Unlike traditional sleeping masks that rely on heavy occlusives, this gel-based mask uses a silicone network (caprylyl methicone, vinyl dimethicone, dimethiconol) to create an invisible breathable barrier while the centella triterpenoids and niacinamide work overnight. It's also one of the few Cicapair products that is both oil-free and essentially fragrance-free, making it suitable for a wider range of skin types than other products in the line.
The most universally tolerable product in the Cicapair lineup — a lightweight, oil-free, essentially fragrance-free gel sleeping mask that delivers centella asiatica and niacinamide overnight without the heavy textures or essential oils that limit the other Cicapair products. Finally, an overnight cica treatment that oily and combination skin can actually use.
Note: This gel has been available for approximately 5 years with a moderate review count of around 700 across major retailers. While the centella asiatica and niacinamide science is well-established, this specific sleeping mask format has less long-term validation than other Cicapair bestsellers. We'll continue monitoring real-world feedback.
The case for it
What would change this: A declared concentration would move this to a firmer reading of the dose.
Same rule for everyone. “Good choice” is the verdict on 1,938 of 45,024 concern verdicts across the catalog; rule F2 decided 1,938 of them. Unchanged since September 5, 2026, engine 5.1.1.
Brand or formulator? Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
The studies behind the evidence row
The case for it
Same rule for everyone. “Good choice” is the verdict on 9,564 of 45,024 concern verdicts across the catalog; rule R5 decided 9,072 of them. Unchanged since September 5, 2026, engine 5.1.1.
Brand or formulator? Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
The studies behind the evidence row
The case for it
What would change this: A researched evidence row for the lead active would replace this with a verdict.
Same rule for everyone. “Supporting role” is the verdict on 8,197 of 45,024 concern verdicts across the catalog; rule R8 decided 4,250 of them. Unchanged since September 5, 2026, engine 5.1.1.
Brand or formulator? Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
The case for it
What would change this: A declared concentration would move this to a firmer reading of the dose.
Same rule for everyone. “Good choice” is the verdict on 9,564 of 45,024 concern verdicts across the catalog; rule R5 decided 9,072 of them. Unchanged since September 5, 2026, engine 5.1.1.
Brand or formulator? Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
The studies behind the evidence row
Also listed for Dullness — the actives here (Niacinamide, Trehalose, Probiotics & Prebiotics, Panthenol (Vitamin B5) are in our research queue for that concern; there is no verdict until their evidence rows are written. That is a gap in our table, not a mark against the product.
As a maskNot judged: what a mask is for — works within its wear time, benefit outlasts the mask, comes off cleanly — cannot yet be measured from the ingredient list (only intensity without injury can).
A verdict is DermApproved’s assessment of how well a product’s ingredients fit a concern — never a claim about what the product treats. Evidence dots and collected reviews sit beside it and are never blended in. Rules 0.5.1 · evidence table ev-2026.09-r228 · how we decide
For years, the Cicapair line had a subtle but significant blind spot. Its creams were rich — built for dry and normal skin types who could handle the shea butter bases and essential oil inclusions. Its color-correcting products were heavier still. If you had oily or combination skin with redness — a frustratingly common combination — the Cicapair range had plenty of centella asiatica but no texture that worked for you. The Sleepair Intensive Mask is the product that closed that gap.
This is a sleeping mask in the K-beauty tradition — a leave-on overnight treatment applied as the last step of your PM routine, designed to work while you sleep and rinse off with your morning cleanser. But unlike the thick, cream-based sleeping masks that dominated the category for years, this one is a lightweight gel that absorbs in under two minutes and leaves absolutely no residue. No pillow transfer. No greasy film. No waking up with the outline of your sleeping position imprinted in product on your face.
The formula takes the core Cicapair philosophy — centella asiatica for anti-inflammatory repair — and strips it down to the essentials. Madecassoside, asiaticoside, and asiatic acid (three of the four key centella triterpenoids) appear alongside centella asiatica leaf extract, providing the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing compound profile the line is known for. The overnight format is significant because the extended contact time — eight hours or more — allows these actives to penetrate more deeply and work more completely than they can in a rinse-off product or even a daytime cream.
Niacinamide appears as the seventh ingredient, suggesting meaningful concentration. In an overnight product, niacinamide has hours to strengthen the skin barrier, reduce redness, and improve overall skin tone — far more effective than the brief exposure it gets in a cleanser or toner. The combination of overnight niacinamide and overnight centella makes this a genuinely therapeutic product, not just a hydrating mask. Adenosine sits further down the list, quietly adding the one South Korean–approved anti-wrinkle active to a formula that otherwise makes no anti-aging claims at all.
