Korean Sheet Mask Evolution : Mask Texture

Comment / Aug 07, 2017 / Post by by Vincent Tse

Yes, we do have abundant kinds of masks. That was my initial philosophy on masksheets.com, and my optimal goal is to complete the vast library of masks. When I tried Leaders’s “second-skin” like Coconut Gel mask, I thought it is the end of the mask’s improvement. It was just too good to be true, Coconut Gel adhered my skin like the glue. Then, Elensilia’s IntraCell mask was total opposite. Tencel Sheet is just so breathable, made my inpatient mask session just so much more enjoyable and left my skin hydrated and refreshed at the same time.

The Korean sheet mask market is already saturated. From my research, there are more than 100,000 kinds of masks made by Korean cosmetic companies and somehow they should differentiate from each other with uniqueness. The problem is that customers don’t believe “miracle plant mixture” anymore as they did 15 years ago. Honestly, the serum formula gets more and more optimized so it is difficult for companies suddenly come up with innovative ingredients or formula. So, they turn their attention to the new mask materials and what we do is just to enjoy the diverse mask texture. So, I have prepared a posting with new type of mask fabric materials for your future purchase.

1. Dual Layer Masks

Well, this is actually a new processing technique rather than a new material. I think the most representative example is foil mask. They process sheet mask with non-air permeable material such as gold foil or film, prevent essence from evaporation. So you have prolonged hydration on your mask than other conventional masks. It is slightly uncomfortable but in terms of hydration, they are superb. You can obviously feel the deeper hydration and you can use this mask significantly longer than other masks.

Example:

1-korean-sheet-mask-material-foil-masks

1. Mediheal Air-Packing Pink/Mint Wrap Mask

2. AHC Premium Hydra Gold Foil Mask

3. Banobagi Vita Coctail Foil Mask

2. Bemlises / Cupra

Both Cupra and Bemlises are cotton derived material. They are slightly different from each other in terms of processing. Bemlises is binder-free product, using mutual coherence property of linter. The cut surface is very round and repetitive and consequently makes less friction, Bemlises feels really soft on skin. It is highly transparent (meaning it’s thin, feels comfortable) and liquid retention is excellent. Cupra is also linter based product, but it is a regenerated fiber. It does use adhesive material unlike Bemlises, it is significantly stronger. It also feels very soft on skin and adheres on skin very well.

Example:

2-korean-sheet-mask-material-bemlises

bemlises : Leaders Skin Clinic Mask Series (all of them)

ac-dressing / collagen therapy / mela-tox / snail therapy / wrinkle-tox / aquarlinger

Cupra:

2-korean-sheet-mask-material-cupra

1. Jayjun Baby Pure Shining Mask

2. Claire’s Hydra Ampoule Mask (Tencel + Cupra)

3. Hanji

Hanji is a Korean traditional paper, generally made from paper mulberry. Paper mulberry has anti-bacterial property and so des Hanji. It is not heavily processed as other cotton based fabric, it uses natural cellulose of paper mulberry. The problem is it is a little thicker than other cotton mask material. But definitely, it is an interesting material.

Example:

3-korean-sheet-mask-material-hanji

1. Soofee Bottisoo Cooling Mask (we do not have this mask T-T)

2. Papa Recipe Bombee Ginseng Red Honey Oil Mask Pack

4. Cellulose Gel

I generally categorize them as hydro gel mask in masksheets.com because of its texture, but in terms of chemical composition they are cellulose actually. Generally, they collect raw material from watery plant (Leaders form Coconut, Innisfree from Soy bean) and ferment them with special processing. During this process, micro-organisms gelatinize the liquid and they slice it with appropriate thickness. The beauty of these masks is the adherence. The mask makes tight contact with skin, leaving very little space between mask and skin. It delivers serum to the skin very efficiently, and has high water retention if it is processed in a right way.

Example: