Although I’m now a firm believer that “less is more” when it comes to skin care, I wasn’t always this way. Years ago, in my youthful exuberance, I fully subscribed to the more is more mentality. When I had a pimple to treat, I would apply benzoyl peroxide five times a day. If I found some dry patches, I would use glycolic acid and a rough cotton pad to scrub all the flakes away. Are you cringing yet? Because I am. I was punished for all of those skin care crimes I committed with a compromised skin barrier, which I’m still dealing with to this day (hello, rosacea). However, the gobsmacking virality of the Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask has me reminiscing about another teenage habit: Leaving sheet masks on overnight. Eight hours of treatment had to be even better than the prescribed 10 minutes, right? Wrong.
I don’t even know if hydrogel masks were a thing back then. All of the ones I used were made with a cotton sheet, which would eventually shrivel up and fall off my face while I tossed and turned, pulling an Uno reverse on me and sucking moisture out of my face as it dried. I’d wake up the next morning and find the sheet folded into my wrinkled sheets. However, the Biodance mask is actually designed to be worn all night long—keeping it on for three to four hours is fine, but the entirety of your beauty sleep is ideal, according to the brand. Maybe I was onto something as a teen. I just didn’t have the right tool for my technique.
Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask
I, like thousands of people, discovered this sheet mask on TikTok. The before and afters are incredible; the women on my phone screen would go to bed wearing this opaque hydrogel mask, which would turn transparent as they slept (apparently a sign that their skin had absorbed all the nourishing ingredients). Underneath, their skin appeared glowy, poreless, and smooth, almost as if they’d applied a layer of Pat McGrath’s Glass Skin Mask. Take a look at the ingredients list, and the overnight metamorphoses start to make sense; the mask contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate, and galactomyces ferment filtrate and niacinamide to brighten. The star of the show, collagen, encourages skin elasticity while reducing skin texture and the look of fine lines. Collagen molecules are usually too big to penetrate our skin, but Biodance utilizes collagen broken down into small pieces for better absorption.
Carol Lee after first applying the mask.
Carol Lee after wearing the mask for six hours.
The application process was easier than any other sheet mask I’ve tried before. Because it comes in two parts, it’s easier to customize the fit, and I didn’t feel like any awkward pieces were sticking out under my chin or into my hairline. There wasn’t any excess serum to deal with either, so my hair wasn’t as prone to sticking to the mask and getting soaked. All in all, it felt cooling and sat comfortably instead of sliding around, as some other masks tend to do. One night, I was laughing with my roommate a few minutes before I fell asleep, and the mask barely budged, which I think is quite a feat. While I was asleep, I didn’t feel it at all.
I’m happy to report that the mask still clung to my face when I woke up. It was indeed clear, but it was also dry and felt like paper to the touch. I peeled it off, fully expecting my skin to be as dehydrated as the mask, but surprisingly, it was bouncier than ever and felt soaked in hydration all the way through—almost like a damp sponge. This was especially surprising since I had left my heater blasting all night long, which typically leaves my skin parched, flat, and as rosy as Elmo’s. I should get a humidifier, but with this mask on hand, I don’t think I’ll need one. My cheeks were still a little pink when I woke up, but it was a noticeable improvement. Plus, waking up with a glow in the morning felt incredible, and I’m convinced the mask softened the fine lines that had started to appear on my forehead.
I’m not the only one on the ELLE Beauty team who raves about the Biodance mask, either. After her first night with the product, ELLE beauty assistant Tasha Smith reported that “there was not a pore in sight, and my face was soft to the touch. I was so obsessed with the results that I used the mask again the next night and the night after. I only stopped when I ran out of my pack of four. Then, I repurchased another box.”
The Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask is one that I’ll keep stocked inside my home for as long as I can help it. Nourishing, comfortable, and effective, this mask has proven to be a worthy comrade in my fight against wintertime dryness and irritation.