[REVIEW] La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask (Before and After Masque Sébo-Régulateur)

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[1]🧱Ingredients Breakdown [2]Instructions [3]Results VS. Claims [4]Before&After [5]Verdict

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• Price (using this link): US$ 19.99

• Texture: Very soft clay

• What you get: 100ml or 3.38 Fl oz.

• Cruelty-free: No

• Instagram: @ larocheposay

+INGREDIENTS

Ingredients of the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask: Aqua/​Water, Kaolin, Argilla/​Magnesium Aluminium Silicate (Texture Enhancer + Absorbent/Mattifier + Viscositing Controling), Propanediol (Solvent + Moisturizer/Humectant), Panthenol, Glycerin, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride (Emollient),♦️ Ci 77891,♦️ Titanium Dioxide, ♦️Cetearyl Alcohol, Zea Mays Starch /​ Corn Starch (Viscosity Controlling + Abrasive/Scrub + Absorbent/Mattifier), Cellulose (Viscosity Controlling + Absorbent/Mattifier), Ceteareth-20 (Emulsifying + Surfactant/Cleansing), Lecithin (Emollient + Emulsifying), Caprylyl Glycol (Moisturizer/Humectant + Emollient + Deodorant), Citric Acid (Buffering), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Controlling + Emulsion Stabilising), Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol (Preservative),♦️ Parfum/​Fragrance

🧱In-depth Details of Interesting Ingredients:

Kaolin: Soaks up excess oils (sebum) and pulls impurities from the skin

Panthenol: Moisturizing (penetrates deep into the layers and gets converted into Pantothenic Acid (B5)) + Anti Acne (B5) + Wound healing (B5)

Glycerine: Widely used as a quality Hydrator (occurs naturally in skin, and its chemical structure attracts water). You can find this ingredient in most good skin-replenishing products.

Tocopherol: Vitamin E (Most abundant antioxidant found in human skin, works as a photo-protective agent + Anti-inflammatory ). Popular culture suggests that it also helps in wound healing, but this is not adequately backed up by research.

♦️Controversial Ingredients:

CI 77891: Sunscreen + Colorant

Cetearyl Alcohol: Emollient + Viscosity Controlling + Emulsifying + Surfactant/Cleansing + Emulsion Stabilising [non-drying alcohol]

Parfum/Fragrance: Perfuming *Has the potential to sensitize your skin

Titanium Dioxide: When formulated in non-sunscreen products, it’s usually used as a: colorant (whiten up the product) + UVA and UVB (eye creams are used during the day so this could be beneficial) + To protect or delay the product from photo-degradation.

A lot of people assimilate alcohol and fragrances in skincare to dehydration and irritation. I would recommend that you watch this video: “Is Alcohol Safe in Skincare Products?” (by Liah Yoo, who worked at Korea's largest beauty company, AmorePacific, and now also has her own brand: KraveBeauty) and consult the links provided in the infobox which refer to published scientific studies and articles. The main point is: yes, alcohol and fragrance can be very stripping and irritating to the skin, but it all depends on how they are used and combined in the final formulation and of their ratio, the reactions they have with other ingredients, etc…

+HOW TO USE THE La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask

Use as a face mask for oily skin

Use once to twice a week

Apply a fine layer to skin after cleansing. Leave on for 5 minutes then rinse off thoroughly with water

Avoid eye and lips area. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with water

+what does the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask do?

Claims from the La Roche-Posay product page.

1. Skin mattifier for oily skin, removes excess oil and controls shine: While it removes excess oil and shine and mattifies the skin, it does so on an application basis. If I use the mask in the morning, my skin will look less oily throughout the day, but it will be back to its original self on the second or third day. If you’re looking for a treatment to regularly make your skin less oily, I’ve gotten these results while using The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (7$ for 30 ml). The La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask is a quick fix in comparison, but a good one nonetheless.

3. Purifying clay face mask, eliminates invisible impurities (dust, pollution particles) for smoother, more radiant skin: This is a big yes. I’ve used and reviewed a lot of clay masks in the past, as well as blackhead products and the result I got with this one in terms of pore and blackheads is probably the best one so far. If you use this mask twice a week (3 if your skin can handle it), you will gradually notice your blackheads greatly diminishing and your pores looking smaller and smaller - due to them being regularly cleaned out, the actual pore size won’t differ. I didn’t notice the result myself because it was very gradual (about three weeks), but at some point, I was regularly getting compliments on how clear my skin looked, and the only product I was using was the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask.

4. Pores appear more refined: If you want to actually physically minimize pores, you’ll need a laser treatment to tighten them - as pores are basically a skin opening, and hence a tiny curved depression on the overall more smooth surface of your skin. This mask won’t achieve this, but as I mentioned above, it considerably cleans and unclog pores, so they will look or ‘appear’ cleaner and more refined.

Sorry for the poor picture quality. I tried to take these before and afters in as similar of conditions as I could. I want to emphasize that I still have blackheads: the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask won’t get rid of them completely. The biggest thing this product affects positively is pore size. 

I tried using it more than three times a week to see if this would result in even less dirt getting stuck in my pores but instead, I started getting small acne breakouts. So yeah... stick to the recommended usage. I also tried using t as a spot treatment on my newly formed acne (in the name of science), and it did nothing to it. So if you have acne, this clay mask probably won’t remove or diminish any of it; instead, try out the AXIS-Y Mugwort Pore Clarifying Wash Off Pack (21.50$ for 100 ml), which is one of my favorite clay products for getting rid of acne.

Would I recommend this product? If you have blackheads or pore issues, or you’re just looking to make your skin appear clearer, then yes. This mask is suitable for any skin type. As long as you don’t leave it on for more than 5 minutes, it has low chances of irritating you.

Honestly, I didn’t expect much out of the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clay Mask when I saw the ingredients list because it’s so simple and straightforward, but the overall texture and formulation and the result you get are very satisfactory. The only annoying part for me is the price: this product costs around 13€ (~15$) in Europe, and the US price is 5$ more expensive. Although 5$ isn’t a huge difference, for me, it’s inconsistent. Would I pay 20$ for something that is ONLY going to clear my pores out temporarily and make my skin appear more uniform? I mean, yeah, because I like looking good 🤠, but I don’t think it’s appropriate pricing. The good thing is that this isn’t the type of product that you’d apply all over the face, so it will probably last you a long time - I only use it on my T-zone before I shower.

+BENEFITS:

1. Make pores look smaller

2. Cleans out pores

3. Gradually lessens blackheads

4. Mattifies and lessens oils on an application basis

5. Can be used on any type of skin (very low chances of irritation)

6. Easy to apply and remove

-CONS:

1. Doesn’t affect acne in any way

2. Pricing in US stores is a bit inappropriate.
   

🧱🧱🧱Score: 4/5 --- Listen, I got a lot of compliments, so I’m biased towards how this mask makes my skin look. If you have a pore issue, this is probably as close to a holy grail that you’re going to get.

+AMAZON

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