The Best Face Masks for Every Skin Type

La Roche-Posay owns the floor when it comes to easily enraged skin, and this clay-based face mask is a simple yet effective ally for banishing breakouts. Crucially, the kaolin-based creamy formula works on active blemishes – blackheads included – as well as preventing new ones from coming to a head.

111 Skin’s masks have graced the face of every A-lister you know – if you’re sceptical, just look at Instagram (and know the brand has never paid for an endorsement).

Every bit as good as Hollywood will have you believe, these serum-soaked hydrogel masks deliver a circulation-boosting peptide to your skin, eliminating puffiness and making you look instantly awake. Not just good for a big night – stick one in the fridge for the morning after, too.

Augustinus Bader, the man behind skincare’s biggest success story of recent years, has added a face mask to his blockbuster line. This dense, creamy formula contains the central TFC8 – a closely guarded cocktail of amino acids and vitamins – alongside rehydrating grape extract and brightening vitamin C. The results are skin that simply looks better: think less feathery forehead lines, refined texture, and the glow of someone that bathes in hyaluronic acid.

Whatever you’ve done to upset your skin, this reparative face mask is the apology it deserves. Designed especially for tantrum-prone complexions, it contains a cocktail of nice, calming ingredients – from white mushroom extract to beta glucans – that quell inflammation and repair the skin’s vital barrier. Clinical studies have shown it to reduce visible redness in as little as half an hour.

This is the one to employ after a long week in the city. Horace's bright-blue purifying mask contains clay, antioxidant plant extracts and organic shea butter to soak up oil, smog and pollution while imparting hydration. A solid one-and-done treatment for weekly skin maintenance.

The boffins at Medik8 have formulated a stellar one-two punch for dehydrated skin (which isn’t the same as dry skin: the former lacks water while the latter lacks oil.) Much more than a pampering proposition, this duo comprises a humectant-rich gel that locks moisture into the skin, and an occlusive cream top layer that physically prevents TEWL (that’s trans-epidermal water loss). Apply both steps before bed and leave to work until morning: the result will be calm, hydrated skin with less feathery lines.

Hungary's thermal waters are famous for their healing powers – and if you just rolled your eyes, know said waters are actually rich in curative minerals that can treat inflammation amongst other issues.

The Budapest-based brand Omorovicza was one of the first to distill these medicinal waters into spa-standard products. Its Deep Cleansing Mask combines oil-absorbing kaolin clay with a host of minerals and vitamins to purge pores and calm irritated skin.

Clay and charcoal are great ingredients for physically mopping up excess oil, but for active breakouts you also want something that can tackle congestion from the source.

This dark-grey mask is boosted with salicylic acid, which brings down the redness and inflammation behind those breakouts. Apply it as a spot treatment to congested areas, or use it all-over for a deep clarifying treatment.

Dermatologist Dr. Timm Golueke has hinged his brand on a powerful antioxidant fern extract. This overnight mask (apply it just as you would a night cream when skin needs extra care) is boosted with chlorophyll – great for inflammation and acne – and a host of humectants to lock moisture in the skin, eliminating the morning’s pillow creases.

Many products for congested skin are laden with alcohol, and simply strip the skin barrier into submission (not a good thing, trust us). Leave those harsh scrubs and foaming gels on the supermarket shelves, and invest in Murad’s excellent exfoliator-mask hybrid instead. Leave it to linger for 10 minutes, allowing the resurfacing enzymes to set to work, then massage into skin for a satisfying scrub.