The best face masks for men are an instant skincare pick-me-up

Faace Tired Mask

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: Caffeine and aloe vera
• Mask type: Cream

Faace's masks provide a solution to skin that has been disrupted by everyday aggressors such as stress, fatigue, anxiety and exercise. Following the trend for simplicity and transparency in beauty, it’s a straight-talking, no-BS brand with targeted solutions, such as “Sweaty”, to use on flushed skin post-gym, and, as featured here, “Tired”, which, as the name would suggest, reboots the skin with a surge of hydration. An impressive cast of A-list ingredients have been employed: caffeine to soothe inflammation, aloe vera to help retain moisture and speed up healing, vitamin C to boost radiance and fight off free-radicals, and vegetable glycerin, which has the ability to draw moisture in from the atmosphere. Lactic acid is also present to gently exfoliate, alongside frankincense to strengthen the skin.

• Skin Type: Oily and combination
• Powered by: Kaolin clay, camphor, almonds and honey
• Mask type: Clay

Part of a wider ‘Rescue’ line intended to administer a defibrillator to dull-looking and breakout-prone skin, Eve Lom’s award-winning cream mask deserves every award that comes its way. Using Kaolin clay as its oil-hoovering vehicle, this all-natural, paraben and sulphate-free clay mask cools irritation via camphor, exfoliates with ground almonds and clarifies with brightening honey. If you’re looking for one face mask that you wield in moments of breakout-related dermatological crisis, let it be this one.

• Skin Type: e.g Suitable for all, including sensitive and acne-prone
• Powered By: Montmorillonite, vitamin E, Melia azelaic acid, azadirachta flower extract
• Mask Type: Clay

A favourite with the Gen-Z crowd, Bubble Skincare specialises in treatments that have been designed to serve young, sensitive or acne-prone complexions. Come Clean, its creamy Brazilian purple clay mask, is a hero within the range, and having used it, I can understand why: it gently pulls impurities to the surface and clears congestion with none of the dryness and irritation usually associated with clay-based masks. In fact, it's super hydrating. Enriched with vitamin E — a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals and helps restore skin cell health — the vegan-friendly treatment also employs imperfection-clearing azelaic acid and deep-cleaning montmorillonite. Use 1-2 x per week (in the evening) for 10 minutes (until dry); suitable for acne-prone complexions.

• Skin Type: Normal, combination or oily
• Powered By: Hungarian Moor mud, marine plankton extract, hectorite clay, a healing concentrate made from Hungarian thermal waters
• Mask Type: Mud/clay

This multi-tasking mud mask detoxifies and draws out impurities whilst maintaining moisture levels. Designed to promote more even skin tone, control oil production, minimise fine lines, resurface the complexion, and even help treat acne and eczema, it really does do it all. I applied a generous amount and left it on for 15 minutes (you can use for up to 20 minutes, depending on sensitivity) and was really impressed by the results. My skin looked and felt smoother, firmer and slightly lifted, and my fine lines blurred-out. The once-a-week flash treatment is powered with Hungarian Moor Mud, which is rich in anti-inflammatory magnesium, skin cell-regulating calcium and pore-decongesting humic and fulvic organic acids. This clay, derived from the world’s largest active thermal lake, is blessed with 26 essential minerals to detoxify, stimulate, regulate metabolic function, balance sebum (oil) levels, soothe skin disorders and repair DNA damage.

• Skin Type: Oily
• Powered by: Charcoal
• Mask type: Cream

Anyone even tangentially close to the world of beauty and grooming has probably seen a charcoal mask in action, whether in a TV show or on a partner’s face. Perhaps you’ve wondered: what does it actually do? We’ll tell you, using Origins’ excellent ‘Clear Improvement’ cream mask as an example. Charcoal, in particular the active kind which has been treated with oxygen for antidotal properties, has been proven to draw dirt out of pores like a skin-perfecting magnet. In this long-lasting formula, the magic black ingredient combines with toxin-absorbing white china clay and impurity-dissolving lecithin. The result? An oil and blemish banishing skincare secret weapon. Use on warm skin and chase with a sheet mask.

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: Avocado and evening primrose oil
• Mask type: Cream

This vitamin-rich and luxuriously-textured mask is both intensely nourishing and hydrating. Particularly well-suited to those who suffer with parched, dry and combination skin, it deeply conditions with avocado fruit extract to help seal in moisture and prevent any loss of water. Avocado oil, which contains a balance of lipids, including essential omega fatty acids and evening primrose oil, which is frequently used in herbal remedies and helps maintain elasticity, are also crucial to its acclaimed efficacy. Mess-free and easy to apply, take a generous scoop, work between fingers until the texture is rich and creamy, apply a fairly thick layer to the face, leave on for 15 minutes, rinse with warm water and pat dry with a towel. It can be used up to three times a week.

