If you’re looking to give mature skin a little extra care, a face mask is a great place to start, not only to enrich your complexion with nourishing ingredients and get a touch of the professional facial experience but also to encourage a moment of calming self-care. The best formula will depend on your individual skin concerns, but mature skin generally benefits from masks that replenish moisture, support the skin barrier and encourage gentle renewal without causing dryness or irritation.
’s best face masks for mature skin at a glance:
If your skin is on the drier side, as is common with age, look for hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and panthenol to help restore moisture and leave skin feeling softer, smoother and more comfortable. For skin that feels tight, dry or sensitive, nourishing masks containing ceramides, squalane or plant oils can help support the skin barrier and lock in moisture. Dullness is another common concern as skin matures. If your complexion is looking a little lacklustre, antioxidant and brightening ingredients such as vitamin C and niacinamide can help boost radiance, while gentle exfoliants such as glycolic and lactic acid help improve skin texture and reveal a fresher-looking complexion.
With this in mind, we’ve rounded up the best face masks for mature skin to address everything from dryness and dullness to congestion and redness.
No.98 Beauty
- Why it’s -approved: If you suffer from dull, dry and generally tired-looking skin, this cooling, brightening gel-sheet mask is a good place to start. Alongside a stabilised vitamin C extract, which helps protect against oxidative stress and promotes a more even tone, there is a firming active to plump and a smoothing peptide active that softens micro-expression lines. Unusually for this type of product, the masks are infused with a sophisticated woody fragrance with notes of cedarwood, patchouli and clove.
- Lumen C, Firm Lift, Smooth Pep
- Type of mask: Gel-sheet
Dr. Barbara Sturm
Super Anti-Aging Face Mask Rich
- Why it’s -approved: Formulated to work alongside the serum of the same name, this rich mask supports longevity and skin health by firming, lifting and strengthening the skin. Powered by botanicals, antioxidants and intensively hydrating ingredients, this is a great mask to have in your skincare arsenal when you need to rejuvenate the look and feel of your skin both immediately and in the long term.
- Hyaluronic acid complex, glycosphingolipids, barley extract, bio-fermented purslane, cherimoya extract, Japanese camellia oil, passionfruit seed oil
- Type of mask: Cream to oil
Rice Pure Glow Collagen Hydrogel Masks
- Why it’s -approved: While these masks are an excellent choice if you’re looking to plump and brighten the skin, the barrier-boosting effect of the rice extract, along with hydrolysed collagen and vitamin-rich sea buckthorn fruit extract, means these are a good option if skin is sensitised or a little off-kilter. The fact that they feel naturally cooling as soon as you apply them to the skin is an added bonus.
- Rice extract, hydrolysed collagen, sea buckthorn fruit extract
- Type of mask: Gel-sheet mask
- Why it’s -approved: Although this is billed as an overnight mask that softens and balances skin while you sleep, it’s a lovely choice any time of day if you need help reducing redness and strengthening skin’s innate resilience. Whether it’s damage caused by external pollutants, overzealous use of actives or stress, the formula contains a host of calming antioxidants like ginger, turmeric and probiotics to fortify, repair and protect.
- Ginger, turmeric, probiotics, grape extract, pentavitin
- Type of mask: Cream mask
- Why it’s -approved: A combination of Japanese volcanic ash, Japanese konjac and Okinawa kucha clay is what makes this mask such a great solution for dull, congested and blemish-prone skin. Once applied to the skin, it gently starts to warm, which helps to draw impurities out of the skin more effectively. Afterwards, skin is left supple, soft and more even, without feeling stripped or tight.
- Japanese volcanic ash, Japanese konjac, Okinawa kucha clay
- Type of mask: Clay mask
- Why it’s -approved: The brand’s innovative 100 per cent skin-identical, micromolecular collagen sits at the heart of this cooling gel mask, which means it’s perfectly suited to boost the firmness and elasticity of mature skin that’s feeling depleted. As well as promoting collagen synthesis to plump and restore skin’s suppleness, it contains plenty of soothing ingredients like oat extract to calm inflammation and strengthen skin’s resilience.
- Micromolecular collagen, bisabolol, oat extract, ceramides, argan oil
- Type of mask: Gel mask
Irene Forte Pistachio Face Mask with Multi-Oil Omega Complex
- Why it’s -approved: A compromised skin barrier means that skin is unable to retain moisture as well as it should, leading to dryness, sensitivity and irritation. This barrier-boosting cream mask is loaded with antioxidant-rich botanicals that are full of fatty acids and help soothe, repair and protect the skin barrier. The result is skin that feels supple, nourished and more hydrated.
- Olive oil extract, rice extract, panthenol B5, aloe leaf juice, pistachio oil, pumpkin oil, avocado oil
- Type of mask: Cream mask
- Why it’s -approved: This creamy mask is powered by peptides which target the appearance of wrinkles and laxity by instructing the skin to boost the production of collagen and elastin. It also contains clay to balance the skin. A great option if your mature skin needs help with firmness, but also something to effectively absorb excess oil and reduce congestion.
- Fruit enzymes, firming peptides, hyaluronic acid
- Type of mask: Clay mask
Omorovizca Silver Skin Saviour Mask
- Why it’s -approved: You might assume skin naturally gets drier with age, but that’s not always the case. If you struggle with skin that’s as oil-prone now as it was in your teens, this pampering mask is a good solution. Infused with antibacterial colloidal silver to target and heal blemishes, it also helps reduce imperfections and congestion and brighten and even out skin tone.
- Colloidal silver, niacinamide, salicylic acid, Healing Complex
- Type of mask: Cream mask
How do I know what type of mask is suited to my mature skin?
The easiest way to tell what your skin needs is to examine how it looks and feels after a simple cleanse with a gentle cleanser. If it feels tight, dry or looks flaky, opt for a creamy hydrating mask. If you look shiny in certain areas, you might want to consider adding a clay mask to treat those particular places. If you’re prone to uneven tone and texture and dullness, look for something containing gentle acids to refine the appearance of skin and brighten.
Can I use a clay mask on mature skin?
It’s not only younger skin that can suffer from oiliness and congestion; many women find that hormonal shifts in their skin result in them feeling oilier than they have before. What makes things tricky is that this oiliness often presents itself on the T-zone and can occur alongside dryness on other areas of the skin like the cheeks. If this sounds familiar, a clay mask can be useful, but it’s important to apply it only where it’s needed to avoid drying out and irritating the rest of your skin.
How often should I use a mask?
Hydrating masks, including sheet, gel and overnight masks, can be used two to three times a week and, during particularly dry periods such as winter, can be used every day if needed. Nourishing cream masks are best applied once or twice a week, although they can be used more frequently if your skin is very dry. Exfoliating masks containing AHAs or BHAs should be used no more than once a week, or every other week if your skin is sensitive. Whatever type of mask you use, apply it to cleansed skin and remove as instructed.