Trehalose is a standout ingredient that doesn't always get the attention it deserves. This naturally occurring sugar protects skin cells from dehydration stress — particularly relevant overnight when transepidermal water loss tends to peak. It's a cell-protective ingredient rather than a simple humectant, helping the skin maintain structural integrity during the repair-intensive sleep hours.
The probiotic ferment (streptococcus thermophilus) returns from other Cicapair products, and the sleeping mask format maximizes its potential. Research suggests this ferment enhances ceramide production in the skin, and the extended overnight contact time gives it the duration it needs to meaningfully support that process. A second ferment filtrate and panthenol add their reliable anti-inflammatory and hydrating support.
What makes this sleeping mask genuinely different from the rest of the Cicapair line is what it leaves out. No lavender oil. No bergamot oil. No heavy shea butter. No beeswax. The formula is oil-free and essentially fragrance-free — a rarity in the Cicapair range that has persistently included essential oils in products targeting sensitive skin. The result is a product that can be recommended without the caveats that accompany every other Cicapair review. The word 'essentially' is doing a little work, though: yarrow oil sits mid-list, the single aromatic holdout, and it is the one thing here a genuinely reactive face might object to. Patch-test if your skin has a history with botanicals.
Below that line the ingredient deck sprawls into a long botanical tail — sea holly callus culture, houttuynia, holly leaf, ivy, red algae, sugarcane, neem, turmeric root, holy basil, cocoa seed, amber powder, even an entry simply labelled DNA. These are present at concentrations that flatter a marketing page more than a face. They do no harm; they simply are not the reason this mask works. The reason it works sits in the first ten lines.
The silicone system (caprylyl methicone, vinyl dimethicone, dimethiconol) deserves mention. Rather than heavy occlusives, these lightweight silicones create a breathable film that prevents moisture loss without suffocating the skin or clogging pores, and a set of gel polymers — polyvinyl alcohol, dehydroxanthan gum, polyisobutene — gives the layer its cling without weight. It is a modern rebuttal to the assumption that an overnight mask has to be thick to be occlusive: the film does the sealing, the gel does the disappearing. The one caveat that follows from all this is that the formula is not a fit for anyone avoiding Malassezia food sources.
In practice, the mask performs beautifully. Apply it after your PM routine, wait two minutes for it to absorb, and go to sleep. By morning, skin looks visibly calmer, more hydrated, and more even-toned. The redness reduction after even a single night is noticeable on sensitized skin. After a couple of weeks of regular use — three to four nights a week — the cumulative barrier benefits show up as skin that is less reactive and less quick to flush, and the deeper repair keeps accruing across a month or more. It is also the natural landing pad on a retinol night: apply the retinoid, let it absorb, and seal the evening with this instead of a heavy cream.
The main limitation is that the lightweight gel may not feel moisturizing enough for very dry skin, particularly in harsh winter conditions. Users who want to feel cocooned report that it seems to evaporate rather than sit — a fair description of what a breathable film does, and an unsatisfying one if richness is what you came for. Those with severely dry skin may need to layer a moisturizer underneath, or reach for the richer cream in the same line instead. The jar packaging is the other quiet compromise: fingers, air, and a nightly ritual are not a hygienic combination, and a tube would have served this formula better. But for everyone else — especially oily and combination skin types who have been waiting for a Cicapair product they can actually use — this sleeping mask is the most inclusive product the line has ever produced.
At $43 for 75 mL, used three to four times per week, the Sleepair Mask lasts two to three months. The review base is moderate rather than deep — several hundred rather than the thousands behind the line's famous color-correcting cream — so read the enthusiasm as encouraging rather than definitive. The value is fair for a product with this concentration of centella actives and niacinamide in an overnight delivery format. It's not the cheapest sleeping mask, but the clean formulation and targeted efficacy justify the price for its intended audience.
The hero actives that drive this product's performance.
