Blackhead Skin Peel

There are a variety of products you can buy that claim to get rid of your blackheads, but do they really work? And what about your skin health? If you’re looking for a holistic approach to blackhead treatment that doesn’t sacrifice your skin’s health, consider trying a blackhead skin peel.

A blackhead skin peel is the most effective method for getting rid of blackheads because it actually cleans out your pores and removes the buildup of dead skin cells that causes the blockage. The process is relatively painless and very inexpensive, and can be done at home or professionally through a dermatologist.

Right here on cosmeticsurgerytips, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on black mask peel off benefits, blackhead removal skin peel reviews, do chemical face peels get rid of blackheads, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.

While blackheads aren’t necessarily a cause for concern, they can be hard to ignore when staring at yourself in the mirror. Even if you’re well past your teen years and have otherwise clear skin, there’s always a chance they’ll rear their ugly heads.

“Blackheads form when a pore becomes clogged with dead skin cells and oil,” explains NYC-based dermatologist Hadley King, MD, FAAD. “When this material becomes oxidized by exposure to air, it appears black—hence the name blackhead.” Luckily, there’s an entire skincare category focused on tackling the issue, one of the most effective solutions being masks.

According to Claire Wolinsky, MD, the goal of a mask should be to lightly exfoliate. The derms we spoke to recommend AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids), BHAs (beta-hydroxy acids), and enzymes, as well as absorbent ingredients, such as clay. If this sounds a little too scientific, don’t worry, because we took notes from these experts and rounded up standout options for every budget.

Here, the best blackhead masks to clear your pores.

Best Overall: GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Instant Clearing Treatment Mask

What We Like

• Exfoliating
• Clears pores
• Suitable for all skin types

What We Don’t Like

• Expensive

Our number one pick is none other than GlamGlow Supermud. This iconic all-in-one facial pulls out all the stops to clear your pores. We’re talking BHA all-star salicylic acid, AHA superhero lactic acid, plus activated charcoal and kaolin.

“Masks containing kaolin clay are good choices for oily skin,” notes Dr. Wolinsky. She explains that these absorbent ingredients decrease excess oil, which can lead to clearer skin and reduce the appearance of pores. But this blackhead-clearing treatment isn’t just for the oily-skinned set.

It’s gentle on sensitive skin and can be used to target only the T-zone if you have otherwise dry (combination) skin. Thanks to GlamGlow’s Pore-Matrix technology, you’ll be able to see little dots where it’s extracting gunk from your pores. We also like that you can use Supermud as a spot treatment for pimples.

Key Ingredients: Kaolin, charcoal, lactic acid, salicylic acid | Amount: 0.5 ounces, 3.5 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Budget: Bioré Instant Warming Clay Charcoal Face Mask

What We Like

• Budget-friendly
• Works in one minute
• Single-serving packets

What We Don’t Like

• Contains fragrance

OG blackhead-clearing brand Bioré is an excellent choice for babes on a budget. This clay and charcoal mask comes in single-serving packets, warms on contact with your skin, and gets the job done in a minute flat.

Key Ingredients: Kaolin, charcoal | Amount: 0.25 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No

What Our Testers Say

“It was like I’d placed a warm, steamy towel on my face.” —Bianca Lambert, Product Tester

Best Drugstore: Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

This Cult-Favorite Clay Mask Instantly Shrinks My Pores

What We Like

• Budget-friendly
• Contains only one ingredient
• Multi-use product

What We Don’t Like

• Can be messy

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay has a well-deserved following. This single-ingredient drugstore icon contains 100 percent bentonite clay—nothing more, nothing less—to soak up the oil that’s causing blackheads.

