Introduction
WHIPPED is one of those quietly confident Korean brands that churns out playful yet purposeful formulas while never shouting the loudest on the shelf. If its frothy cleansers or dessert inspired masks have passed you by, consider this your nudge to take notice, because the company has a talent for turning self care into something a bit more fun without skimping on science.
Enter the Mugtree Vegan Cookie Clay Pack Cleanser, a name that sounds like it belongs in a bakery more than a bathroom. According to WHIPPED it is a cookie dough textured clay that massages on dry skin, grips to oil and debris with charcoal, LHA and a trio of clays, then morphs into a hydrating cleanser rich in mugwort, tea tree and centella when you add water. The brand promises smoother pores, fewer blackheads and skin that feels both clarified and comfortably moisturised.
To see if this sweet sounding multitasker lives up to the hype I used it exclusively for a full two weeks, noting everything from texture to post rinse feel to determine whether it is worth your hard earned money.
What is Mugtree Vegan Cookie Clay Pack Cleanser?
This formula belongs to the wash-off mask family, a category designed to sit on skin for a short spell then rinse away, delivering a concentrated hit of actives without lingering residue. Wash-off masks are popular because they give pores a deep tidy in minutes and let you tailor an intensive treatment to a busy schedule.
Mugtree Vegan Cookie Clay Pack Cleanser takes the idea a step further by doubling as both mask and daily face wash. Applied to dry skin it behaves like a traditional clay mask, using a blend of kaolin, bentonite, charcoal powder and the gentle exfoliant LHA to grab onto oil, pollution and the small plugs that turn into blackheads. After a minute or so you add water and the paste foams lightly, allowing the same ingredients to sweep away loosened debris.
To keep the process from feeling too stripping the formula is balanced with humectants and soothing extracts. Hyaluronic acid pulls in water, mugwort and tea tree lend a calming touch while centella asiatica brings its well known repairing properties. The brand positions it as a quick route to clearer pores and a softer barrier in one step, suitable for anyone who wants the purifying power of clay without the tight afterfeel that sometimes follows a traditional mask.
Did it work?
In the name of skincare science I put my regular clay mask in time out for three full days before kicking off this trial, which felt extremely official given the clipboard I imagined holding. Fourteen days struck me as a solid window to judge any meaningful change so I slotted the Cookie Clay Pack into my evening routine every other night, massaging a grape sized blob over dry cheeks, nose and forehead, letting it hang out for the suggested three minutes, then adding water to coax a light foam before rinsing.
First impression: it glides on like a softened dough and never fully dries down, so there is none of the stiff, cracking sensation that usually reminds you you are wearing a mask. Rinse one left my skin fresh and matte yet not squeaky. Pores around my nose looked a hair clearer but nothing dramatic. By day four a subtle pattern emerged: any oil slick that normally greets me at noon was dialed back and my skin felt smooth enough that foundation sat more evenly. I did spy a tiny patch of redness under my nostrils after the second use, likely the tea tree flexing its muscles, but it settled once I paired the cleanser with a richer night cream.
The midpoint check at day seven was encouraging. The stubborn dots on my chin that usually resist manual extraction appeared shallower and one particularly noticeable blackhead had shrunk. On the flip side, sebaceous filaments along the sides of my nose were still making cameos, suggesting the formula loosens congestion better than it prevents it from reforming. I also noticed that using the product back to back on two consecutive nights left my cheeks feeling just a touch tight, so I returned to the every other night cadence and the comfort level bounced back.
During the final stretch I hoped for a bigger payoff in overall brightness thanks to the LHA and niacinamide, but any glow was modest at best. Hydration held steady though; no flaky zones, no rebound oiliness, even when the weather flicked from humid to dry. On the last day I compared before and after photos and the change was clear enough to justify the mask part of its job description, yet the transformation was short of the wow I look for when dedicating extra minutes at the sink.
So did it live up to its claims? Partially. It does cleanse deeply without stripping, refines texture and tempers midday shine. It falls short on long term blackhead eviction and the radiance boost is mild. I will happily finish the tub because the process is pleasant and the results are respectable, but I will not be racing to repurchase once it is gone. Still, if your main goal is a gentle no fuss purifying step that keeps skin balanced this cookie could hit the spot.
Mugtree Vegan Cookie Clay Pack Cleanser’s main ingredients explained
The heavy lifters here are the trio of kaolin, bentonite and charcoal powder. These mineral clays act like micro sponges, drawing out oil and tiny debris that sit in the mouth of the pore while staying gentler than the old school astringent clays that leave skin feeling chalky. Charcoal lends its trademark gray tint and a porous structure that can adsorb pollutants, making it useful for city dwellers. Sitting alongside is LHA, a lipo-hydroxy acid that is a derivative of salicylic acid but with a larger molecular size and a slightly higher pH sweet spot. That combination lets it unglue dead surface cells and creep a little way inside pores without the sting or dryness that salicylic acid can trigger in reactive skin.
