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Trust Me: The Best Sheet Masks Are Made From Silk in Taiwan

And they cost less than $3.

By Tracy E. Robey

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Lovemore Rosa Hybrida sheet mask
Lovemore Rosa Hybrida sheet mask ($2.50)

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I’ve tried enough sheet masks in the course of running a blog about Korean beauty for the past three and a half years that I can identify them in selfies based on the placement of the nose slits. After sampling hundreds of different brands and types from around the world, I’m here to break a hard truth: In my opinion, the best masks are made in Taiwan, not Korea.

Taiwan’s limited number of factories and brands (there are 52 accredited beauty brands in Taiwan, compared to many thousand brands in Korea) have perfected consistently high-quality, budget-friendly sheet masks. My Beauty Diary’s legendary Black Pearl Brightening Masks routinely sit atop the user-voted rankings on beauty sites like Powder Room (which is based in Korea). For those concerned about labor and sanitary issues, Taiwan’s major brands report using only machines in factories to fold the mask sheets.

My favorite Taiwanese sheet masks are Lovemore’s 100% Natural Silk, which come in a variety of flavors, such as brightening Rosa Hybrida, hydrating Loofah & Aloe Vera, and smoothing Pearl Barley and Milk, and each smell roughly as the names would lead you to believe.

The big selling point is the stretchy, soft, clingy, ultra-thin sheet made of silk that comes sandwiched between a protective white plastic backing and blue liner. While silk conjures images of some wish-listed PJs, the fabric here is sort of like a single-ply paper towel, except stronger and softer. Korea does produce some masks made from silk, but they’re not common, and K-beauty masks made from similarly thin and soft cupro cotton fibers tend to cost about double as much as Taiwanese silk masks.

Bonus: Silk masks look a lot more like a beauty mode filter instead of a Jason mask.

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