Is it Worth Wearing A Facemask Overnight?
Photo: Guy Aroch/Trunk Archive
You think a 20-minute face mask is a lot of work? What about an overnight one? A string of brands are releasing formulas they suggest you wear from dusk to dawn, slathering creams onto clean skin and waking up to a well-rested glow, regardless of how much you tossed and turned. How? Think of them like super-hydrators.
I asked Dr.Jart+’s Chief Dermatologist, Dr. Sung Jae Jung, to tell me why wearing a mask overnight is so much better than wearing one during an episode of The Daily Show. Like many of the products that have revolutionized our regimens in the states, these products have been standard practice in Korea for a while. “A sleeping mask is an essential Korean beauty ritual,” says Dr. Jung. “It creates a protective veil over skin, turning ‘beauty sleep’ into restorative action. It boosts hydration, strengthens the look of elasticity, locks in nutrients while you sleep, and enhances the power of your skincare regimen.”
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Meanwhile, your everyday mask serves a timed function, delivering a punch of benefits—whether that’s moisturizing, battling hyperpigmentation, or clearing out your pores—only to be removed so that other products can supply a full treatment effect after. Overnight masks, on the other hand, are the entire treatment. “A non-washable sleeping mask supplies moisture continuously while sleeping, forming a protective layer on the skin. It prevents roughness and dehydration by replenishing moisture and vitality,” says Dr. Jung. “It also provides anti-aging and lifting effects while refining skin surface moisture.”
The best part? There are plenty of great options available at a variety of price points. Your local drugstore has L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Intensive Overnight Mask, which boasts a bevy of anti-aging benefits, while your local department store will yield the super-hydrating Origins Drink Up! Intensive. Both will save your skin from that change of season dry patch.
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Sephora is literally overrun with options. Some personal favorites I’ve tried and loved are Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial, and Lancôme Énergie de Vie Nuit Overnight Recovery Mask. The reason I asked Dr. Jung to weigh in? After I used Dr. Jart +’s Water Fuse Water-Max Sleeping Mask, people asked if I’d gone on vacation. Is there any greater vote of confidence?
