As a beauty editor, it’s in my literal job description to test skincare products—especially the formulas that both celebrities and TikTok are obsessed with to see if they’re worthy of their mega virality—and Medicube’s PDRN Collagen Masks check both of those boxes. So, when I flew to Seoul back in May to learn about the K-Beauty brand’s new Booster Pro X2, I was also busy testing out a bunch of their hero products, including the famous pink masks.

Odds are, you’ve seen these sheet masks all over your social media feed. The milky-pink sheets have been plastered across the faces of seemingly every glowy-skinned celebrity, from Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa to Selena Gomez. They’ve become a go-to for pre-event skin prep, often credited for delivering that coveted red-carpet glow. Naturally, I had to find out whether these masks actually live up to the hype. Ahead, my honest review.

About the Medicube PDRN Collagen Gel Masks:

Price: $20

Masks per pack: 4

Key ingredients: Salmon PDRN, hydrolyzed collagen, peptides, allantoin

Wear time: At least three hours

How to Use the Medicube PDRN Collagen Gel Masks:

You can wear the Medicube PDRN Collagen Masks anywhere from three or four hours to overnight. Simply take the mask out of its packet, put one half on your forehead down to your cheekbones, then the lower half on the chin and jawline area. I also love taking the eye holes and placing them on my marionette lines around my mouth.

Then, let the mask sit for however long you please, either a few hours or as you sleep. Once the mask has gone from milky pink and dried into a clear texture, that’s when you can tell that all the PDRN, peptides, and other skincare ingredients have been thoroughly absorbed into your skin. Simply peel the mask off, and you’re left with luminous, glass-like skin.

My Medicube PDRN Collagen Gel Mask Review:

I typically go for a hydrating mask for my ultra-dry skin. But I recently learned that your collagen levels start depleting as early as 25 years old, and it sent me into a mini panic. Thus, I’m amping up my acne-centric skincare routine with more peptide and growth factor serums—including the addition of this mask twice a week for all the smoothing and hydrating benefits I could get.

When I have my weekly Sunday reset, I love throwing this on around 6 p.m., and by the time I’m ready for bed, it’s turned completely clear, so I know my skin has absorbed all the good stuff. If I’ve had a busy day and my complexion needs an overnight refresh, I’ll wear it while sleeping. I will say it usually comes off at some point during the night amid my tossing and turning, but I’ll usually find the discarded mask turned clear in my sheets in the morning, so I know it had its ample time to marinate on my face.

Whenever my session is complete, my complexion is left with the glowiest, glassiest, juiciest, whatever word best describes hydrated skin of my life. In the morning, I don’t need to layer on extra moisturizer before putting on makeup. This mask truly acts like a hydrating serum, moisturizer, and primer soaked into my skin at once, and I just look smoother overall (as pictured below on my way to my morning workout with no skincare on besides my absorbed mask from the night prior).

I also greatly appreciate that the mask has two halves instead of a one-size-fits-all sheet that usually leaves some air pockets or parts of my face without coverage. Also, if my forehead is feeling especially tight while my chin and jaw don’t need the extra love, I’ll use half the mask and save the other for another time.

Final Thoughts:

If you want a mask that boasts a powerful duo of hydration and anti-aging benefits, I couldn’t recommend the Medicube PDRN Collagen Masks more. I love it for my super-dry, sensitive skin, and it truly leaves me with the best post-mask glow of my life. Take it from someone who typically wakes up with puffiness and flakes: This mask has forever changed my skincare routine. Just a few hours with these $ 5-per-use gel masks leave me with hydration and dewiness akin to an expensive spa facial.

Why Trust Cosmopolitan?

Jasmine Hyman is the assistant beauty editor at Cosmo who covers all things skincare. For this story, she tested Medicube’s viral masks for weeks and reviewed them based on efficacy, ease of use, price, and more.