Wednesday, August 16, 2006

New Beauty Products that Halts Aging

I did a research on beauty products recently and found that americans spend a lot of money on beauty products.

The market for anti-aging facial products specifically grew by 33 percent, to total $664 million since 2001. This means that one out of every three dollars spent in the prestige skincare market (excluding sets) was spent on an anti-aging facial product. One of the products leading this growth are Asian facial masks, popular in the Far East and now moving on to shelves in the US.


I've not used a facial mask before and I was curious on how they work. This is what I have found:

Traditional spa facial treatments are oily and require time and effort to prepare and clean up, a obstacle to everyday home use use which has kept them in high priced, specialist salons and spas. In Japan this lead to the development of sachet-packed, facial masks. Clean and disposable, their low cost has lead many in Asia to adopt them for daily use.

Soft cotton facial masks are precut and moistened in a solution usually of all-natural, anti-ageing nutrients. To apply a mask, users simply remove one from its airtight packaging, unfold it and gently put it on the skin. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the mask is removed and disposed. A spa-level treatment, in fifteen minutes..

Photo from Moist+ (Greenyarn)


The most popular brand for Japanese facial masks is SK II. With its patented Pitera, SK II facial masks are widley considered the most effective on the market.

They are pretty expensive, and there are many immitations found on ebay. (Don't get them from ebay!)


Shiseido makes a sheet eye mask that intensively treats signs of aging such as dark circles, dullness and fine lines. It targets te area under the eyes and effectively reduces appearance of dark circles and dullness.

They also have moisturizing masks that are pretty effective in removing wrinkles. They feel good and the moistuzing effects last a long time.

In 2006, Greenyarn, a Boston based company introduces "Moist+," an all-natural facial mask, on par with the leading brands but for as low as a third the price. Moist+ contains a anti-ageing nutrient mix of rose hip; marine collagen; hyaluronic acid; mulberry bark and matricaria extracts; to moisturize skin and make it more radiant.

There are many facial masks on the market and prices range from as low as $1 to $21 per mask. Choosing a mask is not easy, and you usually get what you pay for.

There are some Korean brand facial masks that feel pretty good and they are relatively cheap too, but I do not like the smell of them.

Lu-Miel Collagen Facial Mask are pretty good, but I have not been able to find a good source outside asia.

Many online stores that have them are also out of stock.

Facial masks can be used year round. In hot weather, a good mask will remove excess oils, preventing acnes and pimples. In cold, dry weather, they moisturize the skin keeping it tight against wrinkles and fine lines.

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Reasons to use Facial Mask:

1) Very very convenient! - Wash your face and just put them on your face while you are relaxing or reading a book. Take it off in 10 to 15 minutes and your skin feel tight and refreshed.

2) Way cheaper than facials. - Going to a spa may be a nice thing to do with friends, but you can have a few friends over and just relax to some music and put on facial masks. Results for good masks are as good as treatment from the spa.

3) Slow down aging. - Regular use of Moisturizing collagen facial masks repair damage done by free radicals, and make skin tighter, reducing wrinkles significantly. Even if you are 25, the effects of better and healthier skin is obvious.

4) Boost radiance. - Regular use of Facial Masks will bring out the radiance of your skin. The skin will look brighter and heathlier. Sunspots and freckles, and other skin dysfunctions may also be reduced, leaving healthy natural beautiful skin.

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How to choose a good facial mask.

1) Do not go for cheap facial mask. If it looks too cheap to be true, don't get it. Do not get your facial masks from Ebay. Immitation products may be bad for your skin.

2) Before you commit to a facial mask that suit your needs, try a single pack. There are several good facial masks out there so you do not have to worry that you cannot find one that suit you. If you like the mask, try it for a week or 2 to see if you can feel the difference. A good mask will make your skin feel great after 1 use, and will improve the texture and condition of your skin with prolonged use (2 weeks - 1 mask every 3 days)

3) Depending on your needs, get different facial masks. There are some masks specifically target eyebags, some whitens, some moisturizing and anti-aging. Get one that suit our needs.

4) Expensive is not good. Though some facial mask may work great on your friend, if you don't like it, move on, try a different one. The most expensive one may not be best for you.

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I have a few recommendation:

SK-II facial masks are overall the best I've used. They work great and my face feel good after use. They are a bit expensive though, even when bought in bulk, they can cost $15 each.

I read an article online on Greenyarn, a Boston based company making Moist+.
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/9300005cp.shtml

It is very informative and I decided to try them out. They smell good and work suprising well for a $5 mask. I got them from www.greenyarnstore.com and they came really fast.

I have tried many $5 mask in asia and none of them come even close. The masks are a little different as they are "greyish" in color due to the bamboo charcoal, and I love them.

Try using facial masks, and you can have great skin too!