These Are the Very Best Face Masks for Acne-Prone Skin (2024)

When NYC’s acne whisperer, aka licensed esthetician Sofie Pavitt, launched a skincare line of acne-friendly products, I knew my pimples would be a goner. Pavitt is a major proponent of non-comedogenic products, putting pore-safe ingredients in the forefront of each formula. The Reset Acne Mask is the brand’s most recent launch and packs a lot of punch with benzoyl peroxide, kaolin clay, and glycolic acid to absorb oils and exfoliate the skin.

This bb is also a 2024 Cosmo Acne Awards winner. “I religiously cover my entire T-zone in this mask one to two days before my period to help prevent hormonal breakouts,” says beauty editor Beth Gillette. “I can definitely say it’s reduced the number of zits I wake up stressing about. It can be a little intense (hi, benzoyl peroxide), so I like to keep it to the areas of my face that are prone to acne and always follow up with a soothing moisturizer.”

• Type: Paste
• Key Ingredients: Benzoyl peroxide, kaolin clay, and glycolic acid
  

Glowing customer review: “I’ve been struggling with a painful breakout along my jawline and this is the ONLY thing that’s helped. I left it on for 10 minutes a day for 3 days and noticed improvement every single time. This is my officially my new go-to!!”

If you have congested pores and blackheads a clay mask is gonna be your skincare BFF, and this one from Caudalíe is an excellent choice according to myself and Cosmo's beauty editor. It uses kaolin clay to remove pore-clogging impurities, lactic acid to exfoliate, and grape extract to reduce inflammation.

“When my nose is particularly oily, I swipe on this mask because it’s filled with bentonite and kaolin clays to help soak up excess sebum,” says Beth. “I notice it’s really helped my face cut down on clogged pores and blackheads.”

• Type: Clay paste
• Key Ingredients: Kaolin clay, lactic acid, grape extract

Glowing customer review: “I adore the Caudalie Detox Clay Mask for my oily skin. It rapidly tightens my pores and eliminates all the dirt and makeup trapped in them. Applying it for just 10 minutes works like a charm.”

If you’re new to Face Reality, welcome! The brand is specifically formulated for acneic skin since all the formulas work overtime to clear pimples and prevent new ones from forming. As an acne-prone gal with reactive skin, I was always hesitant of using products with vitamin C and other intense actives on my sensitive face. But this brightening mask srsly took my complexion from dull and uneven to glowy as heck.

The combo of brightening ingredients (like vitamin C and other acids) and soothing ingredients (like hyaluronic acid and bisabolol) make the formula ideal for anyone with hyperpigmentation, acne, and/0r dry skin.

• Type: Gel
• Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, glycerin

Glowing customer review: “My acne expert used this on my face when I went in for a facial, so I ordered it online. I love how it makes my face feel soft and look bright!”

If your acne-prone skin needs an extra dose of hydration, this mask from Tula is like a giant glass of ice water for your face. No joke. It’s loaded with hyaluronic acid extracts that are five times stronger than the norm, so it gives your skin a supercharged boost of hydration. It also has aloe and pear extract to plump your freshly dewy skin.

And the best part? The gel formula coupled with the applicator gives a nice cooling sensation to the skin. And you can throw it in the fridge for an extra refreshing feel.

• Type: Gel
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, prickly pear extract, ceramides

Glowing customer review: “I have been battling dry spots for months and months. After two uses, most of my dry spots disappeared and the final one is on its way out. Don’t wait to try this!! So much better than many of the more expensive skin care products out there.”

For the days you just need a bit of a self-care moment, this sheet mask is the perf combo of exfoliating (shout-out to salicylic acid) and hydrating (hi, hyaluronic acid). Not only will the mask fight breakouts without drying your skin out, but niacinamide and allantoin will also smooth and brighten hyperpigmentation as well. We love a multitasking moment. <3

• Type: Sheet mask
• Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, niacinamide, allantoin

Glowing customer review: “I did this mask the night before my wedding when my forehead was breaking out a little, not big pimples but subtle acne. I swear in the morning, it was gone. And like all Dr.jart products, it moisturized my skin really well, getting rid of any dry spots.”

Allow me to wax poetic about overnight masks for a sec. This firming sleeping mask from Laneige includes peony and collagen to deliver both overnight and long-term benefits for that bouncy and bright appearance—all without ever causing breakouts in my experience. Oh, and did I mention it’s beloved by Ms. Sydney Sweeney too?

• Type: Gel mask
• Key ingredients: Peony, hyaluronic acid, green tea extract

Glowing customer review: “The texture is super light and bouncy, just like the name suggests. It feels refreshing when you put it on, and it doesn’t leave that sticky residue that some masks do. When I woke up, my skin definitely felt more hydrated and a bit firmer. After using it for a couple of weeks, I noticed my skin looked more plump and less tired.”

