A natural, mineral-rich hydrous aluminum silicate that acts as a physical adsorbent to draw out excess sebum, trap follicular impurities, tighten pores, and support stratum corneum hydration without disrupting barrier lipids.
Also calledWhite Clay · China Clay · Kaolinite · Bolus Alba
Early-stage page
This ingredient page is still early. We're actively researching before it's ready to stand fully on its own — check back as more sections are verified.
The short answer
Four lines, each compressed from the section it links to. Every line carries the sources of the claim it compresses.
Where it sits in the seven-step ladder, and the record's own fields for the habit.
아침DayDay: not used
저녁NightNight: not used
day or night
Cleanser클렌저
Toner토너
Essence에센스
Serum세럼
Eye cream아이크림
Moisturizer크림
Sunscreen자외선차단제
Where it sits
weekly or twice-weekly mask step
Everything here comes from the sources below. None of it is a product recommendation.
Time of day
day or night
Where it sits
weekly or twice-weekly mask step
Starting frequency
1 to 2 times weekly
Amount
a thin, even layer over clean skin
Application
Apply an even layer to clean, dry skin, avoiding the eye area. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water before the mask dries to a bone-dry, cracking state.
Storage
Store in a cool, dry place with the container sealed between uses to prevent moisture contamination.
What to expect, and when
The record's own timeline. Each step keeps the source of the study it came from.
Immediate
A tightening sensation during wear and a matte, less-oily feel immediately after rinsing.
4 weeks
Reduced facial sebum content and less visible shine with consistent 1-2x weekly use, per the cited finished-formula trial.
Everything the record says about suitability, consolidated. Pause-first comes first.
Before you start
Avoid allowing clay masks to dry to a cracking, bone-dry state on sensitive skin, as over-drying can cause temporary localized dehydration.
Best match
oily and congested skin
acne-prone skin · enlarged pores
Routine
weekly or twice-weekly mask step
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Not medical advice · ask your own clinician
Pregnancy.A 2011 dermatology review of skin-care product safety in pregnancy names hydroquinone (high systemic absorption) and tretinoin (evidence controversial) as the actives of concern, and states that most other topical skin-care products act locally and produce minimal systemic absorption; kaolin is not named among the flagged concerns 4. This is general topical-product reasoning rather than an ingredient-specific safety trial. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor before use.
Breastfeeding.Topical application is applied locally with minimal expected systemic absorption; no ingredient-specific breastfeeding safety trial was located. As a general precaution common to topical actives, avoid applying directly to the breast or nipple area, since incidental transfer to a nursing infant has not been studied for this ingredient. If you are breastfeeding, ask your doctor before use.
Expected versus unacceptable reactions
Stop using it
persistent redness or irritation after mask removal
excessive tightness or flaking beyond the mask-use window
This record covers kaolin (KAOLIN) only. Bentonite (BENTONITE / montmorillonite) is a chemically and functionally distinct clay mineral often co-formulated with kaolin in commercial masks -- the cited trial's tested product (S001) lists both, but neither claim on this page isolates kaolin's own independent contribution from the finished formula's other ingredients.
The packet's own bentonite-specific acne trial (its own S002) is not represented on this page at all -- it tested a facial mask combining bentonite, an Alcea sulphurea herbal extract, AND oral azithromycin, not bentonite or kaolin alone, and is out of scope for a kaolin-identity record.
Kaolin's sebum-absorbing benefit is mechanical and physical (adsorption), not a metabolic or cellular effect -- reapplication is required each use; it does not have a lasting reformulating effect on sebaceous gland activity.
The evidence
One card per claim. Concentration, form, population and limitation sit with it, always visible.
Grade legend
Indicative
Limited
Moderate
Strong
Reduction in Facial Sebum and Excess Shine
Indicative
A finished clay-mask formula (La Roche-Posay Effaclar Sebo-Controlling Mask, containing kaolin as a listed ingredient) was associated with significantly decreased skin oiliness and surface sebum content and reduced facial shine in its cited trial.1
Which form
Refined Kaolin White Clay
Population and duration
75 adults with oily or combination skin applying the finished mask twice weekly for 4 weeks
Limitation
Tests a finished multi-ingredient commercial product; kaolin's own independent contribution is not isolated. The packet's own claim named a generic 'kaolin and bentonite' mask -- the real cited trial names one specific branded product, corrected here.
