"I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core."

'The lake isle of Innisfree' by WB Yeats

Innisfree in Ireland

Photo credit: travelpast50.com

Are your Monday blues dissipating? Now let’s get down to some serious relaxing.

For the uninitiated hydrogels are the paper or cotton sheet mask’s sophisticated older sister. They are made from carrageenan (seaweed ‘jelly’), are usually transparent and only a few millimetres thick. Bonus: no more zombie serial killer!

Hydrogel dressings or patches are sometimes used in medicine for burns and wounds or for drug delivery, although these will likely be left in place for long periods. Innisfree and others claim the cosmetic versions are temperature-sensitive so quickly release the actives when in contact with the skin: however the patent does not contain anything remotely evidential.

Innisfree is a South Korean brand, a nation that is becoming known in the west for their progressive approach to skincare ingredients and for their multi-step routines. Their parent company is Amore Pacific – the biggest player in Korean beauty – so they are a sister brand to IOPE and Laneige. Innisfree claim to have been the first eco-friendly brand in their country: some product labels are apparently made from citrus peel!

There are ten different Innisfree hydrogel masks in two series: I purchased a couple of each of six ‘flavours’ from their international website in one of the periodic two-for-one sales. The two products reviewed here are marketed to those with more mature skin/ wrinkles, also in this series is the Eco Science White C mask which is based on citrus extracts.

Eco Science with Jeju marine plants (£3.50/ $5)

Ingredients: “Water, glycerin, carob bean gum, 1,2-hexanediol, carrageenan, sea mustard extract, sea staghorn extract, gulfweed extract, algin, Lactobacillus ferment, gold extract, green tea extract, Artemisia extract, Houttuynia cordata extract, yuzu fruit extract, castor oil, caprylyl glycol, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil triisostearate, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, tangerine peel extract, prickly pear extract, Camellia leaf extract, orchid extract, butylene glycol, purslane extract, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexyl glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, adenosine, disodium EDTA, fragrance, potassium hydroxide, mannan.”

Why these Innisfree hydrogel masks?

On sale!

heavy on antioxidant natural extracts

seaweed and mushrooms are new actives to me

one contains anti-inflammatory stalwart niacinamide

the red flag for some will be fragrance.

These masks are the thinnest and most delicate hydrogels I have tried to date, they do not have an internal rayon mesh support as found the Nature Republic aqua gels and the Mememasks. Hydrogels are slippery little suckers and these two Innisfree masks are easily damaged: not ideal for beginners! The masks are fully biodegradable which fits with the Innisfree ethos, however the plastic inserts are not.

As with all hydrogel masks the Innisfree ones come in two overlapping pieces – upper and lower face – meaning they are an excellent fit for different size or shape faces. The nose is generous in length so it covers most of my rosacea-prone areas and the eye openings are fairly small so it is easy to treat crows feet.

The mouth opening is larger than some which is a shame for a product advertised as anti ageing; ex-smokers may be disappointed that fine lines around the mouth are not treated. Nevertheless with careful positioning and smoothing these hydrogels are a much snugger fit than any paper or cotton sheet mask.

Image credit: Innisfree

Perfect 9 Repair with Jeju island plants (£3.50/ $5)

Ingredients: “Water, glycerin, butylene glycol, niacinamide, 1,2-hexanediol, carob bean gum, carrageenan, algin, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, Lactobacillus ferment, skullcap root extract, green tea leaf extract, Artemesia leaf extract, Houttuynia cordata extract, yuzu fruit extract, castor oil, caprylyl glycol, phenyl trimethicone, Andrographis paniculata leaf extract, Indian gooseberry extract, Indian ginseng root extract, Commiphora mukul resin extract, dandelion root extract, honeysuckle flower extract, Japanese pepper extract, Artemesia extract, raspberry fruit extract, mushroom extract, orchid extract, poloxamer 188, methoxy PEG-114/ polyepsilon caprolactone, tangerine peel extract, prickly pear fruit extract, Camellia leaf extract, orchid extract, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, adenosine, disodium EDTA, potassium hydroxide, fragrance, mannan.”

For my reactive/ hypersensitive skin type a possible concern with these formulations is the butylene glycol (AKA 1,2-butanediol) and hexylene glycol (AKA 1,2-hexanediol), especially in combination with fragrance, or in products that keep skin wet for a long time like masks (water can be a penetration enhancer, as can glycerin).

The cosmetic glycols are humectants and solvents derived from petroleum: they are small molecules which readily penetrate the skin. The smallest – propylene glycol – is used as a penetration enhancer and is a known irritant/ allergen, butylene glycol is only slightly larger and also a penetration enhancer, pentylene glycol and hexylene glycol can act synergistically as preservatives.

Butylene glycol is ubiquitous in Korean skincare. Whilst I don’t avoid it I have reservations about too much of the stuff integrating into my skin barrier, so limit the number of products in my routine that feature it. Those of you with healthy, resilient skin may have no such worries.

Image credit: Innisfree

Verdict

I leave hydrogel masks on for thirty to forty minutes, because I love how they feel – like a second skin, with a tightening and lifting effect as time goes on – and because they don’t dry out in the recommended twenty minutes. Both of these masks are a decent fit and give good results: my skin is calm and even toned, feels hydrated and super soft.

Innisfree claims the Eco Science mask has “wrinkle-smoothing properties. The powerful regenerating energy from ocean plants, rich in minerals and nutrients [which] enhances its self-defense system for a natural anti-aging effect.”

Innisfree further claims that that the Perfect 9 Repair’s “anti aging elixir complex has 9 active extracts from Jeju Anti-Aging Elixir Complex to fight the 9 signs of skin aging.”

At this price point I do not plan to repurchase. Although I enjoyed using them I don’t feel they do anything more than any other hydrogel mask, and I doubt there is much anti-ageing or wrinkle-smoothing power in a single use product. Given the inclusion of glycols and fragrance I would not suggest using these masks on broken or irritated skin such as after microneedling or active eczema.

Continued at: Innisfree Hydro Gel Masks, 2/2