Key Ingredients: Bentonite clay | Amount: 16 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Splurge: Kypris Deep Forest Clay Detoxifying Mask + Exfoliant

What We Like

• Dissolves sebum
• Soothing

What We Don’t Like

• Expensive

If you’re super-serious about battling blackheads, it might be worth splurging on an Elsa-esque tub of Kypris Deep Forest Clay. Strongly recommended by licensed esthetician Dana Murray of Babe + Beauty, this brilliant mask calls on clay, oceanic salt, and botanical exfoliants to dissolve sebum, plus algae to soothe inflammation.

Key Ingredients: Clay, oceanic salt, algae, botanical exfoliants | Amount: 1.55 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best BHA: Herbivore Blue Tansy BHA and Enzyme Pore Refining Mask

What We Like

• Esthetician-approved
• Exfoliating
• Soothing

What We Don’t Like

• Expensive

“Hands down, salicylic acid (aka BHA) is the most effective,” says Murray. That’s why she loves Herbivore’s Blue Tansy Mask. This blackhead treatment gets its BHAs from white willow bark and goes above and beyond with fruit enzymes for gentle exfoliation and soothing aloe for good measure.

Key Ingredients: White willow bark (BHA), fruit enzymes, blue tansy oil, aloe | Amount: 2 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best AHA: Then I Met You Rosé Resurfacing Facial Mask

What We Like

• Exfoliating
• Dissolves sebum
• Improves skin texture

What We Don’t Like

• Expensive

From Soko Glam founder Charlotte Cho, Then I Met You Rosé Resurfacing Mask is a game-changer for those with blackheads. Containing 6 percent AHAs, including glycolic and lactic acid, this exfoliating tincture does an excellent job of clearing congested pores.

Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, resveratrol, rose petals | Amount: 1.76 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Clay: Innisfree Pore Clearing Clay Mask 2X

What We Like

• Budget-friendly
• Exfoliating
• Absorbs oil

What We Don’t Like

• Leaves slight residue

Murray is also a fan of clay masks for blackheads, like Innisfree’s Pore Clearing formula. This affordable treatment contains exfoliating lactic acid and actual volcanic lava clusters to absorb oil and minimize the appearance of pores. It’s no wonder former Byrdie editorial director Faith Xue says she can’t get over how much gunk this mask removes from her pores.

Key Ingredients: Volcanic lava, lactic acid | Amount: 3.38 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No

What Our Testers Say

“The clay brought my whiteheads up and soaked up the excess oil from my t-zone and cheek areas on the first use.” — Bianca Lambert, Product Tester

Best Peel-Off: No B.S. Charcoal Detox Peel-Off Mask

What We Like

• Absorbs oil
• Pain-free removal
• Fragrance-free

What We Don’t Like

• Not as effective on oily skin
• Expensive

Prominent blackheads can give you a real hankering for a peel-off mask. If that’s your cup of tea, we recommend this charcoal-infused option from No B.S. In addition to absorbing oil, it moisturizes with squalane for an all-around balanced complexion. We also like that removing it is pain-free.

Key Ingredients: Charcoal, glycerin, squalane | Amount: 3 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Hydrating: Buttah Charcoal Detox Mask

What We Like

• Detoxes and decongests pores without drying out the skin
• Contains nourishing plant-based ingredients
• Clean formula

What We Don’t Like

• Small amount of product

Blackhead fighting treatments, particularly clay and charcoal masks, can sometimes be too potent and end up drying out the skin, leaving you with a dull and lackluster complexion. That’s why we love this ultra-gentle charcoal-powered mask from Buttah. It not only purifies and clears congested pores, but it also leaves skin noticeably softer, smoother, and more hydrated, thanks to the addition of argan oil, shea butter, and sodium hyaluronate.