Have you been feeling like your skin is missing the glow of it all? Don’t fret, dull skin is common when you’re dealing with acne and congestion, but this blend of salicylic acid, charcoal, and clay is just what you need to reboot and clarify your complexion. It removes buildup and dead skin—and quickly too; you only need to leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Type: Clay
• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, charcoal, kaolin clay

Glowing customer review: “I think I have gone through about 3 or 4 tubes of this mask. This product makes my skin so soft and smooth. Also super cheap compared to other similar masks.”

This mask from SkinCeuticals uses natural earth clays and botanicals to unclog pores, remove impurities, and balance oil production. It’s calming and nourishing, thanks to aloe and chamomile but really does a good job of deep cleaning skin and getting rid of pore-clogging dead skin cells thanks to lactic and glycolic acids.

• Type: Clay
• Key ingredients: Lactic acid, glycolic acid, aloe

Glowing customer review: “I used this mask when I was having one of those bad weeks on my chin and it brought everything to the surface and three days later, I was clear—perfect for those painful cystic pimples!”

Containing a blend of key ingredients such as sulfur, niacinamide, zinc PCA, bentonite, and tea tree oil, this mask helps absorb excess sebum and reduce clogged pores, while also calming inflammation. This one is meant to be used as a 20-minute spot treatment and can be used wherever you want on your body as well (*cries in bacne*).

• Type: Cream
• Key ingredients: Sulfur, tea tree oil, niacinamide

Glowing customer review: “Loved this product so much I bought three tubes. It goes a long way and makes a huge diff in pimple size overnight. And I’ve tried it all. I use it all over face as a mask and it works great. I have combo skin and it’s not drying.”

This Murad mask earned rave reviews from Cosmo associate editor Siena Gagliano. “This mask was is so effective at reducing my acne, I use it every other night, no matter the type of breakout I'm dealing with,” she says. “Over time, my pimples dry out and my face looks way less inflamed.”

• Type: Clay
• Key ingredients: Sulfur, kaolin clay

Glowing customer review: “I’ve been using this about two or three times a week. And omg! You do get a bit of a purging effect at first, I noticed some new pimples come out, but the more I use it, the more my acne is slowing down and becoming less all over. I really really love it.”

Using a combination of kaolin and bentonite clays, this mask for acne-prone skin not only helps minimize inflammation, but controls oil and targets blackheads too. And unlike many purifying clay-based masks, this formula is designed to be gentle on sensitive skin.

• Type: Clay
• Key ingredients: Kaolin clay, salicylic acid

Glowing customer review: “This mask is amazing—whenever I break out or have really bad blackheads, I use this and it gets rid of my nose blackheads in one use and calms my other acne. Definitely worth the cost.”

This fast-acting mask utilizes fruit enzymes (pineapple and papaya, specifically) to shed dead skin cells for optimal skin-smoothing results. It’s also infused with bamboo to resurface the skin to minimize buildup and breakouts. And to top it all off, caffeine-heavy ingredients help energize and brighten the skin for that post-facial glow in a bottle.

• Type: Scrub
• Key ingredients: Fruit enzymes, bamboo, niacinamide

Glowing customer review: “I struggle with uneven skin tone and texture due to old acne scars, and I can notice an improvement in my skin after using this for a few weeks. I bought this on a whim and kind of flinched at the cost, but it’s worth it!”

Unfortunately, there is no easy fix to treating acne. The first step according to Dr. Engelman is to evaluate your skin and determine what type of acne you are dealing with by consulting a dermatologist. From there, you can learn more about what ingredients work best for your specific type of acne.

Although there is no magic way to clear your skin overnight, Dr. Garshick notes that applying a spot treatment containing ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide or using a pimple patch can help achieve quick results.

Several different ingredients in face masks can help unclog pores and reduce inflammation, so it’s important to learn what works best for your skin. If you have acne-prone and oily skin, you should look out for face masks with ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and adapalene (a retinoid).

For beauty shopping novices who don’t know their skin type, Dr. Engelman has a good rule of thumb you can use as a guiding tool: “Usually masks that are good for acne will have key callouts on the packaging like ‘detoxifying’ or ‘purifying’ and these are what you want to lean toward,” she explains. “And make sure to layer a moisturizer on your skin after a more drying mask.”

• Dendy Engelman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist, Mohs surgeon, and media expert who specializes in medical and cosmetic dermatology. Dr. Engelman is based in New York, NY.
• Marisa Garshick, MD, FAAD, is a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, NY.

Jasmine Hyman is the assistant shopping editor at Cosmopolitan where she writes about all the best products you can add to your cart—including skincare, of course. As an acne-prone editor, she takes her skincare routine very seriously, making sure to research, test, and review the most effective formulas out there.

Daisy Maldonado is the associate editor at Cosmopolitan. For this story, she researched the best ingredients, brands, and formulas for face masks. She also interviewed two NYC-based dermatologists for expert insight and advice.