Once the grime has been loosened the formula switches gears and drenches skin with humectants. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid bind water like magnets while beta-glucan tops up the moisture reservoir and has a side hustle as a calming agent. Centella asiatica and its purified components madecassoside and asiaticoside support barrier repair and are joined by mugwort and tea tree extracts, both rich in terpenoids that soothe and keep the post-cleanse canvas comfortable. Niacinamide makes a cameo too, offering a hand with sebum regulation and a subtle brightening effect over time.
A quick note on potential pore cloggers: the cleanser carries fatty acids such as myristic, lauric and palmitic acid which rank moderately on the comedogenic scale. A comedogenic ingredient is one that can build up inside a pore and encourage the formation of blackheads or whiteheads, though this tends to be more of a concern in leave-on products. Most users will be fine given the rinse-off nature yet very congestion-prone skin should keep an eye out.
The recipe is marketed as vegan and the bulk of the roster supports that claim, however hydrolyzed collagen is present and collagen is traditionally sourced from animals. WHIPPED states the material is plant-derived but those with strict vegan principles might still want written confirmation from the brand. On the pregnancy front the cleanser contains salicylic acid and capryloyl salicylic acid, both beta hydroxy acids that many dermatologists advise limiting while expecting. As always pregnant or nursing individuals should ask their physician before adding a new topical. Finally there is a fragrance blend with limonene, linalool and their citrus cousins that could be an irritant if your skin dislikes perfumed formulas, though the scent does rinse away quickly.
No outright drying alcohols, no mineral oil and no silicones appear on the ingredient list so texture remains light and water-friendly. The pH measured at roughly 6.2 in my test which sits comfortably within the skin-friendly zone. All in all the ingredient deck walks a careful line between deep cleanse and gentle afterfeel, explaining why the results are noticeable yet never aggressive.
What I liked/didn’t like
Here is a quick rundown of the highs and lows from my two week trial.
What works well:
- The cookie dough texture spreads easily on dry skin and rinses off without residue
- Mask to cleanser flip saves time and keeps the routine minimal
- Dials back midday shine and leaves a smoother canvas for makeup
- Balances purification with hydration so skin feels clean yet comfortable
What to consider:
- Blackhead reduction and overall brightening are subtle rather than dramatic
- Daily use may leave drier areas feeling a bit tight so spacing applications could help
- Salicylic derivatives and added fragrance may not suit very sensitive or expecting skin
My final thoughts
After a fortnight of putting Mugtree Vegan Cookie Clay Pack Cleanser through its paces I can say it earns a solid 7/10. It is a pleasant multitasker that decongests without punishing the moisture barrier and it feels more luxurious than its price suggests, yet it never quite crosses the line into must-have territory for me. The partial win on blackheads and the need to space out use on drier areas mean I would reach for it when my T-zone is acting up but not rely on it as my sole purifier.
If you are new to wash-off masks or want a fuss-free option that leaves skin calm and matte this formula could fit the bill. Oily and combination complexions will appreciate the balanced afterfeel and anyone who dislikes the rigid crackle of traditional clay will enjoy its doughy glide. On the other hand, those chasing a dramatic glow or hoping to retire the extractor tool entirely may find the results a shade too subtle. Extremely reactive or pregnancy-planning skin should also weigh the fragrance and salicylic derivatives before diving in.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, with caveats. I would steer a dehydrated buddy toward adding a richer hydrator afterwards and I would warn a glow-seeker that it prioritises clarity over radiance. Still, for the price it is a respectable performer and the time-saving cleanse-plus-mask format is undeniably handy.
If you crave alternatives I have a few standby favourites that I have rotated in and out of my cabinet for years. Deascal’s Pink Clay Glow Mask is an excellent all-rounder that exfoliates, clears pores, brightens and generally leaves every skin type looking refreshed at a wallet-friendly cost per use. Innisfree’s Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask is my reliable shine extinguisher on humid days, while NIOD’s Flavanone Mud offers a science-forward take on detox with a noticeable smoothness boost after just one session. For a quick reset before an event Caudalie’s Instant Detox Mask tightens the look of pores without robbing skin of comfort. Any of these will keep your rotation interesting if the Cookie Clay Pack Cleanser only partly meets your needs.
Finally a quick public-service announcement that will make me sound like an over-protective parent: always patch test new products, monitor how your skin responds and remember that any clarity you gain will only last if you keep using the product consistently. Happy masking and may your pores stay peaceful.