Honey Berry Mask

The Backstory

Laurel Honey Berry Mask was part of my very first purchase from Laurel Skin. I wasn’t particularly familiar with the brand at the time, but I’d been browsing its website and reading reviews, and several products caught my attention.

I’m especially drawn to masks that make skincare feel like an enjoyable ritual rather than a clinical procedure. I love interesting textures, beautiful colors, distinctive fragrances, and products that make me look forward to spending a little extra time on my skin.

Honey Berry Mask seemed to fit perfectly into that category. The rich berry color and jam-like texture looked beautiful in the photographs, and I imagined it would smell wonderful.

Unfortunately, the reality was considerably less appealing.

Formula & Claims

Laurel describes Honey Berry Mask as an enzymatic exfoliating and hydrating treatment made with raw California wildflower honey, berries, and other botanical ingredients.

Raw honey forms the base, accompanied by an assortment of berries including raspberry, blackberry, aronia, blueberry, and schisandra. The formula also includes papaya seed, cranberry and raspberry seed oils, and several aromatic botanicals.

There are worthwhile ingredients here. Honey is an effective humectant, while berries contain potentially beneficial antioxidants and naturally occurring organic acids. However, the presence of these ingredients doesn’t necessarily tell us how much exfoliating activity the finished mask provides.

And in my experience, that activity isn’t particularly noticeable.

My skin feels soft after using it, but I haven’t observed much beyond what I’d expect from a straightforward honey-based treatment.

I’ve actually had similar results from the considerably less expensive I’m From Honey Mask, which makes Laurel’s $64 price harder for me to justify.

The Experience

The biggest issue for me is the texture.

Despite its beautiful appearance, this is essentially a thick, sticky honey mixture with berries and other botanicals blended into it. It’s quite messy to apply, difficult to spread evenly, and not particularly pleasant to have on my face.

I find myself wanting to add water to loosen the consistency and make it more manageable. But unlike a powdered mask that’s designed to be mixed, this is a ready-to-use product, and I’d prefer not to have to modify it just to enjoy applying it.

The mask is also prone to thickening and crystallizing in the jar. Laurel acknowledges that this can happen with raw honey and recommends warming the product to soften it. I understand the reasoning, but it’s another inconvenience.

The scent is pleasant enough, although rather unremarkable. It’s a subtle, fairly literal combination of honey and berries, without the distinctive aromatic character I’d hoped for.

I’ve had similar experiences with honey-heavy masks from Lepaar, although I found those somewhat less sticky. I’ve come to realize that this particular type of formulation simply doesn’t appeal to me very much.

What looked like a beautiful, indulgent masking experience online turned out to be something I don’t particularly enjoy using.

Final Words

Laurel Honey Berry Mask isn’t without merit. The ingredients are reasonable, and it leaves my skin feeling soft.

But I don’t find the results distinctive enough to compensate for the inconvenience of using it, especially when I’ve experienced comparable benefits from less expensive honey masks.

I can appreciate what Laurel is trying to do with its whole-botanical approach, and I can imagine someone who enjoys raw honey treatments finding this appealing.

Personally, I want my masks to be a pleasurable part of my skincare routine, not something I have to work around.

This one simply isn’t for me, and I wouldn’t repurchase it.