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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask versus Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask .

Published on January 10, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both cruelty-free wash off masks. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain exfoliants, retinoid and Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing, dark spots and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Wash Off Mask American Brand United States
Wash Off Mask American Brand United States

Wash Off Mask

Wash off masks are used to treat skin concerns: large pores, dryness, dullness, acne, and much more. They are applied preferably after cleansing (depending on the product’s instructions) and usually have to be removed within a specific time period.

Wash Off Mask

Wash off masks are used to treat skin concerns: large pores, dryness, dullness, acne, and much more. They are applied preferably after cleansing (depending on the product’s instructions) and usually have to be removed within a specific time period.

Price

Shop

Buy Nice To Mask You Clay Mask

Starts at $5.99
Shop

Buy Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask

Starts at $26.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Retinoid
Vitamin E
Exfoliators

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

Retinoid
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Exfoliators (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (2)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating
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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Water • Bentonite • Titanium Dioxide • Cetyl Alcohol • Stearic Acid • Glyceryl Stearate Se • Stearyl Alcohol • Rosa Damascena Flower Extract • Kaolin • Tocopheryl Acetate • Retinyl Palmitate • Allantoin • Glycerin • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate • Magnesium Aluminum Silicate • Disodium EDTA • Phenoxyethanol • Dehydroacetic Acid • Benzyl Alcohol • Benzyl Salicylate • Citronellol • Geraniol • Parfum • Chromium Hydroxide Green

Water • Kaolin • Bentonite • Glycerin • Salix Alba Extract • Stearic Acid • Steareth-2 • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder • Sea Whip Extract • Avena Sativa Kernel Extract • Bisabolol • Ascorbyl Palmitate • Tocopheryl Acetate • Phospholipids • Panthenol • Retinyl Palmitate • Caprylyl Glycol • Butylene Glycol • Ethylhexylglycerin • Hexylene Glycol • Disodium EDTA • Phenoxyethanol

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 1.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Absorbent, Emulsion Stabilising
Community Rating: Liked

Bentonite is an aluminium phyllosilicate clay with great absorbent properties. The name 'bentonite' comes from the area where the largest source is found: Fort Benton, Wyoming.

As a clay, bentonite is often used to absorb excess oil and provide exfoliation. It has also been shown to have some antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies show bentonite was effective at calming dermatitis from poison ivy and in diaper dermatitis of infants. Bentonite has also been shown to act as a barrier against toxic compounds on your skin.

Sunscreens containing bentonite display higher water resistance and stay on the skin for much longer. The sunscreens containing bentonite also show higher potency and UV light absorbtion.

Bentonite is naturally created from volcanic ash and several natural weathering/hydrothermal processes.

A common usage of bentonite is removing excess protein from white wines. Bentonite contains a property of being able to absorb large amounts of protein from aqueous solutions.

Phyllosilicate clay has a structure formed by sheets.

Learn more about Bentonite

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 2.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Cleansing, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Stearic Acid is a fatty acid. It is an emollient, emulsifier, and texture enhancer.

As an emollient, stearic acid helps soften skin. It aids the skin's protective barrier by preventing water loss. It also provides a gentle cleansing effect without stripping away natural oils.

Stearic acid may also be used to enhance the texture of products. It can add volume and stabilize ingredients such as water and oil. This can help water and oil ingredients from separating.

Sources of stearic acid include animal or vegetable fats/oils such as coconut or shea. It can be naturally found in butter, cocoa butter, shea butter, vegetable fats, and animal tallow.

This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.

Learn more about Stearic Acid

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 5.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 6.

4
What it does: Abrasive, Absorbent, Cosmetic Colorant
Community Rating: Liked

Kaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.

Some types of kaolin may have exfoliating properties. When water is added to kaolin, it becomes a paste with small abrasive particles.

Most kaolin is a white color, but may be pink/orange/red depending on where it comes from.

The name 'kaolin' comes from a Chinese village named 'Gaoling'. Kaolin clay comes from rocks rich in kaolinite. Kaolinite, the mineral, has a silicate layered structure. Kaolinite is formed from chemical weathering of aluminum siilicate minerals.

Besides skincare, kaolin is commonly used to make glossy paper, in ceramics, toothpaste, and as medicine to soothe stomach issues.

Learn more about Kaolin

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 9.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 2.

5
What it does: Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.

Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.

Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 10.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 13.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Retinyl palmitate is a form of retinoid. It is created from palmitic acid and retinol.

This ingredient has antioxidant and exfoliating properties. Like other types of retinols, retinyl palmitate increases cell turnover. Removing dead skin cells and encouraging the growth of new ones improves skin tone and unclogs pores. This in turn promotes brighter looking skin and even skin texture.

As an antioxidant, retinyl palmitate helps neutralize free-radical molecules. These molecules have the potential to damage skin cells. Thus, antioxidants may help with anti-aging.

Retinyl palmitate can be good for be good for oily skin by helping to unclog pores. However, it may not be good for dry skin and fungal acne.

After using this product, you should follow up with sunscreen.

This ingredient is often added to low-fat milk to increase the levels of Vitamin A.

Learn more about Retinyl Palmitate

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 11.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 16.

7
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 13.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 4.

8
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 16.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 21.

9
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask contains this as ingredient number 17.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask contains this as ingredient number 22.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

29% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
58% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet
50% are loved or liked
18% have mixed ratings
23% are disliked or very disliked
9% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Sun + Moon Nice To Mask You Clay Mask 24 ingredients

Nice To Mask You Clay Mask hasn't been rated yet.
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Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Absorbing Mask 22 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 review
MichelleR's Avatar'
Dec 23, 2023

Gorgeous clay mask. Aloe, Bisabolol, Vitamin C, Vitamin E - just gorgeous formulation. It's hard to choose between this and the Kiehl's Rare Earth Masque. I'll take them both!

Gorgeous clay mask. Aloe, Bisabolol, Vitamin C, Vitamin E - just gorgeous formulation. It's hard to choose between this and the Kiehl's Rare Earth Masque. I'll take them both!

Great Value
Hydrating
Light

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