Kaolin, the white clay in so many masks, takes its name from Gaoling, which means High Ridge, a village in Jiangxi, China. The word reached Europe through a Jesuit, Father François Xavier d'Entrecolles, who wrote about the porcelain makers of Jingdezhen in 1712. Rhassoul, the Moroccan clay from the Atlas Mountains near Fez, has a name from the Arabic for to wash, and has been used in hammams for centuries. So a clay mask is not a trend. People have been putting earth on their faces for a very long time.

What has changed is the texture. Clay used to mean a grey shell that pulled the whole face tight. Now there are whipped clays, creamy ones, a clay in a sheet, and some that swap in honey and oils to keep skin comfortable.

The first grid is for oily and blemish-prone skin, from charcoal to sulfur to salicylic acid. The second is for gentler clays, made not to dry skin out. I tried all sixteen, and the pattern was easy to see. Oily skin loves the strong ones, and everyone else gets tight.

Here is a test I like: try any new clay mask on your T-zone only, and take it off when the edges start to lighten, before it cracks. Then check your cheeks. If they still feel soft, you can widen the area next time.

Origins' Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask is the classic, with bamboo charcoal for oil, white China clay and lecithin, meant for once or twice a week. It is great on oily and combination skin, but it is messy and it can dry you out. innisfree's Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask has volcanic ash clusters and lactic acid, and the brand calls it a ten-minute facial in a jar. It really does pull oil from pores, so dry skin should be careful.

Caudalie's Pore Minimizing Instant Detox Mask uses pink clay, upcycled grapes and caffeine, and works in ten minutes. An Allure editor with a delicate complexion found it gentle. Kiehl's Rare Earth Clay Mask is meant to reduce clogged pores and oil without discomfort, and it went on creamy, with some tightness as it dried. Borghese's Fango Purificante is a mud for face and body with kaolin, bentonite, diatomaceous earth and sea salt, with hyaluronic acid to keep skin comfortable.

Three of them are treatments in clay clothing. The Ordinary's Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is a charcoal and clay mask for blemish-prone skin, and rinsing it off was messy. Murad's Rapid Relief is a sulfur clay mask with five percent sulfur, salicylic acid and peat, to minimize breakouts in as few as three uses. OLEHENRIKSEN's Violet Ice Cold Plunge is whipped, with purple kaolin and BHA, and dries to a purple marbled finish with a cool chill.

Here is a pairing I like: the strong mask on Sunday, and a hydrating cream straight after rinsing.

What I would skip: putting the sulfur mask all over if you only have a few spots. Treat the spots and leave the rest.

Benefit's POREfessional Deep Retreat is a creamy kaolin mask with sea fennel and jojoba and plum kernel oils, and the brand says it feels gentle and comfortable. I liked it on my T-zone, and once a week with moisturizer right after is plenty. Charlotte Tilbury's Goddess Skin Clay Mask combines Spanish clay with sweet almond oil, and the brand says it leaves skin moisturized, dewy and glowing while it tightens pores.

Beauty of Joseon's Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask is a nondrying liquid with kaolin and red bean extract, made to absorb sebum without uncomfortable tightness. MARA's Volcanic Sea Clay is a creamy mask with Jeju volcanic ash, ashwagandha and honey. Sincerely Yours' Face To Face Time is a whipped clay with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and pineapple enzymes. Chantecaille's Detox Clay Mask is black, with kaolin, honey, rosemary and mushroom extract, and is meant to reduce pores without dryness. You put it on twice a week.

fresh's Umbrian Clay is a three-in-one, used as a mask, a daily cleanser or a spot treatment, with sandalwood, chamomile and lavender water. Dr. Jart+'s Pore Remedy is the odd one, a sheet mask coated in green mud with PHA and sea salt, designed to stick to the sides of the nose and peel off with no mess.

Here is a trick I like: use the fresh Umbrian Clay as a cleanser for a week to see how your skin handles clay.

What I would skip: leaving any of these on until the mask is fully cracked. Rinse while the edges are still slightly damp.

After trying them all, I think the biggest mistake with a clay mask is using too much of it. My picks: Origins' charcoal for oily skin, Murad's sulfur mask for breakouts, Benefit for a combination T-zone, MARA for dry-leaning skin and Sincerely Yours for sensitive skin. Pick the gentlest one that clears your pores, and use it once a week, on the parts of your face that are oily.

The rule I follow is that skin should feel clean and soft when you rinse, not tight. If it pulls, take the mask off sooner or move to a milder one, and put a moisturizer on right after.