Clay masks are cornerstone products in the quest for flawless and hydrated skin. Clay masks are an organic and non-invasive way of drawing out dirt, oil, and impurities and have the added benefit of being nourishing and gentle on the skin. Unlike many contemporary skincare products, clay is completely natural and detoxifies without the use of harsh chemicals or irritating additives. Nowadays there are clay masks for every flaw, blemish, and skin profile.
If you are looking for the best clay masks for acne, dryness, or blackheads, look no further – this article will give you insight into the best products on the market. We will also guide you through the process of narrowing down the most suitable clay mask for your needs, whether it be a dose of moisture or a more supple skin texture.
Our Picks of the Best Clay Masks
Below, you’ll find the best clay masks for your skin type and flaw that will guide to healthier, clearer skin!
Best Clay Masks for Dry & Mature Skin Types
1. Mario Badescu Super Collagen Mask
This minimalist container belies a collagen mask with potent healing abilities. Mario Badescu is a skin care giant and a legendary guru to the jet set. This purifying and pore-refining clay mask is gentle and supple for a soothing treatment.
This clay blend is formulated with minerals, botanical complexes, and collagen to fill in fine lines and create a poreless and flawless complexion. Revitalize your skin with its non-drying formula! Perfect for skin in need of a boost of hydration, this one is available at Nordstrom.
2. Clinique City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub
A charcoal mask and scrub? This must be the most harmonious combination we ever did see! Five minutes is all you need to see results from this fast-acting clay mask. Perfect for all skin types, this product is particularly effective for sensitive and mature skin.
Polish your skin with the gentle exfoliating action of the micro silica beads and witness how this formula effectively soothes with kaolin clay and bamboo charcoal to remove impurities and environmental irritants. This little dream is allergy-tested and fragrance-free for women who are extra sensitive. Pick it up from Ulta Beauty!
3. Chantecaille Detox Clay Mask with Rosemary & Honey
A garden-variety clay mask, this delicate and luscious product is set to be your healing go-to on rainy days. This black clay mask is rich and infused with lightly perfumed and soothing botanicals. Because of its light texture it imparts skin with hydration and moisture while powerfully removing impurities and toxins from the surface of the skin. This results in smaller pores and a glowing complexion.
Kaolin clay soaks oil, and honey leaves the skin smooth and baby soft. Rosemary aids the skin by reducing inflammation and cleanses the skin with its medicinal properties. It’s now available at Nordstrom.
4. Memebox I Dew Care Berry Bubble Clay Mask
This adorably girly container will be a delightful addition to your armoire collection. The delicious mixture of clay and blueberries imparts this mask with a tempting fragrance. The wash-off formula is lighter and less amenable to hardening, making it perfect for sensitive skin.
One of the best clay masks for dry skin, it has a non-greasy and light texture, which soaks luxuriously into the skin. The mask bubbles as you wash it off, creating a decadent foam consistency. This treat will turn facial cleansing into a pampering experience, and it’s available through Ulta Beauty.
5. L’Oreal Pure Clay Mask Clear & Comfort
This seaweed-infused clay mask is a luxe addition to your skin care routine. Because of its creamy, blendable, and non-drying texture, it is the perfect choice for skin that is prone to dryness. A gentle clay blend soothes the skin and delicately removes oils and impurities.
It subtly draws out irritants and it evens out skin tone and leaves you with a fresher and brighter complexion. The product was designed for frequent use, and effects can be felt in under ten minutes. This is the perfect choice for women who want a clay mask with both a supple texture and soothing properties. Pick it up from Ulta Beauty!
Best Clay Masks for Oily & Combination Skin Types
6. Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment
This wonder worker is ideal for oily and combination skin types and is specifically effective for minimizing pores and clearing blemishes. This powerful blend soaks up sebum, toxins, and dirt while restoring your skin’s healthy oil balance.
It is formulated without parabens and sulphates and leaves your skin with a highly polished and refined texture and appearance. A blend of six beautifying acids – including salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and pyruvic acid – creates the appearance of silky smooth and blemish-free skin. Get your jar from Sephora!
7. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Purifying Mask with Red Clay
This punchy red tube contains a powerful blend of red clay, which promotes the removal of oils and dirt that clog pores. This clay mask is designed to wear for twenty minutes and dries harmoniously so you can remove it with a gentle peel-off motion.
It is powerful enough to soak up environmental toxins and impurities making it perfect for women with oily skin and blemishes. The mineral-rich red clay reduces unbalanced pigmentation and leads to a more polished and refined skin texture. Skin looks immediately refreshed and purified upon removal of the mask. This clay mask is also available at Sephora.
8. Charlotte Tilbury Goddess Skin Clay Mask
This luxurious clay mask will refine your skin and minimize your pores to a stunning effect! Create a dewy and vibrant complexion with this potent blend of collagen-rich clay. This mask is fast acting and improves skin elasticity, leading to a more youthful appearance.
