Alison Barretta / Business
- Every item in Walmart's clean skin-care brand Earth to Skin costs $10 or less.
- I tried its collection of sheet masks that feature ingredients like honey, tea, and fruit. They're available in packs of four for less than $7 - that's under $2 per sheet mask.
- My expectations were low given the price point, but after a week of wearing Earth to Skin's sheet masks, my skin was brighter and more moisturized.
Walmart launched its own clean skin-care brand called Earth to Skin, in which every item retails for $10 or less.
There are 30 skin-care products like cleansers, serums, moisturizers, toners, and masks, spanning four collections for specific conditions like fine lines and dry skin. It's definitely budget-friendly, but also eco-friendly and made with "clean" ingredients - two things that usually don't go hand in hand when it comes to skin care.
I was curious and honestly, dubious about the efficacy of its products, but decided to try its sheet masks as my intro to the brand. For a week, I used one of the sheet masks every night before bed and by the end of it all, I was left with a more hydrated and supple complexion, change of heart, and healthy wallet.
Read more: The best sheet masks you can buy
The sheet masks come in packs of two for less than $7
Earth to Skin's sheet masks fall into three collections - Honey, Tea Time, and Super Fruits - and there are two types of masks in each. For less than $7, you'll get four masks.
The Honey Collection includes Manuka and Royal Jelly sheet masks infused with honey to help soothe, hydrate, and protect skin with honey and its anti-inflammatory properties. The Tea Time Collection features Matcha and Black Tea masks to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores, and prevent free radical damage with antioxidants. Finally, the Super Fruits Collection includes Prickly Pear and Watermelon masks with niacinamide for brightening and sodium hyaluronate for added hydration, respectively.
All of the masks are made with 100% cotton and are pliable enough to adjust for the best fit possible. They're also made without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, petrolatum, mineral oil, gluten, and animal testing, but do include synthetic fragrances. I found the scents to be light and pleasant, but those who have a sensitivity to fragrances may want to proceed with caution.
After cleansing and toning, Earth to Skin recommends wearing these sheet masks for 10 to 20 minutes, though I was able to leave some on for as long as 35 minutes before they felt dry to the touch. Any excess essence - and there will be plenty - can then be massaged into skin, or even hands and neck.
Read more: The best face masks you can buy
Earth to Skin
The masks were all moisturizing and left my skin soft and supple, but I didn't see immediate pore-tightening or firming results - which is to be expected from a one-time use sheet mask
Honey is one of my favorite skin-care ingredients, so I tried the Honey Collection first. While I liked both the Royal Jelly and Manuka masks, I'll have to give the edge to the Manuka here; it's actually my favorite of all of the Earth to Skin masks.
It had a nice cooling sensation from the moment I placed it on my face, and my face was much more moisturized and bright after I took it off. The Royal Jelly mask also left my skin looking dewier, but the essence felt slightly tacky. I also couldn't wear it for very long, as the sheet started to dry up after about 20 minutes - I got nearly an extra 10 minutes out of the Manuka mask.
Next, I moved on to the two tea-infused masks. While these were my least favorite of the group, they weren't totally ineffective. The Matcha mask, with its peppermint and witch hazel, was refreshing to wear. I can't say it did much for my pores, and like the Royal Jelly mask, the essence was a bit tacky. But on a hot summer evening, I couldn't have asked for a better mask to cool down with.
I thought the Black Tea mask would be totally wasted on me since I don't have any prominent lines, but personally, I don't view sheet masks as an effective way to treat those concerns anyway. However, like the Matcha mask, it was soothing to wear, even if it didn't have any obvious effects on my skin.
The Prickly Pear mask seemed to have a cloudier essence than the other masks, but that didn't make a difference. My complexion was immediately brighter, and the effect lasted well into the next morning. As for the Watermelon mask, it had a more potent scent than the Prickly Pair but my skin was plumper after a half hour, which I attributed to the hydrating sodium hyaluronate.
I didn't have high expectations from such an affordable brand, but Earth to Skin's sheet masks are surprisingly effective
Earth to Skin's sheet masks come in packs of four at $6.96 - that works out to just under $1.75 per mask. A standard sheet mask usually goes for between $2 and $3. There's no current option to purchase single masks or mix and match based on your preferences, but four sheet masks for less than $7 is a great deal.
Honestly, my expectations for Earth to Skin masks were low. I was afraid they would end up being like many of the sheet masks I'd used before - ill-fitting, irritating, and impractical - but they certainly gave me a positive first impression of the Walmart-exclusive beauty brand. While my degree of satisfaction varied among certain masks, none of them were objectively bad.
I haven't tried the rest of Earth to Skin's products yet, but I can at least recommend giving the sheet masks a shot. They're affordable and surprisingly effective given the price, and I can't wait to check out the brand's $7 cleansers next.
