Deep Dive on Malibu Mud Dark Sea Ingredients: What Are They and What Do They Do?

Read More

When buying any skincare product, it’s only natural to want to know everything that’s in it – but the challenge comes in understanding what those ingredients do. 

Even when a product is completely transparent about all the ingredients in it, it’s understandable that you may not be aware of how those ingredients can affect you. This is especially the case when you’re buying a new product or encountering new ingredients. 

To make things easier for you, this article will examine the effects of every ingredient in Malibu Mud’s Dark Sea Face + Body Mask. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re putting on your face when using our mask, this will address any worries you may have

 

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Aloe Barbadensis is another way of saying aloe vera. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, then, is the same thing as aloe vera leaf juice – that is, the sap found inside the leaves of an aloe vera plant. 

You can buy pure aloe vera gel on the market or use it directly from an aloe plant you have at home. It acts as a home remedy to treat sunburn and moisturize your skin.

This ingredient is suitable for people of all skin types but is especially effective for those with dry, damaged, and broken skin, as well as for those with sensitive and irritated skin. It is:

  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antimicrobial
  • An antioxidant
  • A humectant – that is, a moisturizing agent that helps your skin retain moisture
  • An anti-itch agent
  • Filled with a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B complex, vitamin C, folic acid, and more

Aloe vera is a great, natural way to hydrate, moisturize, and soothe your skin, and rejuvenate it by providing your skin with a ton of natural nutrients. 

 

Dead Sea Mud

Dead Sea mud has a ton of benefits for your skin. These include:

  • Exfoliating and detoxifying your skin. As the mud dries on your skin, it absorbs all the toxins, dirt, dead skin cells, and excess sebum-producing from your skin.
  • Dead Sea mud has a unique mineral composition with 21 minerals. These include magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, and more. These help restore your skin, keep your skin soft and hydrated, and make it look smoother by improving the texture and tone of your skin.
  • The nourishing minerals in this type of mud help address a number of skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, and more. While it doesn’t cure these conditions, it does help relieve symptoms and soothe dry and irritated skin.
  • Provides a range of anti-aging benefits, including by:
    • Reducing fine lines
    • Improving the appearance of wrinkles
    • Shrinking pores so that they aren’t as obvious
    • Tightening your skin
    • Improving your skin tone
  • The detoxifying properties of Deep Sea mud also make it great for treating acne. Aside from clearing out your pores and removing toxins from your skin, the mud also inhibits the growth of acne-causing bacteria, reducing the risk of you developing acne in the future.

 

Kaolin

Kaolin clay is gentle and safe for people with sensitive skin. However, keep in mind that if you have sensitive skin, it’s always best to do a patch test on your neck before using a new product on your face.

In addition to being gentle, this clay also:

  • Absorbs acne-causing sebum, reducing the risk of you developing acne
  • Draws out toxins and impurities from your pores
  • Clears your skin of toxins and impurities, including pollution, dirt, and excess oil
  • Has antibacterial properties, which also help it treat acne
  • Cleanses and refreshes your skin by removing secretions and contaminants from your skin surface
  • May increase the production of collagen fibers, which provides anti-aging benefits

While pure kaolin clay can be excessively drying and isn’t recommended for people with dry skin, the moisturizing agents in Malibu Mud (like aloe vera) make this mask appropriate for people of all skin types.

 

Bentonite

Like kaolin clay and Dead Sea mud, bentonite clay also boasts a ton of benefits for your skin. These include:

  • Removing excess oil from the skin’s surface
  • Helping to treat pimple breakouts and acne
  • It has anti-inflammatory properties and has a calming effect on inflamed skin, especially inflammation as a result of acne.
  • Reducing the risk of developing acne in the future by removing impurities from your skin
  • Protecting your skin from free radical damage. Free radical damage can age your skin, so bentonite has an anti-aging effect.
  • Reducing oily skin by absorbing the excess oil, giving your skin a matte look
  • Reducing the appearance of pores. When the clay dries on your skin, it temporarily tightens your skin, which makes your pores look smaller.

As with kaolin clay, pure bentonite clay can be too drying for people with dry skin. However, because Malibu Mud includes hydrating ingredients in its mask as well, the Dark Sea Face + Body Mask is suitable for all skin types and can even be used daily without drying out your skin.

 

Glycerin

Glycerin is a natural compound made from either vegetable oils or animal fats. The glycerine in Malibu Mud’s Dark Sea Face + Body Mask (like all other ingredients) is completely vegan. In some products, this ingredient may be called glycerol. 

