Finally: A Clarifying Clay Mask That Works for Dry, Sensitive Skin, Too

I’ve had a fraught relationship with at-home masks… we’ve been on quite the journey to say the least. What started with peel-off masques in my tweens turned into anti-acne clay masking, but as someone with normal-to-dry, sometimes-sensitive skin, those crusty green layers of clay have historically dried the hell out of my face.

While I’ve found a nice and comfortable territory with creamy hydrating masques, I felt it was safe to assume that clarifying and pore-treating mask formulas were out of the question (like the buzzy yet drying Aztec healing clay mask). A bit of a bummer, given that I still deal with hormonal acne on my chin (super fun!).

Imagine my delight when I got wind of the new Tatcha Clarifying Clay Mask ($70)—a gentle, safe-for-sensitive-skin iteration of the cake-y, sage-hued masks of yesteryear (and a much needed update!). This one uses Japanese clay from the Okinawa region and Japanese volcanic ash (we’re already off to a good start), and instead of tightening your tender visage as if it were on a stretcher, it softly rests on skin like a cream… and moisturizes while it exfoliates!? Sorcery.

The Clarifying Clay Mask Exfoliating Pore Treatment — $70.00

I got to try the stuff myself, and was delighted by the color changing effects (perhaps it’s the ‘90s baby in me); it turns pink and warms up a teensie bit as it goes to work on your face. Using this after a very light cleanse with a cream cleanser, it did wonders in just under five minutes, waking up my complexion and leaving me with that baby’s butt level of softness we’re all aiming for. Smooth, clear, bright, soft, happy skin.

This product is marked for normal, combo, and oily skin types—but it 100 percent worked for me (I did concentrate on the lower half of my face, where I tend to break out!). It’s amazing to rinse off a clay mask and actually feel hydrated and more clear. You usually get one or the other in a mask, but not this one.

I particularly love that you can do this mask for just three minutes and still get a brightening, exfoliating (but not drying!) refresh for your face — it definitely makes at-home self-care a little more attainable! And it’s not just me; despite this being a brand new product, it already has a five-star rating from hundreds of fans on the Tatcha site alone (same goes for Sephora!).

One customer writes, “I purchased this product and I’m in love, it warms up and your skin literally gets a spa treatment at home! This was amazing and I would definitely recommend picking this up! It has cleared my skin up tremendously and I have never had clearer skin like this in my life.”

Another, someone with dry skin, says, “I love it. My skin leans combination to dry, but this mask was still wonderful. My skin immediately felt and looked softer, brighter, and smoother. Definitely worth the money.”

If you’re struggling with acne and congested pores, but tend to get dry or sensitized skin, I’d definitely recommend checking out this clarifying mask. At $70, it’s a bit of a splurge, but well worth it for the quality of ingredients and the smoothing, gentle-yet-effective results.

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