| Ingredient | Function | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Centella Asiatica (Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid) | Three key centella triterpenoids plus centella asiatica leaf extract provide overnight anti-inflammatory repair. In this sleeping mask format, the extended contact time (8+ hours) allows these actives to work throughout the skin's peak repair period, delivering deeper anti-inflammatory and wound-healing benefits than a rinse-off mask. | Not applicable for Sensitivity |
| Niacinamide | Positioned as the seventh ingredient, niacinamide provides substantial barrier-strengthening and brightening benefits during overnight wear. The extended contact time of a sleeping mask maximizes niacinamide's ability to reduce redness, improve skin tone, and support ceramide production while you sleep. | Established mechanism for Compromised Skin Barrier · established mechanism |
| Trehalose | A natural disaccharide that protects skin cells from dehydration stress. In this overnight mask, trehalose maintains cellular hydration throughout the night, preventing the moisture loss that can occur during sleep and supporting the skin's repair processes. | Not yet assessed |
| Panthenol | Provitamin B5 provides deep hydration and anti-inflammatory support during overnight wear. In this gel mask, panthenol complements the centella asiatica's soothing action while promoting the skin's own lipid synthesis for barrier repair. | Established mechanism for Dehydration · established mechanism |
| Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment | A probiotic ferment that supports the skin microbiome and enhances ceramide production during overnight wear. The extended contact time of a sleeping mask allows this ferment to work more effectively than in a rinse-off product, supporting both microbial balance and structural barrier repair. | Not yet assessed |
Ingredient standings describe the active at treatment-level doses and vehicles; this product's own condition grades weigh its actual formula.
Aqua, Dipropylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Caprylyl Methicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Trehalose, Vinyl Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Eryngium Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate, Dimethiconol, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Ilex Aquifolium Leaf Extract, Cetyl Dimethicone, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Achillea Millefolium Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Tromethamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Hedera Helix Extract, Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Oleate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Panthenol, Fusidium Coccineum Ferment Filtrate, Madecassoside, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, DNA, Amber Powder, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Asiaticoside, Methylpropanediol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Bamboo Vinegar, Asiatic Acid
moisturizer
PM
Use as the last step of your PM routine, replacing your regular moisturizer. Apply a thin, even layer over the entire face after serums and treatments have absorbed. The gel texture means no pillow transfer concerns. Leave on overnight and rinse off in the morning with your regular cleanser.
Immediately cooling and soothing upon application. By morning, skin looks calmer and more hydrated. After 1-2 weeks of regular use (2-3 times per week), visible reduction in redness and improved skin resilience. Full barrier-repair benefits develop over 4-6 weeks.
The Sleepair Intensive Mask leverages the unique advantage of overnight application — extended contact time that maximizes the absorption and efficacy of its active ingredients.
Centella asiatica's triterpenoids (madecassoside, asiaticoside, asiatic acid) require sufficient contact time to penetrate the stratum corneum and exert their anti-inflammatory effects in the deeper skin layers. A study by Bylka et al. (2013) in Postepy Dermatologii i Alergologii reviewed the penetration kinetics of centella triterpenoids and noted that longer application times correlated with deeper penetration and more significant anti-inflammatory effects. The overnight format of this mask provides 8+ hours of continuous exposure — far exceeding the contact time of any wash-off or daytime product.
Niacinamide's barrier-strengthening effects are also time-dependent. Research has shown that niacinamide stimulates the production of ceramides, free fatty acids, and cholesterol in the stratum corneum — the three lipids that constitute the skin's barrier. A 2005 study in the British Journal of Dermatology demonstrated these effects with extended application. In a sleeping mask, niacinamide has optimal conditions to support this lipid synthesis throughout the skin's most metabolically active period.
Trehalose is a disaccharide with remarkable cell-protective properties. Research reported in Nature (2000) described trehalose's ability to stabilize proteins and cell membranes during dehydration stress — a mechanism known as 'trehalose vitrification.' In skin care, this translates to protection of skin cells during the nighttime period when transepidermal water loss tends to increase.
The streptococcus thermophilus ferment has been shown to increase sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase activity, leading to elevated ceramide levels in the stratum corneum. A 2008 study demonstrated that this probiotic-derived ingredient supports barrier function through a biological pathway distinct from direct lipid supplementation (as in ceramide creams), providing complementary repair through microbiome modulation.
Dermatologists view overnight treatment formats as an efficient delivery mechanism for barrier-repair actives, and the Sleepair Mask aligns well with this clinical perspective. Dermatology professionals generally stress that the extended contact time of a sleeping mask allows centella triterpenoids and niacinamide to work during the skin's peak repair window — the nighttime period when cell turnover is highest and the barrier is most receptive to repair signals. The oil-free, essentially fragrance-free formulation is a notable improvement over other Cicapair products, making it more confidently recommendable for reactive skin. Dermatologists commonly suggest using this type of mask 3-4 times per week, or nightly during periods of acute sensitivity or post-procedure recovery.
Apply a thin, even layer as the final step of your PM skincare routine. Use after all serums and treatments have absorbed. The gel absorbs within 1-2 minutes, leaving no sticky residue. Leave on overnight — no rinsing needed until your morning cleanse. Use 3-4 times per week for maintenance, or nightly during periods of heightened sensitivity or post-procedure recovery.
