Moving on to the fourth mask from The Body Shop’s new Superfood face mask range, today we’re trying out the one designed to polish and clarify the skin when our pores and skin texture is in need of a little extra maintenance. Enter The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask!
The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask
The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask is a creamy exfoliating mask that works to not only remove dullness and unevenness, but also purifying, brighten, and revitalize skin. After each use, it claims to help minimize pores, reduce imperfections, and smooth the skin. And with continued use over time, it claims to help reduce skin imperfections and create a more even, glowing complexion.
Key Ingredients:
- Ginseng from China – known to have toning and stimulating properties
- Rice Extract from China – traditionally used to both moisturize and brighten the skin
- Community Trade Sesame Seed Oil from Nicaragua – rich in oleic and linoleic acid to soften the skin
Other more prominent ingredients include:
- Glycerin – known to help skin retain moisture
- Kaolin – an absorbent clay that pulls dirt and oils out of the skin
- Luffa Cylindrica Fruit – an abrasive plant material obtained from the fruit of the Sponge Loofah
Full ingredients list: Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Luffa Cylindrica Fruit, Kaolin, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil/Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, PEG-100 Stearate, Alcohol Denat., Decyl Glucoside, Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d’abeille, Perlite, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Parfum/Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Limonene, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Myristyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Menthol, Panax Ginseng Root Extract/Panax Ginseng (Ginseng) Root Extract, Disodium EDTA, Citral, Citronellol, Linalool, Menthoxypropanediol, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Eugenol, Dextrin, Oryza Sativa Extract/Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide.
How to Use
Start with clean skin and use a brush or your fingers to smooth an even layer of the Chinese Ginseng and Rice Mask onto the face, as well as the neck and décolletage if desired, avoiding the more sensitive eye and lip areas. Leave the mask on for 5-10 minutes, then use a warm water cloth to gently exfoliate and remove the mask, using circular motions all around the face. Use 2 to 3 times a week for best results.
The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask Review
The Body Shop’s Chinese Ginseng & Rice Mask is an amazingly refreshing and soothing experience from the start. Ginseng gives it a slightly sharp yet fresh scent that lingers as you wear it. The mask’s consistency is somewhat thick, milky, and also pretty grainy. It’s easy to spread, and already starts to exfoliate the skin a bit as you smooth it on.
The mask’s clarifying abilities are largely thanks to kaolin, which helps draw out oil, dirt, and impurities. Though kaolin can be fairly drying, the sesame seed oil, rice extract, and glycerin in this mask really help to lock in moisture and sooth the skin while the clay works its magic.
In addition to the mask’s clarifying benefits, The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Mask also provides quite a bit of gentle exfoliation, in the form of Luffa Cylindrica Fruit. What I like to do is lightly massage these bits all over my face with my fingers for a good 1-2 minutes for maximum polishing benefits. Then I’ll grab a washcloth for the full mask removal.
Once the mask is off, it leaves my skin feeling super soft and smooth, and looking more evenly toned overall. Like I mentioned earlier, because of some of the more moisturizing ingredients in the mask, it always leaves my skin feeling very comfortable – not at all tight or dry.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’d recommend The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng and Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask to everyone, regardless of your skin type (sensitive included). The mask is amazingly multi-tasking in that it helps clarify oily areas while also smoothing away dry, dead skin – two essentials for clearer skin. At the same time, it tones, soothes, and hydrates, leaving skin feeling comforted and balanced.
Out of all the masks I’ve tried from the The Body Shop’s new Superfood range that offer exfoliation (the other two being the Himalyan Charcoal mask and the Amazonian Acai mask), this one by far is the gentlest. For one, the granules are not as rough, and two, the mask doesn’t cause any unpleasant sensations like tingling or dryness, making it great for those with sensitive skin who want all the benefits of a purifying and exfoliating mask, only without the unpleasant side effects.
Available on Amazon, Ulta, & The Body Shop
Not sure which mask is the right match for your skin type? Check out The Body Shop’s mask pairing recommendations, or explore my other reviews of The Body Shop’s Superfood range.
Have you tried The Body Shop Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask? How does it work for your skin type?
