Skin and Lab Dr. Pore Tightening Glacial Clay Facial Mask Review

As a Memebox Ambassador, I sometimes get the opportunity to try some new skincare products from the Korean market. Today, I'm going to introduce you to the Skin&Lab Glacial Clay Facial Mask. I consider myself to be a little more obsessed with ingredients than the average person so, at times, I can be pretty harsh. In the interest of full disclosure I have mature, dry skin with small pores, no acne issues and very few sensitivities.

The Skin and Lab Glacial Clay Facial Mask claims to be a purifying, cooling and pore refining treatment. In fact, the box says it "minimizes large pores and firms the sagging pore walls" as well as "eliminating surface debris and moisturizing" all while "removing oiliness and preventing the appearance of blackheads." While I might not need all that, it's definitely intriguing.

Ingredients: Water, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Kaolin, Bentonite, Glycerin, Canadian Colloidal Clay, Stearic Acid, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Butylene Glycol, Saccharide Isomerate, Allantoin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288)

I believe it is the oat kernel flour that makes this feel gritty against the face. Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and should help reduce redness. The clays are for cleaning out your pores and soaking up excess oil. Glycerin is a moisturizer. This mask also has tea tree oil in it which should make acne sufferers happy.

So the majority part of the Glacial Masks ingredients are quite good!

First, I washed my face and applied toner. Then I put this on only half my face for this review. I like to be able to compare side by side what a product does for my skin, especially when it's a wash off mask like this. The consistency of the mask is quite thick, slightly firm but spreads really easily without going too thin. If you get it in your hair, you need water to get it out.

This mask is supposed to be left on for 10-15 minutes and I admit I took it off right at the ten minute mark. Why? The burning sensation was serious. Even now after I've removed it, I can still feel the burn. Because of this I was sure I was going to hate the results. I looked up all the ingredients to see what could possibly be causing this but they all seem so innocuous. It could be the Stearic Acid or maybe the Glyceryl Stearate. I don't know.

However! To my surprise, there was a legitimate, noticeable difference in my skin once I washed it off! Especially at 4x magnification in my mirror. I don't know if you can tell from the photo but I can! Probably because I'm used to looking at my own skin.

Now, this cannot change your pore size but what it can do is clean them out so they're less apparent. The mask side of my face was so clear it made the other half with it's visible pores look even worse! It also showed me how red the non-mask half of my face was. So the mask cleaned out my pores, got rid of some redness AND moisturized enough that the fine lines around my eyes nearly disappeared! If I didn't have the other half of my face to compare with, I never would have realized it either.

VERDICT: So, what do I think? Well, despite the burning/tingly sensation, my skin came out looking much better than it did when it first got slathered with the Glacial Clay Mask. I still can't quite believe it. Not only that but my skin is so so soft on the mask half. I'm going to have to go do the other half now to make up for it. I will use this again but I think it will be a once a week thing.

If you would like to purchase Skin and Lab Dr. Pore Tightening Glacial Clay Mask, you can do that here at Memebox. It's currently on sale for $18. Make sure to check my Memebox Deals page in order to snag a coupon if one is available and keep in mind that shipping is free once you hit $35.

*This product was sent complimentary for review purposes. All opinions are mine. Affiliate links were used in this post.