COVID-19 wreaked havoc with many sectors of the beauty industry. Color cosmetic sales tanked as women worked from home and wore face masks when they ventured out. Beauty counters remained dark while department stores remained closed. But one category that has thrived during lockdown is do-it-yourself skin care, which often means facial masks. Ironically, frequent use of personal protective equipment and other types of face masks, has been reported to cause acne as with repeated pressure or friction on the skin, the pilosebaceous unit becomes obstructed, causing pimples.

In cosmetics and skin care, the term “mask” indicates a very viscous concoction, aimed at being topically applied in thick layers and worn in solitude, in the intimacy of one’s home, for a limited time interval. In a cosmetic mask, organoleptic characteristics, such as color, scent and spreadability, play a lesser role than in other cosmetic products. As a matter of fact, if a mask performs and achieves measurable effects in a relative short time—something between half an hour to a couple of hours, more rarely overnight—the consumer is willing to accept some esthetic constraints.

A practical problem often met with masks is the removal of the mask. The step of washing-off can lead to awkward situations, associated with unwelcome water splattering, incomplete removal of the mask and the like. Recent technologies offer “peel off” masks that deserve the attention of the skin care industry as well as the one of the consumer insofar as they can be removed by peeling off the bulk of the mask and brushing away the tiny residuals.¹

Measuring Efficacy

Masks are used to cleanse, hydrate, reduce pore size and brighten, among other functions. It is relatively easy to assess the effect of a mask since the experiment can be performed in a short time. One can evaluate the endpoint, hydration or pore size, for example, in a cutaneous site before the application, apply the mask, allow the short time for action, remove the mask and measure the endpoint again. When it comes to assessing the activity of masks against acne, one can envision as endpoints of a mask treatment, the draining of the pimples, the redness of the skin, the removal of sebum, the size of the pores, the removal of blackheads and so forth. In this case too, peel off masks that do not need washing off, allow one to obtain results that are only dependent on the mask and not on the complicated and lengthy action of washing off and drying.

Anti-Acne Mask

The etiology of acne is still a matter of scientific debate. We know that its manifestation consists in the association of excess sebum production, excess growth of anaerobic bacteria in hair follicles, localized inflammation and generalized dryness. Acneic skin is dry and oily. Any cosmetic approach to treating acneic skin is necessarily aimed at reducing the extent of the symptoms, while abiding the regulatory prohibition of the use of antibiotics in cosmetics.

The first thing a consumer wants from an anti-acne treatment is the quick removal of pimples and of the concomitant redness. This can be achieved by using as main ingredient of the mask, raw materials able to drain the pimple, such as diatomaceous earths, associated with natural extracts to reduce redness, such as the extract from the sea whip (aka gorgonian) P. elisabethae, a non-endangered sea organisms that has been proven to have extraordinary soothing properties.²

Excess sebum provokes an undesired glossiness of the skin. In the past, sebum would be reduced by repetitively applying appropriate powders in a gesture that has some charm but is highly impractical. An appropriate anti-acne cosmetic mask can remove sebum and provide matte skin for the duration of an evening without the need of interrupting a dinner to run out and “powder” one’s nose. Adequate raw materials to remove sebum are, for instance, the many clays offered on the market and even, perhaps, hydroxyapatite.³

Astringent like Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) can help reduce pore size and perhaps facilitate the expulsion of black heads that can then be stripped away when the mask is of the peel-off type. Astringents, though, when repetitively used, may have some drawbacks that are discussed in the professional literature.

The market offers anti-acne masks that present the consumer with a far-reaching panoply of active ingredients. The question is whether a transient topical application such as a mask is the appropriate delivery system for actives such as the ones quoted above or others like benzoyl peroxide, nicotinamide, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, bakuchiol, azelaic acid, tea tree oil and salicylic acid. As a matter of fact, the amount of mask that is topically applied is much larger than the usual amounts of cream or of night serum, so that either the active is not delivered because a mask is usually applied for 30-60 minutes only, or the quantity of active that is delivered to the epidermis exceeds by far the amount that is delivered by a topical cosmetic cream/serum, potentially with undesired results.

Partition Coefficient

The raw materials quoted above are far from being the only ones that may be used in anti-acne masks! They are just examples of what the market offers to quickly tackle the clinical manifestations of acne. Yet, mixing a draining material with an anti-inflammatory agent together with some hydroxyapatite and an astringent extract may well not be sufficient to obtain an efficient anti-acne mask!

The multi-prong activity of an anti-acne mask depends on how successfully the active ingredients are released from the bulk of the mask to access the stratum corneum and penetrate the follicles and the epidermis. One could think that using lipophilic clays and hydrophilic anti-inflammatory agents and astringent extracts could be a starting point to formulate efficient anti-acne masks, but there are several other avenues to success. As usual, the key parameter is the partition coefficient of the various ingredients; it dictates what molecules in the mask will be “pushed down” toward the stratum corneum, and which ones will be “pulled up” toward the clays, cellulose and other micro-crystals that constitute the bulk of the mask. An assembly of materials selected for their partition coefficients does constitute a first promising step in the formulation of an efficient anti-acne mask. 

References

1. See for instance the peel off mask described in Expression Cosmétique, September the 1st, 2019, N 59, page 64
2. Correa H et al (2009) Anti-inflammatory effect of the gorgonian Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae collected at the islands of Providencia and San Andres (SW Caribbean) J. Inflamm (London) 6: 5. Published online 2009 Mar 10. doi: 10.1186/1476-9255-6-5
3. Patent FR2812194A1 – Sebum absorbing composition useful in cosmetic products comprises a cosmetic powder base, hydroxyapatite and zinc oxide, published 2002-02-01)

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Paolo Giacomoni, PhD
Insight Analysis Consulting
[email protected]
516-769-6904

Paolo Giacomoni acts as an independent consultant to the skin care industry. He served as executive director of research at Estée Lauder and was head of the department of biology with L’Oréal. He has built a record of achievements through research on DNA damage and metabolic impairment induced by UV radiation as well as on the positive effects of vitamins and antioxidants. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has more than 20 patents.