Facial Masks Offer Next Step in Skin Care

In her blog post "The Scary Mommy Mask," The NPD Group's Larissa Jensen, director and beauty industry analyst, discusses her experiences with skin care masks, showing effectiveness and a boost in popularity recently.

Jensen writes, "About twice a month I scare my two boys with the 'scary mommy mask.' After a recent trip to a skin care counter in a popular department store, where the beauty adviser hooked up my face to a skin analysis machine, I was told my skin was very dry and a hydrating mask would fix my problem. I purchased one that day and my bimonthly fright face began.

"My hydrating skin care mask is green, dries and hardens upon application, and is kept on for at least 20 scary minutes. I enjoy the routine of walking out of the bathroom, zombie like, toward my children, who run laughing and screaming away from me as I roar and stumble around the house. Aside from the entertainment, and admittedly bizarre family bonding, the best part of it all is that my mask actually works. My skin looks and feels better than it did before.

"Skin care masks are experiencing a boost as women look for ways to up the ante on their skin care routines. Not everyone can afford the often expensive professional facial treatments at a salon, and skin care masks offer an excellent alternative. Whether you require extra hydration (like me), are looking for anti-aging benefits, want to lighten dark spots, or have sensitive or oily skin, there is a mask for you. In prestige channels, facial masks have experienced a renaissance of sorts with accelerated growth in dollars each year, culminating in a 21% gain in 2012.

"Of course, dry skin is not my only concern so I’m thinking my next mask purchase might focus on anti-aging benefits. The fact is, as I get older, taking better care of my skin has become more of a necessity and less of a luxury. And if a scary-looking facial treatment mask can help me maintain beautiful skin at a price that won’t break the bank, the scary mommy mask will live on," she concludes.

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