Frequently asked questions

The Gleamin Vitamin C Clay Mask combines a vitamin C blend of Kakadu plum, desert lime and finger lime from Australia with turmeric root powder and extract, kaolin and Hydroclay to lift away oil and buildup, and aloe vera and glycerin to keep skin comfortable. It also contains kale extract, grape seed and safflower oils, and vitamin E. Iron oxides give it its warm color.

See the full ingredient list on the Vitamin C Clay Mask page or the Amazon listing, and read Inside Our Vitamin C Clay Mask.

The Gleamin Vitamin C Clay Mask is a 10-minute mask for skin prone to dark spots and uneven tone. Kaolin and Hydroclay absorb excess oil and lift away buildup, so right after rinsing, skin looks fresher, smoother and less shiny.

Its vitamin C comes from Kakadu plum, desert lime and finger lime, alongside turmeric, with aloe vera and glycerin to keep skin comfortable. Used 1 to 3 times a week with daily sunscreen, it helps skin look brighter and more even, so dark spots look less noticeable over 8 to 12 weeks. Results vary.

It's dermatologist tested and won two "Best Mask" awards in 2025. See Vitamin C Clay Mask results: what to expect week by week.

Yes. The Vitamin C Treatment Mask and the Vitamin C Clay Mask are the same Gleamin product: our 10-minute mask with Kakadu plum, desert lime, turmeric and clay. Some people also call it the Gleamin turmeric mask. You may see the older names in past posts, reviews and search results.

Today it's called the Vitamin C Clay Mask, and that's the name to search for in our Amazon store. Everything about it lives on the Vitamin C Clay Mask page.

Yes, the Vitamin C Clay Mask is dermatologist tested. The formula went through a repeat insult patch test (HRIPT) on 52 adults, run by Princeton Consumer Research from October to November 2023 and supervised by a consulting dermatologist. No irritation or allergic reactions were observed. The same testing covered the Superactive Serum, the Advanced Brightening Moisturizer and the Supernutrient Oil.

A patch test result doesn't mean no one will ever react, so if your skin is sensitive, try a little on your inner arm first.

The Vitamin C Clay Mask comes in two jar sizes: 2.5 fl oz (75 mL) and 5 fl oz (150 mL). The 2.5 oz jar gives about 20 full-face uses and the 5 oz jar about 40, so at twice a week they last roughly 10 and 20 weeks. Using it only on your T-zone or a few spots makes a jar go further.

Both sizes are the same formula, and you'll find them in our Amazon store.

Yes, the Vitamin C Clay Mask was upgraded in 2024. We added Hydroclay, which helps the mask spread more smoothly, dry with little to no flaking, feel more hydrating after rinsing and stay stable for longer. The jar also grew from 2.1 oz to 2.5 oz.

The heart of the formula didn't change: Kakadu plum and desert lime for vitamin C, turmeric, and a 10-minute wear time. If you loved the original, it should feel familiar, just smoother.

Gleam C is Gleamin's own vitamin C blend of Kakadu plum and desert lime, two Australian fruits naturally rich in vitamin C and antioxidant polyphenols. Instead of a single lab-made molecule, it gets its vitamin C from whole fruit extracts, so it brings along the fruits' other antioxidants too.

Gleam C is the vitamin C behind our Vitamin C Clay Mask. The blend still comes from Australia, where the mask was first made in 2019.

The Vitamin C Clay Mask is made not to leave skin tight or dry. Kaolin and Hydroclay lift away oil and buildup, while aloe vera, glycerin, saccharide isomerate and plant oils help skin feel hydrated when you rinse.

To keep it comfortable, leave it on for 10 minutes rather than until it cracks, rinse with warm water, and follow with serum and moisturizer. If your skin still feels tight, use it less often or only on oilier areas like the T-zone.

Start with once or twice a week. Oily skin often enjoys up to three times a week; dry or sensitive skin is happiest with once. Using it every day isn't needed and can leave skin dry or irritated. Leave it on for 10 minutes, rinse with warm water and follow with serum and moisturizer.

More in Inside our Vitamin C Clay Mask.

Yes. Many customers use it on the chest, back and underarms as well as the face. Avoid broken or freshly shaved skin, and follow with a moisturizer.

Yes. You can apply the Vitamin C Clay Mask only where you need it, such as an oily T-zone, the chin, or a few spots and marks, instead of your whole face. Leave it on for the same 10 minutes, then rinse.

Spot use suits combination skin: the mask absorbs oil on the T-zone while drier cheeks get a hydrating serum instead. It also makes each jar last longer.

No, keep the Vitamin C Clay Mask away from the under-eye area, eyelids and lips. Eyelid skin is only about 0.5 mm thick, several times thinner than skin elsewhere on the face, and clay can dry and irritate it.

Leave a gap of about a finger's width around the eyes when you apply the mask. For dark circles or under-eye tone, use a gentle eye cream instead. If the mask gets into your eyes, rinse well with water.

A light tingle, or a tight, warm feeling as the clay dries, can be normal, especially on skin that's dry or was recently exfoliated. A little pinkness that settles within 20 to 30 minutes of rinsing is normal too. Burning, stinging that lasts, itching, a rash or redness that doesn't settle isn't.

If it burns, rinse the mask off right away with lukewarm water, pat dry and apply a plain moisturizer. Next time, patch test on your inner arm first, skip freshly shaved, exfoliated, broken or irritated skin, and rinse before the mask dries completely. If reactions keep happening, stop using it and talk to a dermatologist. More in Can you use a vitamin C clay mask on sensitive skin?