Key Ingredients: Charcoal, bentonite and kaolin clays, argan oil, shea butter, sodium hyaluronate | Amount: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Oily Skin: Beneath Your Mask Illuminate Clarifying Face Mask

What We Like

• Award-winning formula
• Absorbs oil
• Balances complexion

What We Don’t Like

• Expensive

Oily skin? Beneath Your Mask has you covered. The brand’s Illuminate Clarifying Face Mask contains absorbent clay, antimicrobial honey, vitamin-rich coconut milk, and soothing aloe vera. In other words, this award-winning treatment goes above and beyond to balance oily complexions. King explains, “Areas with larger pores and more oil production are more likely to have blackheads. Those who are genetically determined to have oily and acne-prone skin will be more likely to have blackheads.”

Key Ingredients: Clay, honey, coconut milk, aloe | Amount: 3.4 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Sensitive Skin: Golde Papaya Bright Face Mask

What We Like

• Gently exfoliates
• Soothing
• Natural formula

What We Don’t Like

• Small amount

Dr. King is a fan of fruit enzymes for blackheads. With this in mind, we suggest Golde Papaya Bright for sensitive skin. The ultra-gentle yet effective exfoliants work hard to clear clogged pores, while marshmallow root extract calms inflammation.

Key Ingredients: Fruit enzymes, sea buckthorn, marshmallow root extract | Amount: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Acne Treatment Mask

What We Like

• Prevents breakouts
• Absorbs oil
• Soothing

What We Don’t Like

• Contains fragrance
• Expensive

To keep both blackheads and breakouts at bay, your best bet is the Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Mask. In addition to sulfur, it uses kaolin clay to absorb oil and aloe to hydrate and calm the skin.

Key Ingredients: Sulfur, kaolin, aloe | Amount: 5 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No

Best for All Skin Types: Caudalie Vinergetic C Instant Detox Mask

What We Like

• Clears pores
• Exfoliating
• Suitable for all skin types

What We Don’t Like

• Contains alcohol

Celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, CMO and founder of PFRANKMD and the author of “The Pro-Aging Playbook,” stands behind Caudalie Vinergetic C. “This will extract and dry up what is clogged in the skin,” he tells Byrdie. “Make sure you don’t put this on dry or dehydrated skin and moisturize after.”

Key Ingredients: Bentonite, fruit enzymes, glycerin, lactic acid | Amount: 2.5 ounces | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Preventative: Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Blemish Solutions Clarifying Mask

What We Like

• Absorbs oil
• Not overly drying
• Prevents breakouts

What We Don’t Like

• Small amount

The best defense against blackheads is preventing your pores from clogging in the first place. With this in mind, the Dr. Dennis Gross Clarifying Mask blends colloidal sulfur, kaolin, and bentonite clay to absorb excess oil without over drying the skin.

Key Ingredients: Colloidal sulfur, kaolin, bentonite clay | Amount: 1 ounce | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best K-Beauty: Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam

What We Like

• Budget-friendly
• Exfoliating
• Dissolves sebum

What We Don’t Like

• Contains fragrance

Our favorite K-beauty blackhead treatment is Skinfood’s Egg White Pore Mask. In addition to egg whites, it’s formulated with lactic acid and niacinamide to keep sebum in check and minimize the appearance of pores.

Key Ingredients: Egg whites, lactic acid, niacinamide | Amount: 3.52 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No

Best Multi-Use: Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask

What We Like

• Multi-use product
• Absorbs oil
• Soothing

What We Don’t Like

• Contains fragrance

Believe it or not, even Estée Lauder’s target market deals with blackheads now and then. The brand’s Perfectly Clean mask-cleanser hybrid can be used as a three-minute mask or a daily clarifying face wash. Either way, you can count on unclogged pores and a healthy-looking complexion.

Key Ingredients: Myristic acid, glycerin, caffeine, algae | Amount: 5 ounces | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty-Free: No

Final Verdict

The best blackhead mask overall is GlamGlow Supermud. Containing AHAs, BHAs, charcoal, and kaolin, this effective treatment covers all the bases to clear pores. For something a little easier on your bank account, go with Bioré Charcoal Instant Warming Clay Mask, an oil-absorbing solution that gets the job done in 60 seconds.