I currently live in London and purchase the Seaweed Clay Mask from my local Body Shop store (photo attached). Since I believe the ingredients are mostly the same as the mask sold in Korea, I wanted to share my review (especially to discuss some drawbacks).
My skin is combination and sensitive - oily in the T-zone with occasional blemishes, but dry on the cheeks. I tried this mask to control excess oil in my T-zone during summer. The verdict? It seems to manage oiliness to some extent. Particularly after using the mask, my nose feels noticeably smoother and less greasy.
The Seaweed Clay Mask sold in Korea and the UK doesn't differ much in terms of ingredients. Most of the main components and potential allergens are common to both. Perhaps that's why...
My skin fluctuates with my hormonal cycle, and one day, I applied the mask without much thought. My eyes started to tingle slightly. I washed it off in less than 10 minutes, but my face felt a bit irritated. After rinsing, I could feel tiny bumps forming on my forehead. Worried about an allergic reaction, I quickly cleansed again with a face wash and applied a soothing toner and cream, which helped. While it was fine on other occasions, I suspect my skin was particularly sensitive that day. In any case, I'd advise those with consistently sensitive skin to avoid this product.
Also, on a hot summer day when even my cheeks were excessively oily, I applied a thin layer there too... It stung when I washed it off, so since then, I've been carefully using it only on my T-zone.
Since I've already bought it and it does help control oiliness, I'm using it cautiously... But I won't repurchase. There must be plenty of other clay masks out there that are more suitable for me.
For those with sensitive skin like mine who still find this mask usable -
(Although the instructions say to leave it on for 10 minutes) I usually wash off the mask after just 5 minutes. It still seems to control oiliness in the T-zone to some extent, and it appears to be much less irritating to the skin this way.
