I was particularly interested to try this mask, since it’s from such a small and unestablished UK brand. Lozano Skincare have developed a product designed to exfoliate, hydrate and brighten the skin.

The Lozano Skincare SkinTea Active Renewal Mask*** (£32 from Lozano Skincare) contains active ingredients that are really beneficial to the skin. The ingredients have good antioxidant and anti-ageing benefits, as well as being able to aesthetically improve the look and feel of your skin. It’s a light gel mask that you apply in a layer on your skin, and leave to work for 12-15 minutes. It’s a chemical exfoliant, so you will feel some tingling – how much will depend on how used your skin is to acids and other actives. It smells like sherbet and has a pH level of 4.4. Even although this mask contains beneficial ingredients, they aren’t at optimal strengths and I feel you would get a lot better value for money, and better effects, by incorporating these ingredients into your skincare regime in a different way.

The ingredient that this mask is ‘sold on’ is its 5% White Tea. Origins have already been using this ingredient in their Perfect World range for quite some time. It is essentially and antioxidant, that will help protect your skin from environmental agressors and pollutants. White Tea has higher antioxidants than other types of tea. It helps shield your skin from the oxidative stresses of the outside world. It is also known to calm irritated skin, but by pairing it with Glycolic and Lactic Acids, you are probably cancelling out this benefit. White Tea also helps to promote collagen and elastin function, to keep your skin looking plump and youthful.

The mask also contains 3% Glycolic Acid and 1% Lactic Acid, This is a relatively low strength of Glycolic Acid – an ingredient that stimulates collagen production, promotes healthy cell renewal and exfoliates away dead skin cells. For a product that you are only supposed to use 2 to 3 times per week, a higher percentage would have been more beneficial, as its not a frequent, daily use product. Lactic Acid is a more gentle and sensitve skin-friendly chemical exfoliant for the skin, as its already a naturally occuring substance in your body. As well as getting rid of dead skin cells and refining the look and feel of the skin (by reducing discolourations and giving skin a glowing appearance), it also promotes hydration in the skin and helps strengthen the skins protective barrier. Lactic Acid works best in products of a lower pH (between 3 and 4), and 1% is a very low strength even for home use – so I don’t feel this ingredient is able to reach its potential in this formula and at this strength.

Finally, there’s 3% Hyaluronic Acid – a molecule that is naturally occuring in the skin and helps to add moisture and keep it locked in. It’s plumping and lubricating, and great for dry skin. As it plumps the skin with moisture, its great at diminishing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s thought that 3% is slightly high, and could actually cause drying effects on some skins. I would have liked to have seen just 2%.

This is an average mask and I don’t think it is worth the high price that it’s selling at – especially when you have such amazing AHA and BHA acid masks and toners, at more effective strengths and in more effective formulas, available on the high street for a lot less. Also, there are great Hyaluronic Acid products available from the likes of The Ordinary. This mask did make my skin look a bit brighter, but I definitely didn’t experience any hydrating or moisturising benefits from it. It actually left my skin feeling a bit tight, but did feel and look like it had exfoliated away dead skin cells. It’s OK. I’m not keeping it in my stash, and I think they really need to re-think the price point.

***This post contains a press sample, but all views are my own.

You can see more of what I’m loving, and what I’m doing, over on my Instagram.