These Hydrating Face Masks Are the Key to Soft, Plump Skin (2024)

This dermatologist-favorite hydrating mask contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, and a moisture complex that utilizes humectants like glycerin and urea. Whenever I use it before bed, I wake up with the smoothest, plumpest, and dewiest skin. And I love that the gel-like texture offers a cooling sensation that’s especially nice for stressed-out skin too.

Also great? “It can be used by all skin types and can even be used on other parts of the body, including the hands and feet, to address dryness,” says Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, urea and glycerin
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily, sensitive, acne-prone
• Mask type: Overnight

Glowing Customer Review: “My skin has been extremely dry lately, to the point where it feels tight under my makeup. So I started using this at night and it has greatly improved the look and feel of my skin. I use it a few times a week and it really makes a difference in my hydration levels.”

Overnight sleeping masks—like this ultra-popular one from K-Beauty brand Laneige— are meant to be used as the last step in your nightly routine for intense moisturization. "Laneige's Water Sleeping Mask contains mineral-rich water as well as squalane to hydrate and smooth skin,” says Dr. Garshick, who adds that its proprietary "Moisture Wrap Technology" works to form an eight-hour time release moisturizing layer over the skin, helping to lock in moisture for hours. (P.S. If you want to try Laneige but have sensitive skin, I highly recommend the brand's Cica Sleeping Mask.)

• Key ingredients: Squalane, probiotics
• Skin types: Combo, oily
• Mask type: Overnight

Glowing Customer Review: "I have some very challenging skin. It is not typically happy with a single product. I usually need to use under-eye masks, two different moisturizers, and hyaluronic acid to get even a semblance of what this mask provides. Using this product has helped decrease the use of multiple products. My skin is glowing in the morning. It feels hydrated and happy."

Paula's Choice is known for making reasonably priced, effective products, and this hydrating mask is no different. Made specifically for dry skin, the mask uses borage seed oil, a rich source of the essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which has soothing and nourishing properties. The formula features antioxidants with plenty of vitamins E and C to help protect your skin. It's also fragrance-free, making it great for those with sensitive skin and even eczema.

• Key ingredients: Glycerin, borage seed oil, olive fruit oil
• Skin types: Dry, very dry, sensitive
• Mask type: Overnight or wash off

Glowing Customer Review: "I struggle with dry skin in the winter, and this year I was also dealing with some skin barrier damage after using a product that was too harsh on my skin and caused extra dryness. My regular moisturizer wasn't cutting it, so I tried this product and it really helped! My skin was already doing better after one use. I put it on at the end of my skincare routine and it does wonders for moisturizing the skin."

I was skeptical of skincare products with snail mucin until I tried COSRX Snail Mucin products, especially this sheet mask. Snail mucin is one of the few ingredients I've found that truly gives my skin a plumping effect. After 10 minutes of one of these on my face, I don't just look moisturized, I look reinvigorated.

• Key ingredient: Snail secretion filtrate
• Skin types: All
• Mask type: Sheet

Glowing Customer Review: "I cannot believe how great these masks are. I've been trying to do it once a week and they have made such a difference. You cannot beat the price for how affective they are. I use snail mucin daily before my moisturizer so I wasn't sure that the mask would really make much of a difference, but it does! Love to use it before going out for a nice occasion."

When I accidentally go too hard with face exfoliators, sometimes my skin is left extra dry and irritated—so much so that my regular moisturizers don't seem to make a dent! That's when I reach for something thicker, like Murad's Cellullar Hydration Repair Mask. Formulated with 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, a soothing ingredient meant to alleviate any painful burning or stinging sensation, this mask helps soothe red, rough skin. Plus, I love that it comes in a handy tube, so I can easily apply it as a spot treatment on extra dry patches.

• Key ingredients: Vitamin E, glycerin, shea butter
• Skin types: Dry, irritated
• Mask type: Overnight

Glowing Customer Review: "I was advised to use this by a dermatologist as I had damaged my skin barrier and literally in one night there was a noticeable difference. My dry skin was glowing and soft by morning! 5 stars!"

In the summertime, Hearst Commerce Writer Sarah Maberry loves reaching for this Cyro Rubber Dr. Jart+ face mask because it's so hydrating and cooling. "This feels ahh-mazing when it's hot out, and the hyaluronic acid it's formulated with leaves my skin feeling plump and dewy," she says, adding that she also likes that you don't need to wash it off after use, you just let your skin soak up any remaining serum.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, tumeric root extract, allantoin
• Skin types: Dry, oily, combo
• Mask type: Sheet

Glowing Customer Review: "LOVE THIS! It's a super fun mask that definitely can bring down the skin's temperature and inflammation. Provides a very cooling sensation and the ampoule is ridiculously moisturizing. It's definitely on the pricey end for a one time use mask, but I will definitely repurchase when I want to spice up my everyday skincare routine."

