Non-drying formula Often Mentioned
- “doesn't dry me out”
- “creamy texture”
- “hydrating for clay”
- “no cracking feeling”
Smooths texture Sometimes Noted
- “skin feels baby soft”
- “smooths texture”
- “face feels polished”
- “reduces roughness”
Expensive for size Sometimes Noted
- “tiny jar for price”
- “expensive”
- “wish it was bigger”
- “pricey per ounce”
Medicinal scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like sulfur”
- “strong camphor scent”
- “medicinal smell”
- “scent is overpowering”
Can be drying Rarely Noted
- “left skin tight”
- “too drying”
- “caused dry patches”
- “irritated my skin”
Ineffective for some Rarely Noted
- “did nothing”
- “no difference seen”
- “just average”
- “didn't help acne”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.sg, dermstore.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, bluemercury.com, aillea.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does the Indie Lee Clearing Mask work for sensitive skin?
The Indie Lee Clearing Mask works moderately well for sensitive skin, as salicylic acid and glycolic acid help clear pores, but it lacks enough hydrating and softening ingredients to fully protect your skin barrier. A cleansing mask for this skin needs plenty of soothing agents and gentle moisturizers to keep skin calm and smooth.
Which ingredients make this mask a good fit for sensitive skin?
Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Bentonite Clay, Colloidal Sulfur, and Zinc Oxide help clear pores, while Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract helps calm the skin. However, this mask needs more hydrating and moisturizing ingredients to keep sensitive skin fully comfortable.
What does Salicylic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid may cause irritation on sensitive skin, so it requires careful use and good sun protection to keep skin comfortable. A product for this skin type needs gentle, soothing ingredients and a mild formula that respects the skin barrier.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 1999International Journal of Toxicology, 2003
What does Glycolic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Glycolic acid can be too harsh for sensitive skin, leaving it dry and irritated, so this type of skin needs a gentler exfoliating ingredient and calming plant extracts to keep the skin barrier safe and comfortable.
Where does this mask go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This mask works best as a weekly treatment for sensitive skin, applied after your cleanser and before your moisturizer. Because this type of product lacks sufficient hydrating and barrier-supporting ingredients, sensitive skin needs extra moisturizers and gentle soothing ingredients to stay comfortable.
Can I use this mask with retinol, and in what order?
Using this mask with retinol may easily dry out or irritate your sensitive skin because both ingredients deeply exfoliate and clear pores. It is best to use them on different days or times, and a product for this skin needs plenty of soothing hydration and barrier-restoring ingredients to keep it soft and calm.
How often should I use this mask?
Start by using this mask once a week to see how your sensitive skin tolerates the exfoliating acids. If your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you may carefully use it more often. A product of this type needs added hydrating ingredients and skin-softening elements to keep sensitive skin calm and comfortable.
Can this mask clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This mask is unlikely to clog pores because salicylic acid and glycolic acid help decongest them, though the strong clay and sulfur formula may feel drying on sensitive skin. To prevent dryness and irritation, a product of this type needs extra hydrating and barrier-supporting ingredients.
Is this mask fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene). Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010A 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 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 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, 2024Quaternized 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, 2017Twice-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, 2023Azelaic acid was probably less effective than benzoyl peroxide in acne treatment response, while showing little or no difference compared to tretinoin, and adverse events were mild and transient across evaluated topical treatments.
Journal of Evidence-based Medicine, 2020Topical application of precipitated sulphur 2-8% petrolatum achieved a 95% clinical and ectoparasitological cure rate in 40 ambulatory scabies patients without relevant adverse effects.
Revista de Investigacion Clinica; Organo Del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion, 2004Topical 10% benzoyl peroxide and 2%-5% sulfur cream achieved "good" to "excellent" results with no undesirable side effects in 113 consecutive patients with acne.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1966Topical 0.5% hyaluronic-ZnO nanogel applied twice daily reduced inflammatory-lesion counts by 58% at week four in human subjects compared to baseline without causing erythema.
Biomedicines, 2025Nels cream achieved a similar reduction in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts compared to 5% benzoyl peroxide in acne vulgaris patients, but caused significantly fewer side-effects such as peeling and dryness.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2000Topically applied coated and uncoated zinc oxide nanoparticles under flexing and massage are retained in the stratum corneum with no significant penetration into the viable epidermis and no cellular toxicity in human skin.
Nanomedicine, 2016
Ingredients
Water, Bentonite, Zinc Oxide, Colloidal Sulfur, Propanediol, Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camphor, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Titanium Dioxide, Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate
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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