Epidermal Barrier Preservation and TEWL Improvement
Indicative
The same finished clay-mask formula was associated with preserved stratum corneum water content and decreased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) without causing dryness in its cited trial; a separate systematic review reports oil-absorbing and skin-barrier-supporting properties for clay minerals generally.1,2
Which form
Refined Kaolin White Clay
Population and duration
75 participants evaluated at baseline, 1, 2, and 4 weeks (S001); a systematic review of in-vitro, animal and preliminary clinical evidence for clay minerals generally (S003)
Limitation
Tests a finished multi-ingredient commercial product; kaolin's own independent contribution is not isolated. Mask must be thoroughly rinsed off with lukewarm water before complete cracking to avoid localized transient dryness.
○Open
A bentonite-specific acne-mask study in the source packet describes a combination trial (bentonite plus an herbal extract, alongside an oral antibiotic every participant received) rather than a bentonite-alone trial as it was first framed.
○Open
A source proposed for this record's South Korea regulatory note turned out, on independent check, to be a different paper than first described -- bentonite-specific rather than about kaolin, and without the specific brand-name detail first attributed to it.
The clinical recordHow it works · Forms · Manufacturing · Regulations · Study ledger · Gaps · Sources+
How it works
Kaolin is reported to act as a physical, non-swelling adsorbent: its fine silicate particles bind excess surface sebum and follicular debris on contact, and are removed with the mask on rinsing, without a swelling/cation-exchange mechanism (unlike bentonite).
Physical Sebum Adsorption
Fine silicate particles bind excess surface sebum and impurities on contact, removed with the mask on rinsing.
What that rests on: prospective clinical trial of a finished formula
The CIR Expert Panel concluded that natural silicate clays, including kaolin, are safe as used in cosmetic formulations (re-reviewed and reaffirmed safety in 2018 and 2021).
In 75 adults with oily or combination skin over 4 weeks, twice-weekly application of the finished clay-mask formula was associated with significant improvements in acne-related outcomes, sebum content, skin evenness, stratum corneum water content, and transepidermal water loss, with high product acceptability and safety.
Where it falls shortTests one specific branded finished formula, not kaolin in isolation; sponsored by the product's own manufacturer (L'Oreal).
A review of in-vitro, animal, and preliminary clinical evidence reports anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, oil-absorbing, and skin-hydration benefits for clay minerals, while noting larger randomized clinical trials are needed.
Where it falls shortPrimarily reviews bentonite/montmorillonite specifically; general clay-mineral mechanism claims (oil absorption) are reasonably extended to kaolin, but bentonite-specific findings (cation-exchange swelling) are not.
The CIR Expert Panel concluded that these clay/silicate ingredients, including kaolin, are safe as used in cosmetic formulations; re-reviewed and reaffirmed in 2018 and 2021 per the packet's own note.
Where it falls shortA multi-ingredient safety monograph, not a kaolin-specific efficacy study; the packet's own title was truncated with an ellipsis, restored here in full from the real record.
A bentonite-specific acne-mask study in the source packet describes a combination trial (bentonite plus an herbal extract, alongside an oral antibiotic every participant received) rather than a bentonite-alone trial as it was first framed.
That source is not used anywhere on this page -- kaolin's own claims here rest only on sources that test kaolin, not on a bentonite-specific citation.
NeedsNone for this record -- logged for a future bentonite-specific record, if one is ever authorized.
A source proposed for this record's South Korea regulatory note turned out, on independent check, to be a different paper than first described -- bentonite-specific rather than about kaolin, and without the specific brand-name detail first attributed to it.
The South Korea regulatory line is left an open unknown rather than resting on that mismatched citation.
NeedsThe Korean MFDS Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary entry id for kaolin (카올린), or another resolved KR regulatory source.