For such a reasonable price, this little guy punches way above its weight class. It's similar to hydrating face masks that are more than quadruple the cost and contains all the top-tier moisturizing and skin-plumping ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides. It's also versatile too. ”I love that this can be used as an overnight mask or as a rinse-off product,” says Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides and peptides
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Mask type: Overnight or wash-off

Glowing Customer Review: “This sleeping mask did everything that it said it would do. My skin does feel that plumped-nourished-refreshed feeling that the product claims to produce."

If you want to give yourself a little spa moment, Farmacy’s Honey Potion Plus mask is a must. The honey mask warms as you massage it into your skin, immediately relaxing your muscles and letting your face just soak up all the hydrating ceramides and soothing centella asiatica extract. Personally, I love using this mask to prep my skin for a long week ahead. The heat sensation helps me to decompress, and the ingredients leave my red, combo skin feeling silky smooth.

• Key ingredients: Honey extract, panthenol, centella asiatica extract
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily
• Mask type: Wash-off

Glowing Customer Review: "I am obsessed with Farmacy's Honey Potion Plus! It goes on the skin just like honey, as you massage it into your face, it slightly warms and smells sooooo good! Once I rinse it off with warm water, it leaves my skin hydrated and not dried out—this was huge."

The Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask is a staple in many jet-setting girls' skincare routines—my own included. Packaged in a TSA-approved-sized tube, the mask is light enough to use on most areas of the face (even the under eyes) and moisturizing enough to keep your skin hydrated on long flights or long nights. I love that it dries down comfortably, so you can leave it on overnight or on a long flight without leaving a trail of product behind.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, shea butter, glycerin, hyaluronic Acid
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Mask type: Overnight

Glowing Customer Review: “I love this so much. It’s so rich and hydrating and I use it as my nighttime moisturizer or on planes. Really locks the moisture in. Recommend!”

Chances are if you have dry skin, you also have a compromised skin barrier—which is where this hydrating sheet mask comes in handy. It's loaded with ceramides, a key ingredient for restoring and repairing your skin's protective barrier so it can better retain moisture. One reviewer even mentioned that when their skin had a negative reaction from another product, and this helped soothed their redness and irritation. As for me? I love how this sheet mask is soaked in a super rich serum, where other sheet masks can feel kind of dry and flimsy.

• Key ingredients: Ceramides, panthenol, glycerin
• Skin types: Dry, combo, sensitive
• Mask type: Sheet

Glowing Customer Review: “I typically don’t use facial masks, but I really enjoyed this one. I felt it really helped my dry skin and left my face feeling refreshed and hydrated. I would definitely use this product again and recommend it to my friends who also struggle with dry skin."

If your dry skin is anything like mine, it often feels chapped and irritated, which can result in a red, angry appearance. The fix? This hydrating gel mask. It has a cooling feel to immediately tone down redness, plus a blend of soothing botanicals, including aloe vera and cucumber and chamomile extracts, to calm down inflamed skin. Many testers—myself included—like to store this mask in the fridge so that it's extra cooling and soothing when I'm ready to use it.

• Key ingredients: Cucumber extract, chamomile extract, aloe vera, glycerin
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily, acne-prone, sensitive
• Mask type: Wash-off or overnight

Glowing Customer Review: "I love this cucumber gel mask. We keep our container in the fridge so it goes on nice and cold. My husband and I are both runners and end up with pretty red faces after a run. This is our go-to product to calm down our skin and add back some hydration. At the very least, it feels amazing and my skin is noticeably softer after using.”

Created by celebrity aesthetician Shani Darden, this hydrating face mask is like a luxurious facial in a jar. Its whipped texture glides on like a dream and works to tackle concerns like redness, dryness, and dullness. Dr. Garshick says it’s an especially good choice for those with combination skin, as it has clay that helps to draw out excess oil and squalane to help boost moisture levels.

• Key ingredients: Squalane, colloidal oatmeal, kaolin clay
• Skin types: Combo, oily, acne-prone, sensitive
• Mask type: Wash-off

Glowing Customer Review: “I have dry skin so I tend not to use clay masks but this one works super well! It soothes my skin and doesn’t leave it feeling stripped of moisture whatsoever. It's a bit of a splurge but so luxurious."

