face pack

IPA/ˈfeɪs pæk/
IPA/ˈfeɪs pæk/

face pack — noun

1. a thick cream or gel that you spread over your face, leave on for a short time,

1.nounB1
Definition

a thick cream or gel that you spread over your face, leave on for a short time, and then wash off to make your skin feel cleaner, softer, or healthier

Example

Hyun puts on a cooling face pack after a long day in the sun.

put on / wash off a face pack

A beauty-shop worker said this face pack with green tea works well for oily skin.

face pack with [ingredient] for [skin type]

Common collocations
  • put on a face pack
  • apply a face pack
  • wash off a face pack
  • a cooling / hydrating / clay face pack
  • face pack with [ingredient]
Synonyms
  • face mask

    more general term, often used interchangeably in everyday speech; may also refer to sheet masks

  • facial mask

    slightly more formal or commercial; common on product labels

Usage Note

Often used in skincare and beauty contexts. Unlike a sheet mask (a thin fabric sheet soaked in essence), a face pack is a cream or gel that you wash off after a short time.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Face pack, face mask, and facial mask all describe skincare products applied to the face and then removed. Face pack is the most specific term in British English — it typically refers to a cream, gel, or clay product that you spread on, leave for a short time, and wash off. Face mask is the broader, more dominant term internationally: it covers both cream-based wash-off masks and sheet masks (thin fabric soaked in serum). Facial mask is more commercial and formal, often used on product packaging or in beauty marketing. Beauty mask is a less common umbrella term used in promotional language. In everyday speech most speakers say 'face mask' regardless of the type, but in British skincare contexts a 'face pack' specifically implies a wash-off cream or clay mask rather than a sheet mask. For example: 'I put on a clay face pack to deep-clean my pores' versus 'I put on a sheet mask to hydrate my skin.'

face maskfacial maskbeauty mask

Common collocations

Phrases

  • put on a face pack
  • apply a face pack
  • wash off a face pack
  • leave a face pack on

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Face pack is a compound noun from 'face' (Old English 'fæs', meaning the front of the head) and 'pack' (from the verb 'pack', meaning to put something into a container or onto a surface). The skincare sense of 'pack' — a treatment applied to the skin — dates from the early 20th century, originally referring to clay or creams spread onto the face like a 'pack' or layer.