• Skin Type: Suitable for all, but especially dry
• Powered by: Lactobacillus (from green tea), probiotics
• Mask type: Gel

Thirsty skin? Not for long! Laneige, the Korean beauty brand behind the sleeping lip mask (which is also excellent), has formulated something quite extraordinary with the ‘Water’ mask, a powerful alternative to a night cream. Intended for sleeping in overnight, this luxurious blueish gel delivers clarifying lactobacillus (from green tea), moisture-magnetising squalane and a whole bunch of healing pre- pro- and post-biotics. Cooling to the touch immediately upon application you’ve not had your thirst properly slaked until you’ve poured a big glass of ice water and slathered on a bunch of this at bedtime.

• Skin Type: Sensitive, sensitised and reactive
• Powered By: White mushroom extract, arnica extract, beta-glucan
• Mask Type: Soothing cream

This ultra-comforting rescue mask from REN’s skin-soothing Evercalm range is specifically designed to help strengthen and protect the skin barrier. Formulated to limit irritation and dermatologist-tested, it effectively calms discomfort and soothes itchy skin after about 30 minutes. While all skin is sensitive to some degree, I suffer with flare-ups and acute sensitivity more than your average Joe, mostly because I don’t have a regular grooming regimen due to testing so many new skincare products. I tried this out on one of my ‘bad’ skin days and found that it left my skin feeling hydrated and soothed, and visibly calmed any signs of redness. Made with Arnica extract, for immediate and sustained relief from reactivity, beta-glucan to alleviate visible signs of sensitivity and white mushroom extract, which reduces the appearance of redness, the microbiome-friendly cushiony-cream can be used 2-3 x per week, for 10-15 minutes at a time.

• Skin Type: Oily or combination
• Powered By: Bentonite + kaolin clay, lactic acid, spinach extract, lychee extract
• Mask Type: Clay

This easy-to-apply face mask from the maker of California’s favourite beauty tools and devices uses targeted ingredients to resurface uneven textured skin and help minimise excess oil. A highly effective and detoxifying treatment that takes inspiration from Korea (where the formula was developed) it exfoliates and sloughs away dead skin cells and draws impurities and sebum out of congested pores without being too harsh or abrasive. I fall into the combination skin bracket as I have areas that are more oily and others that suffer with dehydration. I applied a thin layer to a clean but dry face and waited 10 minutes to work its magic. The first thing I noticed was how the oilier areas of my complexion were less greasy and shine-free, whilst the dryer patches were boosted with long-lasting hydration. Powered with lactic acid that renews the skin’s surface to reveal a brighter and firmer complexion and a mixture of bentonite and kaolin clay for a deep clean, the rejuvenating formula also contains antioxidant and vitamin-rich spinach extract to help protect from damage caused by free radicals.

• Skin type: Dry, dehydrated, dull, patchy or mature
• Powered by: Vitamins B, C, E and F, sodium carrageenan, panthenol and squalane
• Mask type: Lightweight gel-cream

This vitamin-rich, replenishing night mask from Aesop’s treatment-led Skin Care+ range has been designed to help recharge and strengthen the skin, both its texture and appearance, and to deliver sustained hydration. This lightweight yet nourishing gel cream offers overnight redemption for complexions in need of some TLC, and is best suited to dry, dehydrated, patchy or mature skin. Also great for frequent travellers, it helps brighten skin that is dull and fatigued from life’s excesses and should be left on overnight to work its magic. Generous doses of vitamins B, C, E and F work in tandem with ingredients known for their superstar hydrating and emollient properties; sodium carrageenan, panthenol and squalane. Formulated for use whenever a boost of hydration is required rather than part of a regular skincare regimen, you can also use it for a rapid 30-minute replenishing boost during the day. With a comforting warm, woody, resinous aroma, this vegan mask leaves a soft, supple and nourished (yet non-greasy) finish to the skin.