It can be tough to choose a product when you’re trying to tackle multiple skin concerns, but that’s not to say there aren’t multitaskers that do both. This hydrating mask is proof; not only does it leave skin feeling moisturized, but it also packs brightening ingredients like vitamin C, retinol, and lactic acid that help to nix dark spots and discoloration.

• Key ingredients: Vitamin C, lactic acid, retinol, vitamin B5
• Skin types: Dry, combo, dull
• Mask type: Wash-off

Glowing Customer Review: "I absolutely love this mask! My skin feels so soft and supple after every use. It also has a slight tingle which gives me the impression that the active ingredients are penetrating into the skin and working their magic. I actually like the smell a lot too, kind of citrusy. I use this mask when my skin feels dull and needs a boost."

Another aesthetician-formulated product, the Rapid Response Detox Mask by Renee Rouleau, is a miracle worker for those of us who experience breakouts but tend to get dried out by traditional acne products and treatments. The gel-like formula addresses current hormonal breakouts but also helps prevent new ones from cropping up, so I like to implement this into my skincare routine a week before my cycle starts. “The tea tree oil and salicylic acid in this mask reduce bacteria while allantoin helps to calm redness and blemishes,” explains Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, tea tree oil, allantoin
• Skin types: Oily, acne-prone
• Mask type: Wash-off

Glowing Customer Review: "This mask is my go to whenever I’m having hormonal breakouts. It feels great and you can tell it’s not overworking or harsh on the skin like some masks, because when you leave it on longer than you’re supposed to, it doesn’t cause extra peeling, drying or irritation. You can expect to see positive results from this mask within 1 week! I highly recommend you try this mask if you experience hormonal and/or cystic acne."

Yes, this face mask is incredibly expensive, but the formula is outstanding. So if you can afford it, it's worth trying, IMO. The creamy formula is packed with brightening vitamin C and line-smoothing TFC8 (the brand's proprietary blend of growth factors and peptides), so it functions like an anti-aging cream as well as a hydrating mask. While you can rinse this mask off after 10 minutes, I like to sleep with it on or use it as a rich, leave-on cream so I don't feel I'm not washing money down the drain.

• Key ingredients: TFC8, vitamin C
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Mask type: Overnight or wash-off

Glowing Customer Review: "I absolutely love this face mask. It made my face super hydrated and reduced my frown line. I used to have very dry skin around my nose area and this completely diminished it. It also reduced my textured skin. This mask is definitely worth the price. It works amazingly and leaves my skin with a dewy finish," reads one tester's review.

Look for hyaluronic acid.

The best hydrating face masks typically contain hyaluronic acid, a molecule that has humectant properties. Humectants attract water and moisture to the skin, which helps boost hydration levels and give your complexion a plump, dewy look.

Consider your skincare routine.

In practice, the best hydrating face mask will be one you use regularly, so be sure to pick a formula that can fit well into your skincare routine. For example, I often don't do my skincare until the last possible moment, which makes wash-off masks hard for me to use consistently, so I tend to prefer an overnight mask.

Consider your skin type.

Hydrating face masks are generally made to work for several skin types, but knowing your skin type can help determine what kind of hydrating mask is right for you. For example, if you have oily skin, but still want to get a little extra boost of hydration, try a gel formula that won't clog your pores. If you have very dry skin, you might want to consider a thicker cream consistency, or experiment with layering moisturizers and sleeping masks to find the best routine for you.

Consider what other skin concerns you want to target.

Many face masks are formulated to tackle multiple skin concerns, so knowing what results you want out of any skincare product is key. Dr. Garshick says that “even masks that are primarily designed for hydration may also help to address other concerns such as brightening or calming the skin by incorporating other ingredients like exfoliants or niacinamide.” So beyond looking a a mask's ingredient list for hydrators, keep an eye out for other actives that are suited for your skin type and concerns.

• Marisa Garshick, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York, NY, and a clinical assistant professor at Cornell. Dr. Garshick specializes in general medical dermatology as well as cosmetic dermatology.

Olivia Truffaut-Wong is an editor at Cosmopolitan with over 10 years of experience writing about culture and beauty. She is a makeup lover who can be found writing about everything from the best sandalwood perfumes to UV nail lamps. She loves trying out new beauty and body care products and has a not-so-secret addiction to moisturizer.

Lisa DeSantis is a freelance writer who has been in the beauty industry for nearly ten years. She began her career in beauty and fashion at QVC and has since written for and contributed to top women's magazines and digital brands such as Health, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Motherly, Byrdie and more. She has tested thousands of products and considers herself a professional guinea pig who's always on the search for the next big trends in beauty, wellness, and beyond.