This Is What Bubble Masks Actually Do for Your Skin

Our story starts with an unforgettable meme going around a few months ago. A woman had tried a bubble mask for the first time, and it had puffed up into an uncanny impression of The Michelin Man. Diligent K-beauty lovers identified the mask in question as the Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask, Lucy Hale did a demo, and ever since, more brands have followed suit with their own versions. They’re even popping up in sheet mask form from brands like GlamGlow and Rodial.

But let’s take a step back for a sec. Are bubble masks just a fun gimmick? the next peel-off mask made to inspire a thousand Insta stories? (This girl, never forget.) Or does the science deliver?

According to experts, it’s a mixed bag. Cosmetic chemist Stephen Alain Ko says that in general the new sheet masks and the original bubble masks are based around oxygen’s proven positives when it’s used in labs and hospitals. Under the right conditions, good ol’ oxygen can help wounds heal by increasing circulation, which gets more cells where they need to go to help you recover. As we get older, our circulation decreases, so oxygen can make up for that. And in the process, it can up your collagen production for plump, bouncy skin. That reasoning is why celebrity aestheticians like Joanna Vargas do treatments like oxygen facials in-office, she says.

The tricky part is re-creating those conditions at home, Ko says. Bubbling, oxygenating masks actually rely on other ingredients to preserve their bubble action until the right time. When you open them up, the bubbles are unleashed into the air—think how a Coke fizzes when you crack it open. That’s pretty different from the medical treatments and oxygen facials you find at a derm or aesthetician’s office. (For those, a pro uses a machine to push around 95 percent pure, concentrated oxygen into your skin. To put that in perspective, the air we breathe in is only 21 percent oxygen.)

The good news: Vargas says that these topical oxygen bubbles are nothing but a benefit. “Even if it does only increase your circulation, which it certainly would do, that fresh blood brings oxygen and nutrients to every skin cell,” she adds. At the very least, you’re getting your money’s worth from the sheet masks’ ingredients, Dr. Zeichner says. Only your liver and kidneys can actually detoxify anything in your body, but he says that the masks can help dry out dirt and get rid of pollution on your skin—thus leaving your face softer and more radiant.

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I’ve tried the GlamGlow, the Rodial, and the similarly bubbling Origins by All Greens Foaming Deep Cleansing Mask, and without fail they leave my skin noticeably brighter. Chalk it up to the soothing, anti-inflammatory green tea extract that the Origins and GlamGlow share, or the laughter-induced flush of looking in the mirror at a Bubble Woman™. They won’t radically transform your skin, but they’re good for more than a selfie.

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