These Hydrating Face Masks Will Give You The Smoothest, Softest Skin of Your Life (2024)

This dermatologist-favorite hydrating mask contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, and a moisture complex that utilizes humectants like glycerin and urea. Whenever I use it before bed, I wake up with the smoothest, plumpest, dewiest skin. And I love that the gel-like texture offers a cooling sensation that’s especially nice for stressed-out skin too.

Also great? “It can be used by all skin types and can even be used on other parts of the body including the hands and feet to address dryness,” says Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, vitamin B5, urea and glycerin
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily, sensitive, acne-prone
• Usage: At night as needed

THE REVIEW: “My skin has been extremely dry lately, to the point where it feels tight under my makeup," reads one review. "So I started using this at night and it has greatly improved the look and feel of my skin. I use it a few times a week and it really makes a difference in my hydration levels.”

Created as the first product for influencer-founded brand, Summer Fridays, the Jet Lag Mask is a staple in many jet-setting girls’ routines—including my own. Even if you haven't tried it for yourself, you’ve probably seen the blue tube on TikTok or an Instagram story. And being that it got its name from traveling, it is, in fact, in a TSA-approved-sized tube so you can pack it your travel makeup bag to keep your skin hydrated in-flight. I personally love that it can be left on instead of rinsed off, so I’ll use it as more of an intensive moisturizer than a weekly mask.

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, shea butter, glycerin, hyaluronic Acid
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Usage: As needed

THE REVIEW: One review reads, “I love this so much. It’s so rich and hydrating and I use it as my nighttime moisturizer or on planes. Really locks the moisture in. Recommend!”

Overnight sleeping masks—like this ultra-popular one from K-Beauty brand Laneige— are meant to be used as the last step in your nightly routine for intense moisturization. "Laneige's Water Sleeping Mask contains mineral-rich water as well as squalane to hydrate and smooth skin,” says Dr. Garshick, who adds that its proprietary "Moisture Wrap Technology" works to form an eight-hour time release moisturizing layer over the skin, helping to lock in moisture for hours.

• Key ingredients: Squalane, probiotics
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily
• Usage: Nightly up to three times a week

Chances are if you have dry skin, you also have a compromised skin barrier—which is where this hydrating sheet mask comes in handy. It's loaded with ceramides, a key ingredient for restoring and repairing your skin's protective barrier so it can better retain moisture. One reviewer even mentioned that when their skin had a negative reaction from another product, and this helped soothed their redness and irritation. As for me? I love how this sheet mask is soaked in a super rich serum, where other sheet masks can feel kind of dry and flimsy.

• Key ingredients: Ceramides, panthenol, glycerin
• Skin types: Dry, combo, sensitive
• Usage: As needed

THE REVIEW: “I typically don’t use facial masks, but I really enjoyed this one. I felt it really helped my dry skin and left my face feeling refreshed and hydrated. I would definitely use this product again and recommend it to my friends who also struggle with dry skin," writes one tester.

For such a reasonable price, this little guy punches way above its weight class. It's similar to hydrating face masks that are more than quadruple the cost and contains all the top-tier moisturizing and skin-plumping ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides. It's also versatile too. ”I love that this can be used as an overnight mask or as a rinse-off product,” says Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramides and Peptides
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Usage: 2-3x a week

THE REVIEW: “This sleeping mask did everything that it said it would do. My skin does feel that plumped-nourished-refreshed feeling that the product claims to produce," writes one tester.

First Aid Beauty is known for their sensitive skin-friendly formulas, including this hydrating and repairing mask. It's made with colloidal oatmeal and bisabolol, two ingredients that help soothe skin and reduce tightness and itchiness, plus moisturizing shea butter and sea buckthorn extracts. I always keep this mask in my skincare rotation during the winter months, when my skin tends to be dry, chapped, and ruddy.

• Key ingredients: Colloidal oatmeal, bisabolol, shea butter, sea buckthorn
• Skin types: Dry, combo, sensitive
• Usage: Up to three times a week for 10-minutes

THE REVIEW: One reviewer referred to the product as a "rescue for their skin" and wrote, “This mask helps my skin heal whether it's super dry or irritated. It's very soothing and does wonders for my skin, to the point that if I haven't used it in a while, then use it, friends and family will start telling me how good my skin looks."