Yes, the Vitamin C Clay Mask works well before makeup or a big day. Right after rinsing, skin looks fresher and more radiant and feels smooth, which gives makeup a clean base.

Mask an hour or two before, follow with moisturizer (and sunscreen in the daytime), and wait a few minutes before foundation. Just don't try it for the very first time right before an event: patch test a few days ahead in case your skin reacts.

Yes, you can use vitamin C serum after a clay mask. Rinse the mask off, pat your skin dry, then apply your serum and moisturizer. With the Vitamin C Clay Mask, that means cleanse, mask for about 10 minutes, rinse, then the Superactive Serum and moisturizer.

If your skin feels tight, warm or sensitive after masking, skip the serum that night and just moisturize, then use your vitamin C the next morning under sunscreen. More in What to use after a clay mask.

Yes. The Gleamin Vitamin C Clay Mask won two "Best Mask" awards in 2025. It's the product that built Gleamin: conceived in Australia in 2017, launched in 2019, and part of a range now trusted by over a million people.

We're proud of the recognition, but your own skin is the best judge. Patch test first, use the mask once or twice a week, and give it a few weeks to see how your skin responds.

A clay mask absorbs excess oil, lifts dirt and buildup from pores, and gently smooths the skin's surface as you rinse it off. Most use kaolin (gentle) or bentonite (more absorbent) clay. After one use, skin looks less shiny and pores can look smaller for a day or so.

Clay alone doesn't change skin tone, but many masks add brightening or soothing ingredients such as vitamin C, turmeric or aloe. Most people use one 1 to 3 times a week.

A face mask can help dark spots look less noticeable over time if it contains brightening ingredients, such as vitamin C, niacinamide, licorice or gentle acids, and you use it regularly. Clay itself only absorbs oil.

Because a mask is used once or twice a week for 10 to 15 minutes, it works best as a boost to daily leave-on care, not a replacement: a vitamin C serum, moisturizer and SPF 30 every morning do most of the work. Allow 8 to 12 weeks.

Leave most clay masks on for 10 to 15 minutes, or the time on the label, and rinse before the mask dries completely and cracks. When clay dries fully, it keeps pulling water from your skin, which can leave it tight, flaky and irritated, and irritation can trigger dark marks on melanin-rich skin.

If a mask feels uncomfortably tight sooner, rinse it off early. Use lukewarm water, pat dry and moisturize straight away.

You can use a clay mask in the morning or at night; how often you use it matters more than when. Night is the easiest time for most people: cleanse, mask for about 10 minutes, rinse, then follow with serum and moisturizer.

A morning mask works well before makeup or an event, because skin looks fresh and less shiny. Finish with moisturizer and a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. Either way, skip the mask on nights you use strong exfoliating acids or retinoids so skin doesn't get over-worked. See How to use a vitamin C clay mask, step by step.

Kaolin is a soft, fine clay that absorbs oil gently, which makes it suitable for normal, dry and sensitive skin. Bentonite is a volcanic clay that swells when wet and absorbs much more oil, so it suits very oily skin but can be drying. Many popular DIY healing-clay powders are calcium bentonite.

Many modern masks blend kaolin with smoothing clays such as hectorite and add hydrating ingredients, so skin isn't left tight.

Right after a clay mask, expect skin that looks less shiny and feels smoother, with pores that look cleaner and smaller for about a day. Clay can't change your actual pore size. A little pinkness for 20 to 30 minutes after rinsing is normal.

Over 4 to 8 weeks of use 1 to 3 times a week, oily skin often looks more balanced, with fewer clogged pores. Changes in tone depend on the mask's other ingredients, such as vitamin C, and on daily sunscreen.

Yes, you can use a clay mask on dry skin with a few adjustments. Choose a gentle kaolin-based mask that includes hydrating ingredients like aloe, glycerin or plant oils, and avoid pure bentonite.

Use it once a week at most, leave it on for no more than 10 minutes, and rinse before it dries fully. You can also apply it only to oilier zones like the nose and chin. Follow with a rich moisturizer straight away.

A turmeric face mask can leave a temporary yellow tint, especially one made with raw turmeric powder, which is intensely pigmented. Formulated masks usually use turmeric extracts at lower levels and rinse off more cleanly.

If you're left with a tint, wipe the area with a little oil or micellar water, then cleanse gently. Don't scrub, since friction irritates skin. The tint usually goes within hours to a day. Turmeric also stains towels, so use a dark one.

A vitamin C face mask gives skin a short, concentrated dose of vitamin C and antioxidants, usually alongside clay or hydrating ingredients, for a fresher, brighter look right after rinsing. Used 1 to 3 times a week for 8 to 12 weeks, it can help skin look more even. Many use fruit sources like Kakadu plum or stable vitamin C derivatives.

Rinse-off masks have less contact time than serums, so they work best alongside a daily leave-on vitamin C serum and sunscreen.

Yellow clay is a type of kaolin clay colored by natural iron oxides. It's slightly more absorbent than white kaolin but still gentle, so it suits normal, combination and mildly oily skin. It absorbs excess oil, lifts buildup from pores and gently smooths skin as you rinse it off.

A yellow mask can also get its color from turmeric or added iron oxide pigments. As with any clay, rinse before it dries fully and follow with moisturizer.