The best sheet masks for sensitive skin, according to The Face Shop

I asked The Face Shop why so many of its sheet masks include denatured alcohol. I also asked for fragrance-free recommendations. Here's what they had to say.

A few days ago, I contacted The Face Shop to ask why so many of the company’s sheet masks contain denatured alcohol. This morning, I received an email with the answers to my questions. Although the customer service rep recommended a product that wasn’t actually fragrance-free (even though she implied it was), she did introduce me to an interesting product line from The Face Shop: the Dr.Belmeur collection.

the face shop sensitive skin sheet mask

My message to The Face Shop

Hello, I noticed that many of your sheet masks contain alcohol denatured. Does this mean they are not suitable for sensitive skin? Also, do you make any sheet masks that are fragrance-free? Thanks

The Face Shop’s response + recommendation for sensitive skin

Hello Emily,

Thank you for contacting The Face Shop.

We do not recommend alcohol denatured for sensitive skin. However, the collection Dr.Belmeur offers fragrance-free products. We do have a mask in that collection, which is suitable for sensitive skin: https://thefaceshop.ca/en/daily-repair-soothing-gauze-sheet-mask.

Interestingly, the representative said that The Face Shop does not recommend alcohol denatured for sensitive skin. So why do they include it in so many masks? She pointed me in the direction of a product line called Dr.Belmeur, which is designed for sensitive skin. All products in the line are supposed to be formulated without 10 additives (parabens, synthetic pigments, phenoxyethanol, mineral oil, benzophenone-3, animal-derived ingredients, propylene glycol, ethanol, talc, benzoic acid) or artificial fragrance.

Dr.Belmeur Daily Repair Soothing Gauze Sheet Mask

She recommended the Dr. Belmeur Daily Repair Soothing Gauze Sheet Mask. But it turns out that this mask also lists “fragrance” in the ingredient list:

water/eau, methylpropanediol, propanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, peg/ppg-17⁄6 copolymer, panthenol, glycerin, betaine, phytosphingosine, betula platyphylla japonica juice, anthemis nobilis flower water, natto gum, corchorus olitorius leaf extract, monarda didyma leaf extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, spiraea ulmaria extract, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, biosaccharide gum-1, allantoin, beta-glucan, trehalose, butylene glycol, trisodium edta, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, tromethamine, peg-60 hydrogenated castor oil, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, ethylhexylglycerin, parfum/fragrance

She didn’t say that this specific mask was fragrance-free, just that Dr. Belmeur made fragrance-free products. However, I’m surprised she didn’t refer me to one of those fragrance-free masks—instead, she sent me one that clearly included fragrance in the ingredient list. This particular mask doesn’t include denatured alcohol, which is what I originally asked about.

After browsing through The Face Shop’s Dr.Belmeur product line, I found a fragrance-free mask: Dr. Belmeur Advanced Cica Hyaluronic Face Mask Sheet. Here are the ingredients:

water/eau, dipropylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, panthenol, ceramide np, ceramide ap, ceramide eop, sodium hyaluronate, phytosphingosine, madecassoside, asisticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, sodium lauroyl lactylate, cholesterol, carbomer, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloylidimethyl taurate copolymer, acylates/c10-30 alykl acrylate crosspolymer, xanthan gum, trisodium edta, polyglycerl-4 caprate, ethylhexylglycerin, triomethamine, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cinnamonum camphora bark oil, litsea cubeba bfruit oil, citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil, origanium majorana leaf oil, cymbopogon martini oil, citrus aurantium dulicis (orange) flower oil

This looks like a promising face mask. It includes ceramides, sodium hyaluronate, phytosphingosine, cholesterol, and allantoin. It uses ethylhexylglycerin as a preservative instead of parabens or phenoxyethanol (two of the 10 additives it bans from its formulas).

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