Skin oil and impurities that sit on the surface of your complexion are drawn out, while DNA repair is sustained with a rich blend of antioxidants, almond oil, and rosehip oil. This luxe fragrant mask will leave your skin with a delightfully soothed and supple appearance. Get it from Nordstrom!
9. Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask
For balanced, revitalized and glowing skin, look no further. Natural clays balance the oils of your skin to produce a regenerated complexion. We love this clay mask because it soaks up oils without drying out the skin, making it perfect for women prone to breakouts, blackheads, and a greasy T-zone.
Healing plant compounds leave skin feeling nourished and smooth. Upon patting your skin dry you will be welcomed with matte and plush skin. This magical clay mask is available at Dermstore.
10. Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque
A powerful antidote to oily skin, this thick and soothing clay mask prevents the formation of breakouts and redness. The mask contains salicylic acid to promote gentle exfoliation and the removal of dead skin cells.
Cooling plant extracts soothe the skin and decrease inflammation. The mask soaks up the dirt and oils that enlarge pores, and it leaves you with tender, clearer skin. The bonus? All of these benefits can be achieved in just ten minutes. You can find this clay mask online at Nordstrom.
Best Clay Masks for Normal Skin Types
11. Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque
Large pores begone with this robust clay mask formula. The dense clay mask helps slough away dry skin cells and excess surface oil, leaving skin looking baby-fresh. Mineral-rich ingredients provide skin with a high intensity cleanse.
White clay gently removes bacteria and toxins while clarifying the skin, and an infusion of aloe vera soothes the skin, minimizing redness and inflammation. This multitasking miracle worker is your best line of defense against dull and irritated skin. This clay mask is available at Nordstrom.
12. Fresh Umbrian Clay Purifying Mask
This powerhouse will become your new go-to. This clay mask purifies and cleanses the skin when applied generously as a weekly mask but can also be used as a gentle cleanser or as a spot treater. It is potent and dense enough that it can soak up oils and inflammatory bacteria when applied to breakouts or blackheads.
The formula will mattify and clarify your skin without leaving it dry and dehydrated. Astringent sandalwood oil clears the skin, while lavender and chamomile relax the skin and create a luxuriously soft complexion. One of the best clay masks for normal skin, this tube can be picked up from Sephora.
13. Freeman Feeling Beautiful Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask
This particular clay mask provides a double dose of love with nourishing avocado oil and beautifying oatmeal. These natural miracle workers will produce a silky-soft and desirably luscious skin tone, and endow you with smaller pores to boot.
The dense clay formula soaks up oils and sucks up toxins from pores. Vitamin E adds an extra dose of moisture and leaves skin vibrantly clean and soft. Kaolin clay is perfect for all skin types and can be incorporated into your daily skin care routine. Find it at Ulta Beauty!
14. Origins Original Skin Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay
A fragrant and botanical infusion of rose is a delightful addition to this organic clay mask. Willowherb and Persian silk tree nourish the skin by refining pores and creating a sumptuous facial canvas. Embrace clarity with this pore-minimizing blend and look forward to softer, glowing skin. Formulated without parabens and irritants, this clay mask will leave you looking radiant and dynamic. You can get it from Sephora.
15. The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask
Seaweed complexes reduce inflammation and will thoroughly cleanse skin of impurities and irritants. Organic seaweed also balances the texture and complexion of the skin, visibly reducing pores and creating a vibrant natural glow.
Negatively charged clay ions soak up oils and dirt, leaving you with a tingly clean complexion. This clay mask moisturizes and hydrates your skin without imparting oil on the skin, making it ideal for combination skin profiles. Available at Ulta Beauty, the product is cruelty free and perfect for animal lovers!
Best Clay Masks for Acne-Prone Skin
16. Vivant Skin Care Sulfur Clay Mask
Beauty meets science in this hybrid blend of clay and 10% sulfur. We love this clay mask for the reduction of visible pores and the elimination of blackheads, acne and skin inflammation. This clay mask for acne leads to a vibrant and glowing complexion that will impart your look with a radiant kick.
Powerful sulfur soaks up dirt and sebum, producing a clarified complexion. The mask has the added benefit of detoxifying and improving skin texture, making it the perfect choice for women with acne, blackheads, and inflammation. This powerful clay mask for acne is available on Dermstore.
17. Freeman Feeling Beautiful 4-in-1 Apple Cider Vinegar Foaming Clay Mask
This soft and fragrant clay mask scrubs and cleanses while removing oil, making it an ideal mask for women who are prone to breakouts. The smooth and creamy texture is gentle on skin while improving skin texture.
Your pores will contract as the mask draws out oils and impurities and the tingling sensation feels noticeably effective against the skin’s surface upon application. This budget-friendly clay mask is perfect for women who want an affordable but effective introduction to the world of clay masks. It can be found at Ulta Beauty.
