Product Review: boscia Wakame Firming Hydrogel Mask

If you read my 2015 post about boscia's Tsubaki Oil Hydrogel Mask, you know it's one of my favorites. I'm a big fan of hydrogel masks because they really adhere to the skin, allowing for better absorption of the ingredients as well as better plumping of fine lines.


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Since I liked their tsubaki oil mask so much, I wanted to give the Wakame Firming Hydrogel Mask a try. I have to admit, I tried this many months ago and am just now getting around to writing a review. The bad news is - I don't see this mask on the boscia or Sephora websites, so I'm assuming they are no longer making it. I did find it on Amazon, which means you can probably find it on eBay as well.

Wakame is a type of sea kelp that is native to Japan. It is used in a variety of ways - it can be eaten (fresh or dried), used as a condiment, or used in skincare products. In skincare products, it's rich in vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that it can help keep elastin and collagen fibers bound together - which is what gives skin it's firmness. It does this by inhibiting the activity of hyaluronidase - an enzyme that attacks the hyaluronic acid present in skin - and the hyaluronic acid is what binds the elastin an collagen fibers together.


Ingredients: water, glycerin, 1,2 hexanediol, ceratonia siliqua gum, chondus cripsus (carrageenan) extract, allantoin, PEG-60 hydrogenated castor oil, gardenia florida fruit extract, theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract, adenosine, disodium EDTA, laminaria japonica extract, undaria pinnatifida extract, butylene glycol, trehalose, ascorbyl glucoside, potassium hydroxide, hydrolyzed collagen, sodium hyaluronate.


Another thing that I really like about the boscia hydrogel masks is that they come in two pieces. A top piece to cover the forehead, nose, upper cheeks, and around the eyes...


And a bottom part to cover the lower cheeks, chin, and around the mouth.


I liked this mask more than regular paper/fabric sheet masks, but not as much as the Tsubaki Oil Hydrogel Mask or the Tony Moly Snail Hydro-gel Face Sheet Mask. It definitely provides hydration, but I didn't feel that it adhered to my skin as well as the other two, so the plumping wasn't as effective.

Have you tried the boscia Wakame Firming Hydrogel mask? What is your favorite face mask? I'm always looking for new ones to try!