• Skin Type: Suitable for all, including sensitive
• Powered By: Triple Collagen, La Foux spring water, menthyl lactate, GlucoSkinX3
• Mask Type: Rich cream

This new and improved reformulation of EviDens De Beauté’s iconic The Special Mask treats sensitive and sensitised skin to a uniquely awakening and refreshing sensation. Now concentrated with three times more Triple Collagen — which delivers restructuring, firming and anti-ageing benefits — and three times more stimulating La Foux spring water, it instantly perks-up tired, dull and lacklustre complexions. When I applied the mask I noticed an immediate icy and bracing effect, enabled by cryo-dermatlology. Infused with menthyl lactate, a form of menthol which is suitable for even the most sensitive skin, it helped tighten my pores and provided a long-lasting rush of hydration. It can be used 1-2 x per week, and is, in my experience, best kept in the fridge, to turbo-charge its cooling and toning action. The reformulation is also EviDens de Beauté’s first ever refillable product.

• Skin type: Blackhead and blemish-prone
• Powered by: Activated charcoal, salicylic acid, Amazonian clays, shea butter and sweet almond oil
• Mask type: Vegan clay treatment

The targeted skincare treatments from The Elements has been specifically designed to help remedy unhappy or unbalanced skin. This purifying mask from its Clear Skin collection, which targets congestion, breakouts, redness, stress and irritation, is an effective aid to gently detox blackhead and blemish-prone complexions. Vegan and made with 96 per cent natural ingredients, it is packed full of actives that draw impurities out and promote a brighter, clearer-looking visage. It's made with 1 per cent activated charcoal (to blitz the blackheads), 0.8 per cent exfoliating salicylic acid (a powerful but non-irritating BHA to exfoliate the dead skin cells and brighten the complexion), and a combination of deep-pore cleansing Amazonian clays (kaolin and bentonite) to vacuum up congestion, dirt and grime. A quick-fix that removes build-up and absorbs excess oils in just five minutes. Use both morning and night, once to three times per week.

• Skin Type: Suitable for all, but particularly good for dry or dehydrated
• Powered By: Ginger, turmeric, probiotics, grape extract, pentavitin
• Mask Type: Overnight hydrating cream

Inspired by the way trees adapt, heal and renew, Wildsmith Skin draws on delivery systems that get the precise ingredient dosage to the specific part of the skin at the optimum time of day. This moisture-boosting face mask helps strengthen and restore skin health by soothing irritation and visibly improving the appearance of redness. To be used and left on overnight only (1-2 x per week), it improves skin hydration over 24 hours and reduces lines and wrinkles over time. Formulated with an anti-redness complex of ginger, turmeric and probiotics that reinforces the skin barrier and protects against oxidative stress, chardonnay grape extract which works with your circadian rhythm to restore moisture, and pentavitin to help strengthen the skin’s barrier and reduce trans-epidermal water loss. My two biggest takeaways from using it were how well it calmed sensitivity and its visible signals (like redness, dryness and dehydration) and its 100 per cent natural and calming fragrance that helps you fall into a deep and uninterrupted sleep.

• Skin type: Oily and combination
• Powered by: Parsley and rosehip seed
• Mask type: Clay

While most masks offer evolutionary benefits by achieving results after regular and continuous use, some are specifically formulated to give a quick fix for tired and lacklustre complexions. This instant-effect mask from Aesop does just that, combining the best science with nature. A botanical blend that includes aloe vera, purifying clay to help draw out impurities and antioxidant-rich parsley and rosehip seed extracts to perk up dull, sallow-looking complexions, it is best suited to oily/combination skin types and is especially great at tackling congested pores and blackheads. Use twice a week and leave on for anything between five to 15 minutes, usually depending on how bad a night you had.

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: Oxygen and Egyptian cucumber
• Mask type: Gel

111Skin's Oxygen Express Mask was formulated to refine, refresh and energise the skin by encouraging your natural cellular processes to optimise their function. It is a stimulating treatment with the ability to diminish the appearance of pores and tone, tighten and refine the appearance of the skin with ATP and five active complexes. Powered by oxygen and Egyptian cucumber extract, which reduces inflammation, promotes collagen production and even helps heal wounds, it has actually been inspired by cryotherapy technology. A ground-breaker from a champion of the sheet-mask movement, 111Skin Oxygen Express Liquid Mask should be applied two to three times per week for five minutes and then rinsed free; its use will lead to a pore-free and rebooted complexion.

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: CBD
• Mask type: Cream

OTO offers an unparalleled quantity of CBD in its highly-efficacious and luxurious beauty and wellness products. A collection that's divided into two; Ritual (for day) and Balance (overnight repair), this richly-textured mask does its job, rejuvenating and restoring the skin, as you slumber. An eight-hour sleep mask, it features a very high concentration of organically-grown CBD, which actively encourages cellular rejuvenation. Best for dry and mature skin-types, it is infused with essential oils rich in minerals and vitamins A, C, D and E to hydrate and baobab oil to treat parched and damaged skin. Its high vitamin C content promotes collagen formation, boosting natural elasticity and firmness, while helichrysum and rose hip seed oils deeply nourish and help regenerate the production of skin cells. Effectively reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fights damage caused by stress and pollutants.

