The Best Face Masks For Rosacea, According To An Expert

According to cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, the best face masks for rosacea contain healing ingredients like kaolin clay, bentonite clay, and certain botanical extracts, or have antibacterial properties from things like honey, green tea, or turmeric. He says ingredients like synthetic fragrance, high concentrations of alcohol, and AHAs and BHAs can worsen the symptoms of rosacea. The American Academy of Dermatology also suggests avoiding camphor, methol, urea, and sodium laurel sulfate if you have rosacea.

Each person’s triggers are unique, though, so it’s worthwhile to spot test any new skin care product before using it all over your face, and if you can, keep a diary to see what seems to trigger your rosacea. (The National Rosacea Society has a free downloadable one here.) If your face burns, stings, itches, or gets dry and scaly, the product isn’t right for you.

If your over-the-counter solutions don’t meet your needs, be sure to speak with your dermatologist. (“Topicals can help soothe inflamed skin but only lasers can deal with flushing and broken capillaries caused by rosacea,” Dr. Frank explains.)

Scroll on to shop five face masks that may be able to help calm your rosacea flareups, from nourishing Korean sleeping packs to soothing French pharmacy finds and more.

1. The Best Anti-Redness Face Mask For Rosacea

This incredibly soothing, green-tinted mask from French pharmacy brand Avène provides an immediate redness-reducing effect and long-term rosacea relief, thanks to its ability to moisturize and strengthen dry, irritated skin using ingredients like glycerin, vitamin E, and the brand’s signature thermal spring water (which, fun fact, has been used for centuries for its purported skin-healing benefits). The gentle formula is made without fragrance, oils, or parabens, and it’s designed especially for those with sensitive skin prone to redness, inflammation, and other forms of irritation.

2. Another Great (& More Affordable) French Face Mask For Rosacea

Bioderma, like Avène, is a beloved French pharmacy brand with a thoughtful approach to their skin care products, and the brand’s Sensibio line is designed for people with sensitive skin. The creamy Sensibio mask is rich in moisturizing glycerin and calming ingredients like licorice root and seaweed extract, a combination that works to soothe and hydrate all skin types without the risk of irritation. This fragrance-free mask is a great value, too — it costs less than the Avène mask, but you get almost double the amount of product.

3. The Best Korean Face Mask For Rosacea

In lieu of night cream, you can wear this face mask to bed and wake up to refreshed, radiant skin. From cult Korean skin care brand COSRX, the Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask is made with a host of calming ingredients like rice extract, glycerin, sunflower seed oil, and niacinamide. You only need a pea-sized amount to provide all sorts of soothing and skin-softening benefits, and you can also use it as a wash-off mask (or as a rich, daily moisturizer) if you prefer.

Note that this mask contains butylene glycol, which is used as an alternative to the oft-irritating propylene glycol. Though it tends not to be as irritating as that ingredient, it can still cause issues for some people with extremely sensitive skin or a glycol allergy.

4. The Best Green Tea Mask For Rosacea

Teami’s Green Tea Detox Mask features quite a few of Dr. Frank’s preferred ingredients, including green tea, bentonite clay, and kaolin clay, and it’s made without artificial colors or fragrances. Though it also contains moisturizers like glycerin, sweet almond oil, aloe, and vitamin E, as well as lemongrass essence, which is known for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, the clays in this mask can leave your skin feeling dry and tight, so if you have dry skin, either skip this product or follow up with a rich, soothing face cream, or one of the other moisturizing masks on this list.

5. The Best Honey Face Mask For Rosacea

Dr. Frank also listed honey as a good ingredient for people with rosacea to look out for, and while you can put raw honey on your face, Farmacy’s Honey Potion mask is an even better option, as it’s made with honey, propolis, and royal jelly — all derived from bees, and all known for their antimicrobial and/or antibacterial properties. This rich mask comes with a convenient magnetic spatula that attaches to the lid to make application easier and a bit less messy.

Farmacy, known for their gentle, naturally derived skin care products (many of which contain farm-fresh ingredients), is also striving to be as environmentally friendly as possible, with a goal of, among other things, completely waste-less packaging by 2022.

Expert:

Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, cosmetic dermatologist, founder of PFRANKMD, and author, The Pro-Aging Playbook

Studies referenced:

Antimicrobial activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) oil against microbes of environmental, clinical and food origin Bhoj Raj Singh, Vidya Singh , Raj Karan Singh and N. Ebibeni; https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bhoj-Singh/publication/260173692_Antimicrobial_activity_of_lemongrass_Cymbopogon_citratus_oil_against_microbes_of_environmental_clinical_and_food_origin/links/56ecc32408ae4b8b5e73686a/Antimicrobial-activity-of-lemongrass-Cymbopogon-citratus-oil-against-microbes-of-environmental-clinical-and-food-origin.pdf

Antibacterial Potency of Honey, by Najla A. Albaridi; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6589292/

Antibacterial Properties of Propolis, by Izabela Przybyłek and Tomasz M. Karpiński; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6600457/

Evaluation and comparison of the antimicrobial activity of royal jelly – A holistic healer against periodontopathic bacteria: An in vitro study, by Anjali Khosla, Swyeta Jain Gupta, Anshi Jain, Devi Charan Shetty,and Nikhil Sharma; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7307477/