Why using sheet masks comes at the cost of the environment

The momentary feel-good factor of this K-beauty product might be doing the environment more harm than you think

When you want to unwind on a Sunday afternoon, to get a breather from all the weekly stress and indulge in some self-care, a handful of skincare products will cross your mind—sheet masks being one of them. However, much to your surprise, this placating skincare product is a significant contributor to the devastation of the environment. “Sheet masks are trash,” American environmental activist and founder of Package Free Shop, Lauren Singer toldVogue, setting the record straight off the cuff. In the past few years, sheet masks have been subjected to a slew of backlash and controversies, owing to the rise in online and offline parleys pertaining to the environment and sustainability. We ask dermatologists to spill the merit of sheet masks and talk to the founder of a zero-waste brand about the perils of the product. 

Sheet masks 101

“A sheet mask is a serum-soaked cloth sheet that has holes for your eyes, nose and mouth. The mask stays on your face for 20 minutes, after which you dispose it while taking pleasure in the glow it leaves behind,” says New Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi. Though sheet masks find their origin in the deepest roots of Korean and Japanese beauty rituals, not many know that a similar practice was first exercised in 1857, when Parisian women placed slices of beef on their skin to combat fine lines and wrinkles—beef being one of the most common hydration banks then. Before technological advancements led to the development of sheet masks, Asian women replicated the effect by using soft cloths dipped in homemade serums.

Dr Madhuri Agarwal, a Mumbai-based celebrity dermatologist, tells us that more often than not, sheet masks are drenched in solutions comprising hydrating and nourishing actives such as peptides, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. “Sheet masks are meant to work as occlusives by forming a barrier between your skin and the surroundings, letting the ingredients in the mask penetrate your skin,” she says, explaining the fundamental mechanism on which they [sheet masks] operate. While sheet masks do pass as the hallmark of instant pick-me-ups for your skin, are they really as transcendent as they are touted to be? And, most importantly, are they worth it?

Do sheet masks really work?

If you judge sheet masks’ efficacy purely by their mood-uplifting and short-lived glow-enhancing aptitude, the hundred-rupee product does make the cut, especially for those who don’t have the time or money to spend on exorbitant skincare rituals and clean-ups. 

“The skin actives in the sheet mask are generally ineffective to penetrate deep enough in the skin to give any real benefit; the maximum one can achieve is hydration for a few minutes to hours—nothing more,” says Agarwal, on why she doesn’t think sheet masks boast substantial benefits. Sethi, on the other hand, states that sheet masks haven’t been the subject of much medical research in the first place. 

“Dermatologists see limited merit in them [sheet masks]. The glow and benefits offered by the sheet masks are usually very temporary. After using one, your skin looks better just because it is more hydrated, but that is only a temporary benefit. Your skin returns to its more natural state of moisture over time,” she explains. Additionally, echoing what Agarwal said, Sethi claims that the key active elements do not really have enough time to infiltrate the skin while the mask is on your face and feels that a bottle of serum easily passes as a better investment. “Personally, I am not a fan of this wasteful trend. Sleeping masks or leave-in products are far better alternatives.”

The problem of environmental sabotage

Their one-time use trait is a sheet mask’s biggest menace. From banning single-use plastic straws and bags to minimising the plastic involved in packaging of beauty products, significant endeavours are being made to cut down domestic as well as industrial plastic consumption. “Single-use plastic is a major threat from a sustainability standpoint because they are very difficult to decompose, which also applies to their multi-layered plastic packaging, often a combination of aluminium and plastic—both of which cannot be recycled. And that really is the problem with sheet masks,” corroborates Sahar Mansoor, founder of homegrown zero-waste brand Bare Necessities.

Talking about why she steered clear from sheet masks as a product offering despite beauty being a meaty category in her zero-waste brand, Mansoor says, “We work to make zero-waste living the norm and not the exception by offering high-quality, ethically-sourced personal care products that are simple to use and contain ingredients that we all have in our kitchens. While crafting products, I always think about my grandmother and what (and how) she would use. Also, many Indian traditions are rooted in ecological practices, now known as ‘zero-waste practices’. We, therefore, always choose to make products that are zero-waste by themselves and are zero-waste in their packaging as well.”

Regardless of these alarming facts, sheet masks are at the peak of their game, expanding into variants for the buttocks, lips, feet and hands. According to a report, the global sheet mask market was valued at $2.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to swell up at 7.1 per cent per year, to reach $4.5 billion by 2031.

Additionally, if you think opting for sheet masks made out of bamboo, cotton or other sustainable materials would make the cut, it isn’t so. “Although some sheet masks are made of bamboo, bio-cellulose, or 100 per cent cotton and seem theoretically compostable, it’s crucial to check if they have a coating or filling made of a synthetic beauty product. Even though hydrogel sheet masks are advertised as biodegradable, many of them are still as good as plastic because they comprise synthetic polymers,” alerts Sethi.

“In order to render glow, silicone serums are frequently applied, which prevents even biodegradable versions from decomposing while releasing toxic waste into the environment when disposed of in landfills. Lastly, even if the cotton is organic,gallons of water are still wasted behind one cotton mask. These masks are also frequently manufactured and sent from locations far from where they are sold, increasing their carbon footprint during production,” adds Sethi.

Mansoor further  says, “These ‘eco-masks’ often have the same fate as the traditional, synthetic sheet masks, ending up in landfills and leaking toxins into the soil.” She touches upon how brands misstate claims to simply hop on the sustainability bandwagon which leads to greenwashing, with companies using the term ‘biodegradable’ very loosely. “Speaking from a very technical perspective, any material will eventually biodegrade. However, the residue it leaves behind is worrying. The plastic used has the tendency to break down into microplastics, which leeches harmful chemicals into the soil, water bodies and the stomachs of animals and birds, therefore, severely affecting the ecosystem.”

The way forward

Both Agarwal and Sethi are of the opinion that sheet masks are more than dispensable. “There is no requirement for sheet masks as there is no research or data backing their results. When used correctly, serums and moisturisers are more effective. I usually recommend clay masks as they are comparatively skin-friendly as well as eco-friendly,” says Agarwal.

Mansoor shares the same opinion, “The idea should be to do away with single-use as much as possible. While self-care and beauty regimens are important, it’s quite unfortunate that they are implemented at the cost of the environment. Traditional multani mitti, also known as fullers earth, is a great DIY face mask option. Mixing multani mitti with water or rose water along with green gram, yellow gram, orange peel powder or almond flour is a great ritual. I highly recommend chatting with your grandma and asking her what she did before sheet masks were a thing.” 

Singer suggests following the 3R practice (reduce, reuse, recycle), albeit, for her, the first ‘R’ stands for ‘refuse’. “Another tip would be to purchase products whose packaging you can reuse in different ways. Glass jars, for example, can store a variety of products. A lot of brands now, including Bare Necessities, have their own recycling and refilling programmes, where used jars can be reused,” she concludes.

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