Deep Dive Review: Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask – Is Clearer Dryer Skin Possible Just Twice a Week?

Is this the best Korean beauty clay mask? Does it truly clear pores better than general cleansers and is it the secret to calm, clear skin? Read this honest review of the Some by Mi Super Matcha mask and find out if it could be your favourite weekly treatment.

Super Matcha Clay Mask Review

If you struggle with oily skin or blemishes, chances are you are a fan of a good clay mask. After walking around feeling slimy and gross all day – there's nothing that soothes the soul better than putting on a quality clay mask and feeling it dry away all my woes. The only downside is that the majority of clay masks pull me in the other direction and dry out my face too much, leaving it feeling tight and red. Thus, upon hearing that the Some by Mi Clean Pore Clay mask is gentler and clears pores – I was excited to have a try.

Overhead picture of Some by Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask, with lid off to show inside texture of mask. Background includes spread sample of mask and scattered green tea leaves.

What's in the Bottle?

The clay action comes from pure kaolin, the soft white mineral-rich earth that was used in Ancient China to make porcelain. It is a cold, smooth material that draws in oil, slowly pulling it from pores and providing a deep, cleansing feeling. Clinical studies where people used a clay mask twice a week showed great improvement to skin evenness, excess oil and better hydration.

What do they add to the clay?

Green tea - aka Matcha is a vibrant source of antioxidants, that penetrates skin, calm irritation and soothes. It protects against sun damage and, in acne-prone skin, helps calm redness and relieve irritation. It is a deeply nutritional addition to skin, providing long lasting protection against stress and premature aging. This mask contains 102,000ppm of matcha in various forms (powder, steeped etc) - which makes up approximately 10% of the jar!

Centella asciatica – it's not a product designed for acne care if there is not centella asciatica present! This medicinal herb provides improves hydration, reduces skin bacteria and improves overall skin texture to smooth and provide uniform, soft skin.

LHA (Salicylic acid) - acts as a gentle exfoliant that stimulates and clears away dead skin cells and promotes collagen and elastin production in healthy skin cells, to boost and plump skin. An important treatment for blackheads and clearing pores.

Cup of green tea being actively poured, showing green tinted liquid with steam into a traditional, clay cup.

Willow Bark extract – a common, herbal remedy containing salicylic acids for a powerful anti-inflammatory effect to soothe and exfoliate. Reduces redness, swelling and calms irritation associated with acne.

Glycerin – deeply hydrating molecule that absorbs into skin and holds water in place to produce plumper, youthful skin. This agent is why the clay mask does not dry out your skin the same way as standard clay masks.

What Does the Mask Do?

The Some By Mi team claim that using the mask twice weekly helps draw out oils and sebum trapped deep in pores, cleansing and soothing. It also exfoliates gently to remove blackheads and overall reduces the appearance of pores. It is designed as a detox treatment at the end of the week, to help refresh your skin and reduce oil/sebum during the week.

The mask ideally does four things:
- calms redness and skin irritation
- cleans pores and reduces appearance
- fights acne and reduces blackheads/spots
- does all this whilst keeping skin soft and hydrated

Pouring green tea into clear, glass mug with background of chamomile flowers.

When to Avoid?

This is not a clay mask for dry skin – as it draws excess oils out of the skin. There are also instances of it causing irritation in more sensitive skin, due to its drying and exfoliating properties. It’s not likely to suit your skin well if you are struggling to keep your skin hydrated, and it’s likely better to seek out a soothing gel mask (a great choice to help soothe acne, whilst hydrating is the Axis Y New Skin Resolution Gel Mask).

What are the Results?

For reference, I’ve tried both the Innisfree Volcanic Clay Mask and the Isntree Mugwort Calming Clay Mask. These are the other two most famous Korean beauty kaolin masks and I’ve always loved the calming effect on my pores, especially from the Mugwort mask. However, I’ve always found them very drying – which makes my skin feel tight, dry and increases temporary redness.

Spread green, kaolin clay mask on white background to demonstrate thick texture of Some by mi clay mask.

I absolutely love the smell of the Some By Mi Matcha mask as it comes with the soothing scent of green tea and as you apply it, you can see small granules of tea that exfoliate as you apply. I vanished into my bubble bath for 10 min and slowly washed it away after it dried – and was delighted that my skin felt moisturized! There was no tightness or pulling at my skin and after softly washing the mask away, my skin was indeed smoother and calmer.

Above is the before and after pics – with the mild redness visible on the left and my calmed look on the right. I feel like my pores were the same size, but I felt squeaky clean. In a few uses, this has become my favourite kaolin clay mask.

Final Thoughts

This is a great mask for soothing and feeling refreshed at the end of the week. I still would not recommend it for overly dry skin – and for combination skin, it's best used in oily areas to help clean sebum and relieve pores. If you are a fan of either the Innisfree or Inistree masks, but find them too drying – give this one a try, as for my skin, it's surpassed both of them.

Deep Dive Review: Some By Mi Super Matcha Pore Clean Clay Mask – Is Clearer Dryer Skin Possible Just Twice a Week? ...

30/05/2025