Like aloe vera, this ingredient is a humectant and helps keep your skin hydrated. It is considered to be among the most effective humectants available. This ingredient boasts a number of skin-benefiting properties, including:

  • Hydrating your skin, especially the outermost layer
  • Protecting your skin against irritants
  • Boosting the wound-healing process
  • Improving the function of the skin barrier

It’s essential to keep in mind that you should never apply pure glycerin to your face, as it can dehydrate your skin. This is because the ingredient moisturizes your skin by drawing water from the nearest source – which is often the lower layers of your skin, especially if you live in a low humidity environment. 

However, glycerin diluted with other ingredients such as rosewater, or added to a more complex formula (such as in face masks like Malibu Mud’s mask), is completely safe to use. In fact, not only is it safe, it is also beneficial for your skin.

 

Charcoal

Charcoal is one of the most popular ingredients in skincare products and is often labeled as “activated charcoal.” There’s not much difference between the two – activated charcoal is simply charcoal that has been exposed to heat and made into a powder. 

Wondering why this ingredient is so popular, despite the fact that it can make your fingertips (as well as anything else it comes into contact with) appear black? The simple fact is, the ingredient boasts a ton of properties that can help your skin. 

These properties include:

  • Absorbing toxins and removing impurities from your skin
  • Unclogging your pores by removing sebum, dead skin cells, acne-causing bacteria, and more from your skin. This can also help treat and prevent acne breakouts.
  • By clearing your pores, charcoal also helps minimize their appearance. 
  • Charcoal helps reduce oiliness as it absorbs excess oil from your skin and pores.

While it is possible to use activated charcoal powder to create your own DIY face mask, it’s essential to keep in mind that this can get very messy, very quickly, as the powder will get blown around easily. 

 

Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Essential Oil

It’s easy to wonder why an essential oil is such an important ingredient in this mask. After all, most people only use essential oils as a way to add an attractive scent to their products and often skip over the “essential oil” ingredient when creating DIY skincare products.

The fact is, essential oils can have a ton of skin benefits, as long as you use the right ones for your needs. Lavender essential oil boasts several such properties, including:

  • Kills acne-causing bacteria, which helps prevent future acne breakouts, and treat existing acne as well
  • Soothes a variety of skin conditions, including dry skin and eczema
  • Helps fight off free radical damage. Free radicals are one of the causes of the fine lines and wrinkles you see on your face, so lavender essential oil can act as an anti-aging agent.
  • Is an anti-inflammatory 
  • Boosts wound-healing properties and can speed up the healing of small wounds, like cuts, scrapes, and burns.
  • Can help even your skin tone, including treating discoloration and dark spots and reducing redness and blotchiness. 

 

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is an extremely common ingredient in a variety of skincare products. It’s very rarely the main ingredient but is a great supporting ingredient for a variety of reasons. 

The biggest benefit of this ingredient is that it acts as an emulsifying agent – that is, it helps create a product that is smooth and evenly textured. It is one of the only natural thickeners that is safe to use in skincare, which is another reason that it’s so popular. If you’re using a product that uses 100% natural products, there’s a good chance it includes xanthan gum.

This ingredient is also stable under a wide range of temperatures and pH environments, which makes it an extremely convenient option in skincare formulas. While there’s not much research into any benefits that it may have for your skin, there are no indications that it has any negative effects and is, in fact, believed to have a limited amount of hydrating benefits for the skin.

It’s essential to keep in mind that most xanthan gum is derived from: 

  • Corn
  • Wheat
  • Dairy
  • Soy
The xanthan gum used in Malibu Mud’s Dark Sea Face + Body Mask is completely vegan. However, if you have allergies to any of the above ingredients, you should consider patch testing any product that includes xanthan gum before applying it to your face.

 

Glyceryl Caprylate

Glyceryl caprylate is another emulsifier that is most commonly used to ensure that skincare products have a nice, even texture. That said, it does have certain benefits for your skin as well, including:

  • Restoring the oils of your skin
  • Acting as a skin humidifier
  • Regulating the levels of moisture in your skin

 

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Caprylhydroxamic acid is a chelating agent, which basically means that it affects the metal ions in a skincare formula. It helps these ions form a stable, water-soluble solution, which helps preserve products and ensures shelf-life. It’s a common way of extending product lifespan without adding artificial preservatives.

Additionally, this ingredient has biostatic and fungistatic properties, which means it prevents the growth of fungi and other biological contaminants in the product. It remains active in high pH environments, which makes it extremely useful in skincare and other cosmetic products.

All the ingredients listed above are completely safe to use and appropriate for people of all skin types. They are also vegan, either 100% natural or certified organic, and contain no harmful chemicals. 

Malibu Mud’s Dark Sea Face + Body Mask is a product that is free of:

  • Gluten
  • Parabens
  • Phthalates
Aside from the ingredients mentioned above, there are no hidden ingredients that you need to be concerned about. The mask is premixed and comes ready to use for your convenience. It dries in minutes, and the formula ensures that it can be used daily without any adverse effects.

Signup + Save

Join our mailing list for exclusive savings