Over the years my friends have adopted the habit of rolling their eyes when I soapbox about the importance of the microbiome. I feel bad about their sore eye sockets. Nevertheless, there is plenty of legit science behind probiotics, the coveted flora found in sauerkraut, yogurt, and – my favorite – kimchi, which keep our digestive tracts in check. If probiotics are good for your gut, what about our largest organ, skin, and more importantly, that fickle canvas of dry patches and clogged pores that stares back at most of us every morning?
Earth Kiss, known for their vegan, cruelty-free mask collection, has joined the exciting niche of brands ready to show us that the same brew of antioxidants and vitamins nurtured in the fermentation process – the ones we chug down in lemon ginger mocktails – delivers what we all want for our dermal layer: cleansing, toning and hydration. Kombucha, the latest beverage craze, is the by-product of fermented sweet black tea, made possible with the addition of just the right bacteria, a formula perfected in Asia thousands of years ago to keep the gut microbiome balanced. Earth Kiss’ new Super Naturals line extends the same logic to superfoods by incorporating turmeric, spirulina, shitake and hemp into the 5-masks: Kombucha Charcoal Exfoliating Masks, Kombucha & Turmeric Detoxifying Clay Mask, Kombucha & Shitake Purifying Mask, Kombucha & Hemp Clay Toning Peel-Off Mask, and Kombucha and Charcoal Exfoliating Clay Mask.
After a punishingly hot and humid week in New York, I dove into the offering with a two-fer: the Kombucha & Turmeric Detox Clay Mask, followed by the Kombucha & Shitake Sheet Purifying Mask. My sebum-afflicted pores were so decongested they bounced with joy. I’m allergic to hemp, so I gave the Kombucha & Hemp Clay Toning Peel-Off Mask to my boyfriend, who follows a typical male skincare routine – none. The smooth, dewy results were as unexpected as they were welcome.
Prone to aggressive scrubbing, I tip-toed around the Kombucha & Charcoal Exfoliating Clay Mask. Sensing I was on the verge of trying something special, with the help of brush, I was frugal enough in my application to save a few schmears for a second go. The creamy blend of charcoal and exfoliating particles dried down to a pore-refining patina that left my T-zone so fresh and bright all I needed was a light hydrating gel mask before bed. Without knowing that the Earth Kiss Super Naturals Kombucha and Charcoal Exfoliating Clay Mask had won gold in the 2022 Mom’s Choice Awards, I’d still managed to save the best for last.
Masks, plus probiotics, plus superfoods forms a trifecta, the baseline of a clean, vegan skincare regime. I’ll be gifting these masks to my friends in the hopes of soothing and plumping the tiny lines that come from their probiotic-skeptic grimaces.
Find these masks HERE.
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