At $43 for 75 mL, used 3-4 times per week, the Sleepair Mask lasts 2-3 months — approximately $14-21 per month. This is reasonable for a centella-rich sleeping mask with niacinamide and probiotic support. The oil-free, fragrance-free formulation addresses the limitations of other Cicapair products, providing access to the line's anti-redness benefits for skin types previously excluded. For a targeted overnight treatment, the value is fair.
Anyone with redness-prone or sensitive skin who wants overnight centella therapy without the heavy textures and essential oils of other Cicapair products. Especially well-suited for oily and combination skin types, retinol users looking for a calming overnight buffer, and anyone who has avoided the Cicapair line due to fragrance sensitivity.
Those with very dry skin who need heavy occlusive moisture overnight, and anyone looking for a thick, pampering sleeping mask experience. The lightweight gel format prioritizes function over sensorial richness — if you want to feel cocooned in moisture, the Re.Pair Cream is a better choice.
Ready to try Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask?
Buy at Amazon ♥A lightweight, cooling gel with a water-like consistency that spreads easily and absorbs quickly into the skin. The gel feels refreshing on application and dries down to an invisible, non-sticky film. Much lighter than the Re.Pair Cream or any traditional sleeping mask.
Essentially fragrance-free. No added perfume or essential oils — just a faint, clean scent from the botanical extracts.
A jar with a screw-top lid in the Cicapair green color scheme. The 75 mL size provides ample product for overnight use.
On first application, the gel feels immediately cooling and soothing on the skin. It absorbs within 1-2 minutes, leaving no sticky or heavy residue — no pillow transfer concerns. By morning, skin looks visibly calmer, more hydrated, and smoother. The lightweight format is a pleasant surprise for those expecting a heavy, occlusive mask.
2-3 months with regular use (3-4 times per week)
All Year
The Sleepair Intensive Mask was designed to bring the Cicapair line's anti-redness philosophy to the sleeping mask category — a product format uniquely suited to overnight repair because of its extended contact time. Dr. Jart+ made the deliberate choice to use a gel rather than cream format, allowing oily and combination skin types who might skip the richer Cicapair creams to benefit from overnight centella therapy.
Dr. Jart+ was founded in 2004 by dermatologist Jung Sung-jae in South Korea and is now owned by Estée Lauder Companies. The Cicapair line is built around centella asiatica and is one of K-beauty's most popular ranges for sensitive, redness-prone skin.
Sleeping masks must be thick and occlusive to be effective overnight.
This gel-based mask demonstrates that effective overnight treatment doesn't require a heavy texture. The silicone network creates a breathable barrier that prevents moisture loss, while the active ingredients (centella, niacinamide, panthenol) are absorbed into the skin regardless of the product's weight. The lighter format actually makes it more suitable for oily and combination skin types who might skip heavier masks.
Apply a thin, even layer over your entire face as the final step of your PM skincare routine. The gel absorbs quickly without sticky residue. Leave on overnight and rinse off in the morning with your regular cleanser. Use 2-4 times per week, or nightly during periods of heightened sensitivity.
This mask is essentially fragrance-free with no added perfume or synthetic fragrance. It contains a small amount of achillea millefolium (yarrow) oil, but the product is formulated without the lavender and bergamot oils found in other Cicapair products, making it more suitable for fragrance-sensitive users.
Yes — the gentle, oil-free gel formula is suitable for nightly use. The centella asiatica and niacinamide content provides cumulative benefits with regular application. However, many users find 3-4 times per week sufficient for maintenance, reserving nightly use for periods of heightened sensitivity or irritation.
Yes — this is one of the most suitable Cicapair products for oily skin. The oil-free, lightweight gel format absorbs completely without leaving a greasy residue or clogging pores. It provides hydration and centella-based calming without the richness that makes other Cicapair creams less suitable for oily types.
Yes — this is an excellent use case for this product. Apply your retinol serum first and allow it to absorb for a few minutes, then apply the Sleepair Mask on top. The centella asiatica, niacinamide, and panthenol help buffer retinol irritation while the gel barrier prevents excessive drying overnight.
Recurring themes our editors read across retailer reviews of this product — summaries in our words, not quotations, and not a substitute for your own patch test.
Lightweight gel texture absorbs completely with no sticky residue
Cooling and soothing sensation — excellent after retinol or exfoliation
Visible redness reduction by morning
Oil-free and fragrance-free — more universally tolerable than other Cicapair products
May not feel moisturizing enough for very dry skin in winter
Gel texture can feel like it evaporates rather than providing lasting moisture
Smaller review base makes it harder to assess long-term performance
Some users prefer a richer sleeping mask format
Verified answers from our questions library — the nuance a product page cannot carry.
