Today, I want to talk about sheet masks, in particular, from a brand called WHEN. You might have seen them in Sephora or Ulta, and I’m going to talk about three of them today.
About the brand:
When has been around since July 2011 and specializes in sheet masks. They are a Korean company (which I love) and has expanded its products into the Western market. They use bio-cellulose for the mask as opposed to regular cotton masks or even hydrogel masks. Each mask contains 23 ml of essence, about standard (most masks I’ve tried contain between 20-30 ml of essence). All When masks contain hyaluronic acid and ginseng extracts. This would be my first time trying a bio-cellulose mask.
When Glamour Base Mask Pack |
When uses an all-natural bio-cellulose sheet that is made from coconuts, which is gentle enough to treat burn patients. Despite its light weight, the bio-cellulose sheet can hold essence 100 times its weight, that is 10 times more than fabric or paper mask sheets. As much essence as it holds, the bio-cellulose sheet delivers essence to skin with minimum wastage by maintaining exceptional dermal contact.
Glamour Base: The Glamour Base mask is meant to “prepare your skin… for smooth and supple looking skin.” First off, I just want to mention how accurate this description, in particular, is because supple was the exact adjective I used to describe my skin after using this mask. It felt fresh and bouncy.
“When Glamour Base contains adenosine, collagen and peptides to help improve skin elasticity.”
The mask adhered to my face superbly and I left it on for the suggested 30 min; I’d say it started to dry out at the 20 minute mark. It left a slightly sticky residue, which I ended up rubbing into my skin with the rest of my skincare regimen.
Ingredients from whenmask.com:
Aqua (Water), Butylene glycol, Glycerin, Polyacrylate 13, Citrus grandis seed extract, Bambusa textilis stem extract, Pinus palustris leaf extract, Caprylyl glycol, Polyisobutene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, Adenosine, 1,2 Hexanediol, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed collagen, Disodium EDTA, Palmitoyl tripeptide 5, Colloidal platinum, Panax ginseng extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool
When Glamour Base Mask Pack |
Snow Magic: The Snow Magic Mask is for brightening, with the main culprit being niacinamide. This mask left my skin visibly brightened and again, supple! This mask, I felt, fit better than the Glamour Base mask and I left it on for 30 min. I could have gone longer, though, as there was still quite a bit of essence left in the mask after 30 min. Impressive. I liked this mask the most out of the three. This one also left a slightly stick residue that became nonexistent after I rubbed into my skin with the rest of my regimen.
Aqua (Water), Butylene glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Chamomilla recutita flower water, Polyacrylate 13, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, Citrus grandis seed extract, Bambusa textilis stem extract, Pinus palustris leaf extract, Caprylyl glycol, Polyisobutene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, 1,2 Hexanediol, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium hyaluronate, Arnica montana flower extract, Artemisia absinthium extract, Achillea millefolium extract, Gentiana lutea root extract, Disodium EDTA, Colloidal platinum, Panax ginseng extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool
When Snow Magic Mask Pack |
When Snow Magic Mask Pack |
Travelmate: The travelmate mask is supposed to soothe and hydrate skin and appears to be targeted for those that travel often and primarily want moisture. The mask was definitely moisturizing, as all sheet masks are, and lasted the full 30 min without drying out.
Aqua (Water), Butylene glycol, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl carbonate, Chamomilla recutita flower water, Polyacrylate 13, Saccharide isomerate, Citrus grandis seed extract, Bambusa textilis stem extract, Pinus palustris leaf extract, Caprylyl glycol, Polyisobutene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, 1,2 Hexanediol, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium hyaluronate, Arnica montana flower extract, Artemisia absinthium extract, Achillea millefolium extract, Gentiana lutea root extract, Citric acid, Sodium citrate, Disodium EDTA, Colloidal platinum, Panax ginseng extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool
When Travelmate Mask Pack |
When Travelmate Mask Pack |
Overall, I like the masks. I like the bio-cellulose material and hope to see more masks with creative ways to deliver the product to your skin. The most impressive thing about the masks were their ability to hold and retain essence while still delivering it to your skin. I haven’t used any other sheet masks that have lasted that long without the help of my Daiso silicon mask (review coming soon). And even though the Glamour Base mask didn’t last as long as the other two, 20 min is still pretty good.
The masks retail for $7.00 each which is an obvious price hike from your traditional or hydrogel sheet mask. For these “specialty” masks, the specialty being the bio-cellulose fabric, you really have to determine whether or not the price difference is worth it. I paid around $10.00 in store for a Tony Moly Timeless Placenta hydrogel mask and I would do that again in a heartbeat because that mask was amazing. Alternatively, the Ostia Jade mask I reviewed was also a “specialty” mask, using a “skin gel” fabric, but at $5.00, I wasn’t that impressed with the mask and I didn’t find anything particularly special about it, besides the fabric. If you’re getting your sheet masks from Sephora or Ulta, the price difference won’t be that different from what you would normally pay in store.
If you have skin on the drier side, you will likely really love these masks. I have oily skin and I didn’t find the moisture-factor overbearing.
That said, these, in my opinion, are splurge masks. If you want to treat yourself with something a tier above your average sheet mask, I would go for these.
*This post contains product samples provided by When
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