Dr. Loretta’s Tightening Detox Mask Is a Facial in a Tube

You know that hydrated, smoothed-out glow you get after a really good facial? I haven’t actually laid down on an aesthetician’s table since 2019, but I have gotten my skin pretty close to that blissful post-spa feeling this summer. And I did it while rolling through Zoom calls. And while I was asleep. And on a transatlantic flight.

I first read about Dr. Loretta’s Tightening Detox Mask this spring, when my skincare-obsessed former colleague Tilden Bissell included it in a roundup of the best new beauty launches of the season. Unfamiliar with the brand, I did a little digging into its philosophy and founder: Started by the Florida-based, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, the product line is all about protecting skin from pollution, light, climate, and irritants, the four main factors in aging. And not just when you’re outside in the sun—Ciraldo’s research suggests that the time we spend inside, staring at screens and otherwise being exposed to chemical pollutants in building materials or cooking gasses, does even more cumulative damage than the occasional day at the beach.

Wary of my screen time and some upcoming summer travel, I figured I’d stock up on a few protective products, including Dr. Loretta’s daily sunscreen and the lightweight mask I’d been intrigued about. While the sunscreen was a welcome addition to my SPF arsenal, the mask really stood out for its ability to transform my tired skin in a matter of hours.

The formula is light, slippery, and tinted a lovely rose-y pink—picture your favorite early 2000s lip gloss—and it absorbs quickly, leaving behind a subtle, serum-like sheen. The ingredient list includes yeast extract, which helps create a barrier against pollution, Tetrapeptide-4, which blocks blue light, and strawberry seed extract, a powerful antioxidant that also lends the mask a subtly fruity aroma.

I first applied the mask before bedtime, not knowing quite how intense it would look or feel, and woke up looking like I’d gotten nine hours of sleep instead of six. A couple of weeks later, I coated my face in a thick layer just after boarding an overnight flight to Rome—and again, woke up looking like I’d slept in a hotel instead of pressed against the airplane window. Emboldened by its effectiveness, I’ve recently started applying it in the mornings when I feel like my face needs a bit of extra TLC—and none of my coworkers have been able to tell I’m mid-treatment (or, at least, they haven’t mentioned it...). While I can’t pinpoint exactly what it’s doing, I will say that my skin just generally feels smoother, more awake, and more hydrated.

While the mask won’t replace a proper professional deep clean, I don’t think I’ll ever travel without it again: When I can walk off an eight-hour flight looking like I just emerged from Rescue Spa, why would I?

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