HANNAH ENGLISH

Exfoliating masks are nothing new, right?
How about a gentle exfoliating mask that infuses your skin with Vitamin C?

Enter Frank Body’s Brightening Vitamin C Mask – a magical multitasker that addresses dullness and texture in just 5 minutes.

The claims: To reveal your brightest, clearest skin yet. After one use, your skin will feel instantly softer. Over time, you’ll notice less breakouts and smoother, brighter skin.

The ingredients: To exfoliate, we have papaya and pineapple enzymes, as well as salicylic, glycolic, and lactic acids.
Gentle and effective exfoliation is a great start to treat acne, and I’m excited to see a chemical exfoliant from Frank to compliment their physical exfoliants.
For more on the causes and treatments for acne, you can read my post on acne tips from a dermatologist here.
For brightening, there’s Vitamin C in the form of Kakadu Plum Extract and Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (SAP). Interestingly, SAP has been clinically studied as an effective treatment for acne at 5% concentration.
Bonus ingredients include star humectant glycerin and of course, Frank’s signature coffee seed extract.

My Experience: Just so we’re on the same page, I have normal/combination skin with some sensitivity. I tend to shop for products without added fragrance as a personal preference so I was pleased to observe no noticeable scent.
I followed instructions and applied on clean, dry skin, massaged in for 30 seconds (this step helps to activate the enzymes!), then left for 5 minutes. You can leave for up to 10 minutes if you like… I have a short attention span.
It’s a clear gel texture that turns a little milky when massaged in.
I felt a tingle on application from the Brightening Vitamin C Mask and went a little pink. On removal my skin was smoother and brighter, and some clogged pores on my chin had cleared up. Cute!

So should you get it?
If you’re new to chemical exfoliants (ie. enzymes or acids), Frank Body’s Brightening Vitamin C Mask is a great place to start.
It’s gentle, but still packs an exfoliating punch!
I think it could help treat mild to moderate breakouts and texture, and it’s absolutely brightening. I wouldn’t solely rely on it for hyperpigmentation but when used in conjunction with daily SPF, you could expect to see some improvement.
I would even go so far as to call it a less-sensitising dupe for the $AU109 Tatcha Violet-C mask (do not @ me).
The Frank Brightening Vitamin C Mask is friendly to sensitive skin when used 2-3 times per week, and it won’t dry you out either. For $AU24.95, you can’t really go wrong!

Full Ingredient List: Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Cellulose Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Papain (Papaya Enzyme), Ananas Sativus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract (Kakadu Plum), Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract (Bilberry), Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Sap Extract (Sugar Maple), Citrus Glauca Fruit Extract (Desert Lime), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Glycolate, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Metabisulphite.

Ingredients retrieved from frankbody.com on August 10th, 2020.