The 10 Best Blackhead Masks
Special Honors
La Prairie Cellular Notably expensive, this peel from La Prairie Switzerland acts as a resurfacing mask and requires only three minutes to take effect. It provides rapid exfoliation and works to clear away dead skin and surface debris, helping to control breakouts, black and whiteheads, and oil production. It's formulated with AHAs and BHAs, salicylic acid, and mixed fruit acids. laprairie.com
Lancer Clarifying Detox Mask For oily, congested, and acne-prone skin, this fast-acting green clay mask helps to clarify and leaves behind a citrus bergamot scent. This luxe option contains 3% sulfur to absorb excess sebum, while green tea and green clay work to reduce the appearance of redness that comes with irritation and breakouts. The face should appear clear with blackheads, pores, and rough texture visibly improved. lancerskincare.com
Editor's Notes
July 01, 2020:
Anything in the beauty category can be tricky to keep up to date, as formulas are constantly being usurped by better options, improved with new ingredients, or just reworked to better address certain issues. The result was that we gutted this list and built it back up with brand new selections, keeping only LuckyFine Aloe Vera, Elizavecca 24K, Strawberry Black Sugar Scrub, and Aria Starr Dead Sea Mud from the original lineup. We also replaced Aliceva Purifying with the Aliceva Black, which is in essence the same, except that it no longer contains hyaluronic acid.
We kept LuckyFine Aloe Vera around for those who want something gentle, as most masks can be extremely harsh on the skin, whether sensitive or not. This gel-peel selection should be effective when applied properly but keep in mind that it may still have some ingredient that could annoy your skin, so do a patch test beforehand.
Among the fresh batch of selections we brought on today were two luxe options in the Sunday Riley Saturn and Tata Harper Purifying. Each has its own meticulously developed formula meant to tackle a host of issues, with blackhead removal being a handy casualty during the process. We especially love the Tata Harper brand for its US-based production and natural ingredients. Everything is sourced and mixed on the same farm in Vermont, using on-site chemists instead of outsourcing labor or ingredients from other countries or suppliers.
We also wanted to bring in two potent, yet budget-friendly options for those who need to see results but can't empty their wallet over it. They are the L'Oreal Paris Facial, an option that's part of a series of masks from the company that works especially well for exfoliation, and Neutrogena Clear, which is safe to use daily as a cleanser.
Bear in mind that masks are not meant to be used every day for risk of overly drying and irritating your skin. If blackheads are an aggressive issue that plagues you, consider supplementing a mask with other blackhead removal tools so as not to interfere with your natural sebum production.