Review: Aldi's Charcoal Clearing Mud Mask

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Aldi’s popular skincare brand Lacura recently released a charcoal range of skin care. This range includes a mud mask, micellar water, facial cleansing wipes, and a foam cleanser. Aldi loves to do copies of popular products, so it was of no surprise to me that the Lacura Charcoal Clearing Mud Mask looked very similar to the popular Glam Glow SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment Mask.

Charcoal products seem all the rage recently, however, this is not a new ingredient, as I originally fell in love with charcoal masks years ago using Origins Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores from their Clear Improvement Range. This product is still going strong 15 years after I first tried it. It sells at a price of £22 which is still more affordable than Glam Glow.

Lacura

Aldi’s Lacura skincare range is developed in Germany and are dermatologically tested. They are not tested on animals.

The Claims

Lacura claims that their Charcoal Mud Mask was created to reduce the appearance of imperfections. This mask is supposed to help remove excess oils and gently exfoliate leaving you with a clear complexion and a refined, balanced skin tone.

It has a rather long list of features:

Helps to reduce imperfections and tighten pores
Helps to improve skin texture and overall complexion
Mask targets problem-prone skin, removes excess oil and sebum for a clearer, more balanced skin appearance
Clarifying, mattifying and pore minimalising
For a mattified and clear skin complexion
Start seeing results from 4 weeks of use
Charcoal deep cleans your skin, removes excess oil, clear up acne, reduces pore size and is easy to wash off

Warning

As stated on the label, this Lacura Charcoal Clearing Mudmask is not suitable for sensitive skin.

Ingredients

Aldi’s Lacura Charcoal Mud Mask boasts ingredients such as clay, charcoal powder, and extracts of coconut, bamboo and eucalyptus oil. The full list of ingredients is in the image below. Kaolin clay is listed as the second ingredient and the charcoal powder is also near the top. This indicates that this mask contains high concentrations of these products, which is a good thing. Kaolin, also know as China clay, hectorite or magnesium silicate, is a naturally occurring soft clay and it helps to cleanse and exfoliate dead skin cells and debris from the surface. Although it is not as absorbent as other clay’s such as Bentonite, it is more gentle. Some of the other clay’s can be very drying on the skin. The charcoal powder has similar cleansing effects as the clay, and helps to draw out oils and clear blocked pores.

I’m personally a fan of eucalyptus oil as it’s natural antiseptic with antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties making it highly effective in treating acne. Bamboo extract, listed as bambusa vulgaris shoot extract, is supposed to soothe the skin and improve its radiance. In addition, coconut extract, listed as cocos nucifera fruit, is often used in skin care because it’s an excellent humectant, which means it has a moisturising effect and prevents water loss. Coconut extract was a good ingredient for them to include in this mask in order to balance out the drying effects of the clay and charcoal.

The Lacura Charcoal Mud Mask also contains glycolic acid, which is one of my favourite exfoliating ingredients in skin care. Glycolic acid is excellent at removing dead cells and revealing brighter, fresher skin. It leaves skin feeling smooth. It’s a key ingredient in my favourite reasonably priced facial scrub Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Scrub.

Packaging

The Lacura Charcoal Mud Mask comes in a 50ml silver jar which is packaged inside a cardboard box. The packaging is very similar to Glam Glow’s SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment Mask. According to the label, this product must be used within 6 months of opening. I personally found the jar a messy choice of packaging, I would have preferred a tube. Under the lid was a plastic plate lid to try and keep the product from getting up in the underside of the lid.

How to Apply

The directions on the box advise to apply the Lacura Charcoal Mud Mask in an even layer to clean, dry skin and allow it to work for 5-10 minutes. Then you need to rinse with warm water. For best results, it is recommended to use 1-2 times per week.

My Verdict

The reason I need a mask is because I have problems with acne, particularly during winter when my skin is not getting any sun. UV is a natural way to kill the bacteria on skin – hence the popular use of UV masks for acne. I also struggle with acne when I get my period, and generally get some little blackheads around my chin area.

Before applying the Lacura Charcoal Mud Mask, I cleansed and ensured my skin was thoroughly dry. I then applied the mud mask. On opening the lid up I could smell the eucalyptus. I checked the label to see if it had any fragrances, as I wasn’t sure if I was smelling the actual eucalyptus ingredient or just a fake scent they had added (which some products do which is disappointing). However, I couldn’t see any fragrances listed, so I believe it is the natural scent of the eucalyptus that I can smell.

On applying the mask, I could feel little exfoliating micro beads, which is identical to the Glam Glow SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment Mask, so I applied it in a circular motion so I could enhance the exfoliating effects of the ingredients. The mask felt a little tingly which may be due to the eucalyptus.

It was quite easy to apply, but of course quite messy. It went on dark grey, but as it dried it went a light grey. I ended up leaving it on for the full 10 minutes because there were areas where I had applied it thicker, so it took a bit longer to dry. I liked the way it changed colour because it helped me to see where it had dried and when it was ready to be removed.

Washing it off was of course messy – I ended up with grey splotches all over my white sink – so try to use the mask before you clean the bathroom! As I washed it off it turned quite foamy and felt like I was cleansing as I rinsed, so I used a circular motion to thoroughly clean my skin.

After rinsing, I decided to wipe my face down with a cotton pad soaked in my latest favourite product, micellar water. I’m glad I did this, because even though it looked like I had rinsed it all off, there were still traces of the mask on my skin as evidenced by the dirty cotton pad.

Overall, my skin felt soft and not overly dry – which was something I had been worried about as my skin is on the drier side. Although this product is not recommended for those with sensitive skin, I found it relatively gentle. My skin didn’t feel harshly stripped, but did feel like it had had a good cleanse and exfoliation.

I’ve been using this mask for several months now and I have found that using this Lacura Charcoal Mud Mask twice a week does help during my bad acne periods. It’s not a miracle worker, I still get acne, but I have enjoyed using this mask and will buy it again. However, I do find the packaging gets rather messy over time.

Have You Tried the Lacura Charcoal Range of Skin Care?

Let me know in the comments below if you have tried any of the products in the Lacura Charcoal range of skincare and whether you liked them or not. Also, let me know whether you want me to review any of the other Lacura Charcoal products in the range.