If your dry skin is anything like mine, it often feels chapped and irritated, which can result in a red, angry appearance. The fix? This hydrating gel mask. It has a cooling feel to immediately tone down redness, plus a blend of soothing botanicals including aloe vera and cucumber and chamomile extracts, to calm down inflamed skin. Many testers—myself included—like to store this mask in the fridge so that it's extra cooling and soothing when I'm ready to use it.

• Key ingredients: Cucumber extract, chamomile extract, aloe vera, glycerin
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily, acne-prone, sensitive
• Usage: Twice a week for 10 minutes

THE REVIEW: "I love this cucumber gel mask," writes one tester. "We keep our container in the fridge so it goes on nice and cold. My husband and I are both runners and end up with pretty red faces after a run. This is our go-to product to calm down our skin and add back some hydration. At the very least, it feels amazing and my skin is noticeably softer after using.”

Created by celebrity aesthetician Shani Darden, this hydrating face mask is like a luxurious facial in a jar. Its whipped texture glides on like a dream and works to tackle concerns like redness, dryness, and dullness. Dr. Garshick says it’s an especially good choice for those with combination skin, as it has clay that helps to draw out excess oil along with squalane helps boost moisture levels.

• Key ingredients: Squalane, colloidal oatmeal, kaolin clay
• Skin types: Combo, oily, acne-prone, sensitive
• Usage: Once a week for 15 minutes

THE REVIEW: “I have dry skin so I tend not to use clay masks but this one works super well! It soothes my skin and doesn’t leave it feeling stripped of moisture whatsoever. It's a bit of a splurge but so luxurious,” writes one reviewer.

It can be tough to choose a product when you’re trying to tackle multiple skin concerns, but that’s not to say there aren’t multitaskers that do both. This hydrating mask is proof; not only does it leave skin feeling moisturized, but it also packs brightening ingredients like vitamin C, retinol, and lactic acid that help to nix dark spots and discoloration.

• Key ingredients: Vitamin C, lactic acid, retinol, vitamin B5
• Skin types: Dry, combo, dull
• Usage: Once a week for up to 15 minutes

THE REVIEW: "I absolutely love this mask! My skin feels so soft and supple after every use. It also has a slight tingle which gives me the impression that the active ingredients are penetrating into the skin and working their magic. I actually like the smell a lot too, kind of citrusy. I use this mask when my skin feels dull and needs a boost," reads one review.

Another aesthetician-formulated product, the Rapid Response Detox Mask by Renee Rouleau is a miracle worker for those of us who experience breakouts but tend to get dried out by traditional acne products and treatments. The gel-like formula addresses current hormonal breakouts but also prevents new ones from cropping up, so I like to implement this into my skincare routine a week before my cycle starts. “The tea tree oil and salicylic acid in this mask reduce bacteria while allantoin helps to calm redness and blemishes,” explains Dr. Garshick.

• Key ingredients:
• Skin types: Oily, acne-prone
• Usage: Once or twice a week for 20 minutes

THE REVIEW: "This mask is my go to whenever I’m having hormonal breakouts. It feels great and you can tell it’s not overworking or harsh on the skin like some masks, because when you leave it on longer than you’re supposed to, it doesn’t cause extra peeling, drying or irritation. You can expect to see positive results from this mask within 1 week! I highly recommend you try this mask if you experience hormonal and/or cystic acne,” writes one tester.

Hyaluronic acid—the hero in this ultra-hydrating sheet mask from drugstore skincare brand Neutrogena—is an absolute hydrating powerhouse. “It leaves the skin looking and feeling plumper, smoother, more and refreshed,” says Dr. Garshick. I love to apply this mask on slightly damp skin, leave it on for about 20 minutes, and then marvel at how soft and dewy my skin looks after.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily
• Usage: As needed for up to 30 minutes

THE REVIEW: "If you have extremely dry, flaky skin I definitely recommend this sheet mask. It helps restore some moisture and soothe my dry skin. I always keep these on hand...they really work wonders,” reads one review.