18. Murad Clarifying Mask
This luxe clay mask offers a full skin makeover with its powerful texture and natural clay base. Blackheads, whiteheads, and breakouts have met their match. The result? Radiant and luminous skin, free of blemishes! The high-voltage absorption properties will minimize pores and refine even the most inflamed skin. In addition to its skin-clearing properties, we love its simple packaging. It’s available on Dermstore.
19. Herbivore Botanicals Blue Clay Spot Treatment Mask
From Nordstrom, you get this special clay mask that strives to reduce existing blemishes, clarifying and detoxifying your skin completely. It’s ideal for all skin types suffering from acne. The Cambrain blue clay contained deeply penetrates into the skin, eliminating any dirt and acne without stripping your skin off moisture.
20. Michael Todd Beauty Kaolin Clay Detoxifying Facial Mask
Soothing kaolin clay detoxifies and absorbs oils and impurities, leaving skin free of blemishes. Nourishing minerals like willow bark, aloe vera, and witch hazel minimize pores and infuse the skin with hydrating complexes.
This botanical blend calms the skin and ensures that your skin will be moisturized and vibrant. Free of parabens and synthetic fragrances, this clay mask is perfect for women who are prone to breakouts and inflammation. Find it online at Ulta Beauty!
Best Clay Masks for Blackheads
21. Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay
We love this kitschy and decorative packaging almost as much as we adore the product itself! Deep cleansing bentonite clay absorbs oils to maximum effect while infusing the skin with healing nourishment. Simply mix it with water or apple cider vinegar for intense cleansing action. Leave the clay mask on for twenty minutes to see perfectly minimized pores and glowing, baby-soft skin. Get your magic jar from Bonanza now!
22. Philosophy Purity Made Simple Pore Extractor Exfoliating Clay Mask
An Allure Best of Beauty Award winner, this petite tube packs a colossal punch. This creamy formula gently exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells that lead to a dull complexion. The result is refreshed and glowing skin and visibly smaller pores.
Impurities and oils are also soaked up, leaving the skin angel soft and clarified. We recommend using this clay mask twice a week for sustainably healthy and youthful skin. Get it from Ulta Beauty!
23. Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask
Playful, tongue-in-cheek and effective? We’ll sign up for that! This exfoliating clay mask is a powerful blackhead crusher and the foamy bubble action leaves skin feeling nourished and healed. Spread onto dry skin and wait for bubbles to appear. Softly blend the clay in to wash away dirt and soak up oil. Rinse off for delightfully smooth and plush skin. Get your own jar from Amazon!
24. Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask
A pore-clearing charcoal wonder, this clay mask boasts a healthy dose of organic ingredients. This powerful charcoal clay mask soaks up the sebum and oil that stand in the way of you and beautiful clear skin. China clay and lecithin compounds work with the clay to dissolve dirt and rid your pores of impurities. Apply once weekly for a more balanced and healthy skin texture and tone. Pick it up from Nordstrom!
25. Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask
This clay mask is an award-winning splurge that is well worth it. This dense mask is rich in calcium and magnesium and draws out impurities with its negatively charged compounds. The inclusion of Hungarian mud softens and nourishes the skin and helps create a firmer and more radiant complexion. White clay is delicate enough for dry skin yet powerful enough to remove excess oils. Leave on for twenty minutes to experience the most beautifying results. Get this luxurious product from Nordstrom now!
How to Choose the Right Clay Mask for Your Skin Type?
Clay masks are suitable for all skin types because they naturally purify and detoxify the skin without excessively drying it.
Oilier skin types benefit from more frequent application of clay masks because the clay soaks up excess oil and impurities and cleanses the pores of grease-causing sebum. Because clay is so absorbent, it removes the buildup of toxins and dirt that can irritate skin and ramp up oil production.
Despite their absorbent properties, women with dry skin should not be deterred from using clay masks. In addition to purifying the skin, clay also imparts valuable minerals and nutrients onto the surface of the skin and has a wealth of nourishing benefits.
Sodium hyaluronate- and glycerin-infused clay masks are particularly beneficial for women who battle with dry skin. By maintaining a regular moisturizing routine, clay will not exacerbate dryness but will rather leave you with a more vibrant skin tone.
Cheat Sheet!
- Acne-Prone Skin: Moroccan Clay, White Kaolin Clay
- Oily Skin: Bentonite Clay, French Green Clay, White Kaolin Clay, Fuller’s Earth Clay, Moroccan Red Clay
- Sensitive Skin: French Green Clay, Rhassoul Clay, White Kaolin Clay
- Normal/ Combination Skin: Bentonite Clay, Kaolin Clay, Fuller’s Earth, French Green Clay
- Dry Skin: Fuller’s Earth, Kaolin Clay, Moroccan Red Clay, Rhassoul Clay
- Mature Skin: Rhassoul Clay
- Pigmentation: Fuller’s Earth Clay
Photos via @sonagasparian, Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta