ALDI ANNOUNCED THAT their Charcoal Clearing Mudmask is back in stock this week, after many claimed it contained some decent dupes of GlamGlow’s Supermud mask.

As a fan of completely pulling every bit of shite out of my pores on a bi-weekly basis, I was intrigued. 

So, is it any use, or just another product that resembles a cult one on the outside?

I tried it out to compare the two. No, no one paid me for this. 

Price 

Aldi’s Lacura mudmask will set you back €7.99, while GlamGlow is a lot steeper, ranging between €38 to €45 depending on where you buy it. 

Ingredients 

GlamGlow: Aqua, kaolin, magnesium aluminum silicate, mandelic acid, carbon, eucalyptus globulus leaf, tartaric acid, pyruvic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, eucalyptus globulus leaf powder, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, hedera helix (ivy) extract, symphytum officinale (comfrey) leaf extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) extract, peg-12 dimethicone, caprylyl glycol, sodium hydroxide, butylene glycol, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, hectorite, hexylene glycol, glycerin, calendula officinalis extract, maltodextrin, ethylhexylglycerin, xanthan gum, fragrance (parfum), limonene, benzyl benzoate, linalool, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, iron oxides (ci 77499).

Aldi: Aqua, kaolin, magnesium aluminum silicate, Glycerin, bentonite, charcoal powder, phenoxyethanol, glycolic acid, xanthan gum, parfum, sodium hydroxide, lactic acid, ethylhexylglycerin, hydrated silica, alcohol, cimicifua racemosa root extract, aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder, tocopheryl acetate, bambusa vulgaris shoot extract, cocos nucifera fruit extract, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, trisodium EDTA, eucalyptus globulus leaf oil, limonene, linalool, CI 77499.

That’s a LOT of ingredients, isn’t it.

Is it cruelty free? 

Aldi’s Lacura range is Leaping Bunny certified, guaranteeing that their products are not tested on animals.

GlamGlow, not so much. They say they do not test their products on animals, or ask others to conduct animal testing on their behalf, except when required by law. Therefore, they’re not cruelty free. 

Texture 

Keep in mind, I’m at the end of my GlamGlow so it’s a little dried out. 

So, is it Any Use? 

The first thing that sticks out with these two is the smell. I’ve got to hand it to GlamGlow, it smells way nicer. More like botanical, something you want to put on your face. Lacura kinda smells too chemically to smear all over. 

The texture is also quite different. Lacura’s mask is very smooth, and pretty much all the same grey colour. GlamGlow has visibly gritty bits of eucalyptus leaves, which even show up when the mask is on your face. It could be a psychological thing but it just feels like it’s working better.

GlamGlow dries a lot quicker and seems to embed itself deeper into your pores, but it does sting. I don’t have hugely sensitive skin, but this really takes out more than it should. Lacura, in contrast, is a bit gentler and didn’t leave my skin as red and was slightly easier to get off.

As for the final result, GlamGlow left my skin quite red, whereas I was pleasantly surprised by Aldi’s effort. My pores were visibly smaller, already, and my skin felt really smooth and clean. I wasn’t expecting that.  

The verdict 

Lacura’s mask says you’ve to wait four weeks for results, so maybe giving it one week with two uses isn’t quantitative enough for solid research. However, I was impressed with the immediate results and with a much gentler experience.

If you’re looking for the reef everything out of your pores experience that GlamGlow gives you, this might not be a perfect dupe. But if you like GlamGlow but can’t use it for fear of loosing skin, maybe Lacura is a good alternative. However, saying that, I wouldn’t recommend it for sensitive skin either. 

The verdict? It’s not a perfect dupe in terms of ingredients and experience, but isn’t a bad mud mask in its own right. 

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