For over a year, I used My Beauty Diary sheet masks almost exclusively. I tended to stick to the very popular, tried and true varieties, like Black Pearl and Imperial Bird’s Nest. And then I got bored. And then I started mask hauling, experimenting with different brands, trying out hydrogels, and getting generally lost in a whirl of new experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a single bad thing to say about the MBD Black Pearl, MBD Imperial Bird’s Nest, or any other MBD sheet mask I’ve tried, but the brand was starting to feel stale to me.

And then I stumbled across the My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask on Amazon. I’d never seen or heard of these before, and something about them (coughadorablefancypackagingcoughcough) just mesmerized me. I felt like I was seeing my familiar old partner in a totally different light, and I liked it.

Of course, pretty packaging won’t make these more premium My Beauty Diary sheet masks worth the extra cost if the masks themselves aren’t good. And that’s why you’re being smart and reading a review before you plop a box into your cart!

Purpose: The My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask claims to brighten and clarify skin, increasing its radiance.

Do not use if: You are sensitive to glycols, plant extracts, or anything else in the ingredients list.

When and how to use: Use after cleansing and toning, either in place of or following your usual essence, serum, and/or ampoule steps. Tear open mask packet and pull out mask. Like the My Beauty Diary Platinum Mandelic Acid Brightening Mask, the My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask is a super-thin sheet protected by two backings, one of them made of perforated white plastic and the other made of a stiff blue paper. Peel the white plastic backing off and carefully apply the mask,  blue backing facing out. Press down around the contours of your face to get the mask to adhere, then carefully peel away the blue backing and adjust the mask’s fit as needed. Wear until the mask sheet begins to dry out and turn white (I swear this is what the instructions say), then remove and discard. Massage in remaining essence and seal in the hydration with your usual night cream or sleeping pack.

Ingredients list: Water, butylene glycol, glycerin, propylene glycol, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, sodium hyaluronate, ananas sativus (pineapple) fruit extract, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, triethanolamine, soluble collagen, lecithin, styrene/acrylates copolymer, dimethylsilanol hyaluronate, phospholipids, cereus grandiflorus (cactus) flower extract, morus nigra fruit extract, rosa canina fruit extract, tranexamic acid, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, hydrolyzed yeast protein, laminaria digitata extract, citric acid, polysorbate 20, methylparaben, tuber aestivum extract, propylparaben, xanthan gum, carbomer, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide

Notable ingredients: Looking at the ingredients list, it appears that the My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask tackles its whitening task from several different angles. Near the top of the ingredients list, pineapple fruit extract contributes some gentle enzyme exfoliation, which may help skin appear smoother and therefore brighter, while lemon peel and cucumber extract provide natural vitamin C. There’s more vitamin C here in the form of sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP), a gentle and shelf-stable form of the ingredient, but while SAP mostly behaves like other types of vitamin C, not much research exists to support its brightening claims. It is, however, an antioxidant, and we could all use more of those. Morus nigra (black mulberry) fruit extract and the mask’s titular tuber aestivum (white truffle) extract are also used for skin lightening purposes.

This mask also contains tranexamic acid, a melanin-inhibitory ingredient that sometimes shows up in Japanese and Taiwanese skin care products. As an ingredient that can inhibit melanin production, tranexamic acid seems more suited to long-term use than to a single-use sheet mask, but as my 7 Masks 1 Goal experiment showed, consistent and regular use of sheet masks with the right ingredients can indeed produce real effects.

My CosDNA analysis of the ingredients turned up no serious cautions. As usual, butylene glycol scored a 1 as a potential acne trigger and triethanolamine, a pH adjuster, scored a 2, while carbomer gets a 1 as a potential irritant. All three of these ingredients are extremely common, especially in sheet masks, so if you haven’t had a problem with them before, you’ll likely be fine here as well.

In fact, a look at the ingredients in the My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask suggests that it may make a good brightening choice for people with dry/dehydrated or sensitive skin. There’s no alcohol in this mask and no fragrance either. Ingredients like soluble collagen, lecithin, and phospholipids help strengthen the skin barrier, and aloe barbadensis leaf juice, well known for its soothing and anti-irritation properties, is right up near the top of the list. Keep this mask in mind if you normally have problems with alcohol, fragrance, or general irritation from sheet masks.

Performance

This may well be the mask that rekindles my relationship with My Beauty Diary sheet masks. I’ve finally gotten a handle on applying these ultra-thin mask sheets with the double backings; I was able to get this onto my face without any problems or embarrassing mishaps and enjoy the full benefits of it on my first try.

Like most other My Beauty Diary masks, the White Truffle comes absolutely dripping with the thin, clear essence. There’s plenty in the packet to squeeze out and apply to your face before you even take the mask out, and there will be plenty left to apply to your neck, upper boobie area, and arms afterwards.

The directions of the mask are unusual in that they specifically instruct users to leave the mask on until it begins to dry out, rather than for a certain amount of time. Despite the copious amounts of essence, it won’t take too long with such a thin, gauzy mask sheet: I was able to wear this mask for about half an hour before it was ready to come off.

The results are on par with what I expected from a somewhat gentle-sounding ingredients list. Brightening was noticeable, though not as intense as some other masks, particularly those that rely on ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to produce a temporary whitening effect. What was really impressive about this mask was the way it smoothed my skin and created a translucent effect that was still going strong today, the day after I used it. Right now, late in the afternoon, my cheeks still feel very silky and smooth, and that smoothness itself imparts a more radiant look.

Conclusion: This mask is more than solid, it’s really excellent. I’d almost forgotten how effective and high-quality My Beauty Diary masks can be, but now I remember. The brightening effect is there, and the translucent effect takes the White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Mask a step above even my old favorite MBD varieties. I do wish this mask had niacinamide in it, but then again, I wish everything had niacinamide in it. I’ll live. And I’ll definitely be purchasing another box, this time to assess the results that can be achieved by using this variety on four or five consecutive nights.

Rating: 4.5/5

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Where can I buy My Beauty Diary White Truffle Fantastic Whitening Masks?

This is one of the more rare and premium My Beauty Diary varieties; I didn’t see it until recently. If you want to try it out, you can use my affiliate link to get a box of 4 for$17.93 with Prime shipping from Amazon.

Have you tried any white truffle skin care products before? What did you think of them?