Yes, this face mask is incredibly expensive, but the formula is outstanding. So if you can afford it, it's definitely worth trying IMO. The creamy formula is packed with brightening vitamin C and line-smoothing TFC8 (the brand's proprietary blend of growth factors and peptides) so it functions like anti-aging cream as well as a hydrating mask. While you can rinse this mask off after 10 minutes, I like to sleep with it on or use it as a rich, leave-on cream so I don't feel I’m not washing money down the drain.

• Key ingredients: TFC8, vitamin C
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Usage: As needed as a rinse-off or overnight treatment

THE REVIEW: "I absolutely love this face mask. It made my face super hydrated and reduced my frown line. I used to have very dry skin around my nose area and this completely diminished it. It also reduced my textured skin. This mask is definitely worth the price. It works amazingly and leaves my skin with a dewy finish," reads one tester's review.

Most topical skincare takes a minimum of six weeks of use before you'll see a noticeable change in your skin, but this hydrating mask is one of the few products I've tested that offers up immediate benefits. Inspired by cryotherapy, it visibly firms and lifts skin, helps plump up fine lines, and give skin boost of much-needed moisture—all in 10 minutes.

• Key ingredients: Evening primrose extract, horse chestnut escin, menthol extract
• Skin types: Dry, combo
• Usage: As needed for 10 minutes

THE REVIEW:

Some natural skincare products can leave you feeling like all you did was rub water onto your face, but with Tata Harper’s Hyaluronic Acid Floral Mask, the proof is in the plump and glowing complexion that’s revealed after rinsing. In addition to tried-and-true hydrator hyaluronic acid, this mask contains tremella mushroom (a natural alternative to HA that holds 1000x its weight in water) and floral extract that are rich in antioxidants like ferulic acid and ellagic acid.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, tremella mushroom, flower extracts
• Skin types: Dry, combo, oily
• Usage: Up to three times a week for 20 minutes

THE REVIEW: "I wanted to hate this because it was so expensive, but I absolutely loved it. I have super dry skin and wanted something to breathe some life into it when it felt at its worst. This mask does that every time. It smells incredible and makes my skin feel really supple and nice. Definitely going to repurchase,” reads one review.

Snail mucin is all the rage recently, and with good reason. It has the power to hydrate, exfoliate, and even boost collagen and elastin production. The buzzy ingredient is paired with calming cica and brightening fruit extracts in this mask, which I left my skin super smooth and hydrated after testing. It does have a little bit of a sticky gel texture, though, but it didn’t bother me, especially since you only need to leave it on for 15 minutes.

• Key ingredients: Snail mucin, hyaluronic acid, cica, licorice root extract
• Skin types: Combo, oily, acne-prone, dull
• Usage: Twice a week for 15 minutes

THE REVIEW: "Moisturizing wash-off masks usually feel like slathering lotion all over your face and then washing it off to reveal nothing— a waste of time and $$. I was lowkey expecting this to be the same, I just liked the cute packaging and texture. But when I used this my skin literally felt like heaven. It’s so soft and supple and has a nice cooling effect,” writes one reviewer.

Opt for a fragrance-free formula.

This is especially true if you have sensitive skin, but even other skin types may have a negative reaction if a formula is too heavily scented.

Think about your skin type and concerns.

Many face masks are able to target multiple skin concerns, as evidenced by several multitasking masks above. Dr. Garshick says that “even masks that are primarily designed for hydration may also help to address other concerns such as brightening or calming the skin by incorporating other ingredients like exfoliants or niacinamide.” So beyond looking a a mask's ingredient list for hydrators, keep an eye out for other actives that are suited for your skin type and concerns.

• Marisa Garshick, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York, NY, and a clinical assistant professor at Cornell. Dr. Garshick specializes in general medical dermatology as well as cosmetic dermatology.
• Mona Gohara, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Hamden, CT. Dr. Gohara is an associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine and vice president of the Women’s Dermatologic Society. Her areas of expertise include medical and surgical dermatology and skin of color.