The 5 Best Sheet Masks for Men (After Testing 50+, These Are the 5 I’m Still Using)

When I’m testing products for editorial, I try everything. When I need more for myself, I know exactly what to go for. This is the edit of the edit.

I recently tested over 50 sheet masks products over the course of a few weeks and picked my favorites across a range of categories. It was a pretty great month for my skin, I’ll say that. But once my stash of samples had all but run dry, I couldn’t just stop. I’d shown my skin the good life, and now it was accustomed to a certain lifestyle. I needed more.

Of course, I wasn’t about to re-order everything I’d tested. After all, I’d personally sampled pretty much every face mask a man with an internet connection and a credit card could get his hands on. I knew which masks deserved a place in my skin care regimen, and which were worth skipping. So I made my selections accordingly. Now several months later, here are the five sheet masks I’m still consistently using.

1. Best Instant Boost: Pixi Glow Face Mask

GET IT: PIXI

This has since my all-time favorite mask. Basically, I’ve found it to be the most effective sheet mask for the (very) short term. As in, if I need to look undeniably radiant for a meeting, event, or night out kicking off in 30 minutes or less, this is the mask I’m reaching for.

Ten minutes is all it takes to see noticeable results. The moment you apply the mask, glycolic acid takes the lead to visibly brighten and lightly exfoliate your skin. Meanwhile, ginseng helps boost circulation for a more natural-looking glow, while witch hazel gets to work clarifying and improving skin tone so everything looks nice and even. And when you’re all done, you can even toss this biodegradable mask in the compost.

GET IT: PIXI

2. Best Toning: Biodance Radiant Vita Niacinamide Real Deep Mask

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At first, I thought there was a translation error in the directions on the back of this mask’s packaging: “Leave on for 3–4 hours, or until it becomes transparent.” Um, 3–4 hours? Surely not. But I figured I’d put it on and wait until it eventually became transparent, as the directions said. Admittedly, at this point, I was ready to not like this mask. Who has that kind of time?

As the mask gradually faded from opaque to transparent (which, indeed, took just over three hours), I could genuinely feel that something was happening to my skin beneath it. And when I finally peeled it off, I was shocked. Turns out, leaving a combination of collagen peptides, galactomyces, oligo hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide on your skin for four hours is the key to peak dewiness and FaceTune-level skin tone uniformity. Better still, the effects were still going strong a full 24 hours later.

GET IT: SEPHORA

3. Best Firming: MediHeal Collagen Essential Mask

GET IT: AMAZON

At the end of the day, no one product is going to singlehandedly accomplish all of your skin care goals. And in my experience sampling products over the years, collagen face masks and face masks that deliver immediately apparent results are mutually exclusive. And the reason for that, I can feel confident saying, is that collagen masks—even the best ones out there—don’t magically imbue your skin with more collagen; rather, they supply it with the raw materials it needs to produce it on its own.

Of all the collagen face masks that I’ve tested for multiple days, weeks, or more, this one gave me the strongest sense that my skin was progressively improving for the better in that it was looking and feeling firmer and more youthful overall. I also appreciate that the serum is loaded with all-vegan ingredients like hibiscus flower extract, snow mushroom polysaccharides, and chlorella—all of which I can feel good about using over the long term.

GET IT: AMAZON

4. Best for Barrier Reinforcement: Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Mask

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Some face masks are packaged in so much serum that most of it never makes it onto your face. This mask is absolutely drenched in Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum (a whopping three weeks’ worth, to be precise), but rather than cotton or hydrogel, the mask’s fibers—derived from the paper mulberry plant—can absorb moisture up to 10 times their weight. The result? The most hydrating and skin-nourishing  face mask I’ve ever tried.  

In terms of active ingredients, the serum is powered by vitamin C and herb extracts to help protect against antioxidants and soothe the skin, respectively, but ginseng is the headliner of this show. Sulwhasoo famously treats its ginseng with a 500-hour process that apparently takes the natural ingredient’s known skin barrier-strengthening benefits to another level. Either way, if your experience is anything like mine, you’ll start to feel this mask’s hydrating and soothing effects almost right away, followed by the appearance of visibly firmer skin with a decidedly radiant glow. 

GET IT: AMAZON

5. Luxury Upgrade: Augustinus Bader The Hydrogel Face Mask

GET IT: AUGUSTINUS BADER

Of all the face masks I’ve tested, this is the one that truly feels like no compromises were made. Of course, that means a steeper price tag, but if you can get past that I promise you won’t be disappointed. The mask itself is a two-piece set of super thin, lightweight hydrogel sheets that contour to fit the face perfectly and provide expansive coverage with great contact.

The serum—a blend of vitamins, lipids, and peptides—is used sparingly in this one, but that just speaks to the power of its ingredients, as the effects of this mask are hard to miss. When I first wrote about this mask, I commended its skin-tightening prowess. It made my skin look taught, feel smooth, and seem more youthful overall. As I’ve continued to use it (because of course I had to order more), I’ve come to also appreciate its long-term influence on my skin’s health and vitality.

GET IT: AUGUSTINUS BADER