• Skin type: Oily, dry and combination
• Powered by: Cherry and açai
• Mask type: Gel

Q+A’s most innovative skincare product to date, this face mask has been formulated using 100 per cent natural ingredients and took over a year to perfect. Made with more than ten super-fruits, it includes cherry as well as youth-boosting açai which helps increase collagen production and is rich in vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and E. Cranberry seed oil, high in antioxidants, essential fatty acids and Omegas 3, 6 and 9, protects against damage from UV exposure and strengthens the natural skin barrier, while camu camu brightens and promotes luminosity. Vegan-friendly and suited to oily, stressed, dry, normal or combination skin, visible results can be seen after just one use.

• Skin type: Dry, dehydrated and stressed-out
• Powered by: Buckwheat honey, propolis and echinacea extract
• Mask type: Syrup-to-cream

Farmacy’s award-winning and skin-rejuvenating warming treatment mask has been developed using responsible farm-sourced ingredients. Particularly beneficial for those who suffer with dry and dehydrated complexions, it is powered by an antioxidant-rich and healing buckwheat honey (a natural humectant) harvested from the brand’s own bee barn in Hudson, New York. Enriched with antibacterial propolis (an antiseptic found in beehives) and amino acid-rich royal jelly, it stimulates blood flow and helps revitalise tired and stressed-out skin. Also featuring an anti-ageing and super-hydrating echinacea extract, it plumps, soothes and helps diminish the appearance of dark spots and fine lines. Spread a thick layer over the skin, massage for 1-2 minutes (as it warms it will transform into a white cream), leave on for 10-15 minutes; use once a week.

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: Rose clay, grape marc and papaya enzymes
• Mask type: Clay

Powered by the skin-benefiting properties of Bordeaux grapes, Caudalie is one of France’s most established and well-respected advocates of natural beauty. Its Vinergetic C+ collection, a five-step skincare routine, has been formulated with one of the most stable forms of vitamin C, asorbyl tetraisopalmitate; a supermolecule that has been stabilised to give it a much longer-lasting efficacy. The instantly detoxifying mask in the collection has been clinically proven to reveal a brighter and more even complexion. A relatively new launch but already a bestseller for Caudalie, it eliminates excess oil and tightens the pores whilst cleaning the skin of pollution and impurities. Formulated with purifying rose clay, papaya enzymes, grape pomace and caffeine, which actively helps to reduce dark circles and puffiness, it's also vegan, suitable for all skin types and fragrance-free.

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: Broad-spectrum CBD, bakuchiol oil, willow bark extract, shea and cocoa butter, hyaluronic acid, lavender and chamomile Roman essential oils
• Mask type: Creamy overnight treatment

Expertly created to contain the highest-grade broad-spectrum CBD to help hydrate, rejuvenate and soothe irritation, this indulgent, skin-illuminating mask gets to work while you sleep. It's packed with skin-benefitting ingredients, chosen for their efficacy while your skin is in repair mode, to help you wake up with a healthy, more even-looking glow. Bakuchiol oil, a natural alternative to retinol with less risk of irritation, helps lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and target uneven tone while the broad spectrum CBD works relax, destress, ease tension and promote a restful night's sleep. It's packed with active natural botanicals and butters, too; willow bark extract, which helps to naturally exfoliate, reduce excess oil and calm redness, hyaluronic acid, to deeply hydrate and plump the skin, smoothing away fine lines and wrinkles, and shea and cocoa butter to nourish, protect and soothe.

• Skin type: Suitable for all
• Powered by: Succinic, lactic and malic acids
• Mask type: Jelly

Cultured, the latest “project” from Ren Skincare cofounder Rob Calcroft, works with and through your microbiome to deliver stronger, healthier skin. The simplified, three-step system fortifies the skin barrier, optimises skin resilience and helps the skin rebalance itself, promoting a complexion that is less prone to dryness, breakouts or sensitivity. A rejuvenating, exfoliating jelly that keeps the microbiome balanced and the skin barrier strong, it has been enriched with a tri-acid complex to lift away dead skin cells, reduce the appearance of lines, open pores and hyperpigmentation. A pre- and postbiotic complex protects the microbiome resilience, while inulin acts as a counter-preservative, and saccharomyces deliver a cooling and soothing effect and reboot healthy skin function. Use the vegan formula once a week and leave on for ten to 15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.