Face masks, although they aren’t a completely new product category, have never been as popular as they are now. The recent K-beauty phenomenon has increased their popularity, enormously. Add social media to the mix, and the mask category is on track to grow further, experts say.

According to Euromonitor’s research, the face mask is a prominent part of a Korean beauty regimen. Euromonitor states in a recent report, “The Face Mask category was the fastest-growing category in the U.S. skin care market in 2015.” The company says the market grew by 11% – and this growth is expected to continue.

A strong growth driver, Euromonitor says, was the “sheet mask selfie” trend, which was hugely popular recently on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter – even with celebrities.

Expanding the Face Mask Category

Many beauty brands – from the most obscure Korean Indie brand to Estee Lauder – are marketing all types of face masks, in all types of packaging.

There are the usual types of wash-off masks, many of which are mud formulas that claim to clear pores. But there are also exciting new face mask categories. Sheet masks have been the most popular right now – but the next types to trend are Molding Masks and Bubble Masks.

See the slideshow: So Many Masks, So Little Time for more about these types of masks, the brands marketing them, and the packaging for each.

A Subscription Box Just for Sheet Masks

We can credit K-Beauty e-tailer Peach & Lily with being the first e-tailer to help fuel the face mask trend by making so many Korean brands available in the U.S. Now, there’s another e-retailer that is launching a subscription box service, just for sheet masks.

Petaluma & Co., founded by Sophie Song-Fang in 2015, is an e-tailer that specializes in Korean sheet masks. The company’s new box service offers three-month, six-month and yearly subscriptions (priced at $58, $108 and $198, respectively). Each box contains four sheet masks. 

Song-Fang says, “We’ve curated some of the best sheet masks that include ingredients such as honey or coconut which are known to hydrate your skin. We’ve put four in each box because we recommend using the sheet masks on a weekly basis to glean all the benefits.”

The sheet masks featured in the boxes will be some of Petaluma & Co.’s best sellers, including Papa’s Recipe Black Honey Sheet Mask, Leaders 7 Wonders Caribbean Coconut Calming Mask and Banila Co. it Radiant Lace Hydrogel Eye Patch. See these in the slideshow above.

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Slideshow: So Many Masks, So Little Time