The Outset Clay Mask
Everything behind the verdicts on this product: the rule that fired for each concern, the three answers and the documents they rest on, every study on the row with the date it was opened, and the versions of the tables that produced them. Nothing here is edited by hand; it is generated from the same records the verdicts are.
The scaleRecommendedGoodSupportingEarly evidenceNot for thisAvoidhow it works
Engine 5.2.0 · rules 0.5.1 · evidence table ev-2026.10-r231 · computed October 13, 2026 · how we decide · the evidence table · the anchors
for Large Pores
Niacinamide has trial-level evidence for large pores but no guideline or regulatory standing yet — promising, short of a recommendation; the other actives here are not yet assessed for it.
The lead active has at least one trial behind it for the concern but no guideline or regulatory standing yet, and is present at a working level. Short of a recommendation.
- Rule
- R9p → Promising. An active with early or mechanistic evidence only; declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level; the product’s category job is not a recognised companion to the concern; moderate or strong evidence dots on the carrier’s row.
q1 = plausible · q2 = adequate | plausible · supportive = false · strength = moderate | strong
Why this rule exists: 0.5.0: 'Unproven' beside three filled dots read as one question answered twice with opposite words (7,018 rows). The chip measures standing, the dots measure trial volume; where the row carries at least one RCT or a tier-2 source (moderate dots) and the active is present at a working level, the honest word is Promising. Unproven is reserved for plausible-standing rows with limited or weak evidence, or an under-dosed form. Same rank as Unproven — a bet either way; the dots order them.
Rule R9p decided 4,872 verdicts across the catalog; “Promising” is the verdict on 4,872 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Niacinamide
- 1 · Standing
- Plausible — trials support it
- 2 · Form
- Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 4%, from the trials on the row; needs leave-on contact; judge it after about 8 weeks - 3 · Tolerability
- Gentle
- Evidence dots
- Moderate evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 17, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 5 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- The clinical anti-aging effects of topical kinetin and niacinamide in Asians: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, split-face comparative trial — Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2007), opened July 16, 2026
- The efficacy and adverse effects of treatment options for facial pores: A review article — Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2023), opened July 16, 2026
- Mechanistic Basis and Clinical Evidence for the Applications of Nicotinamide (Niacinamide) to Control Skin Aging and Pigmentation — Antioxidants (Basel) (2021), opened July 16, 2026
← Back to the verdict All large pores products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
for Blackheads
Salicylic Acid is an approved or monograph active for blackheads; this clay mask carries it, though the concentration is not declared.
A first-line active — approved, monograph-listed or named in current guidelines — at an effective strength, with no trigger for the concern.
- Rule
- R3 → Strong choice. A first-line active (approved, monograph-listed or named in a current guideline); at a plausible but undeclared level.
q1 = first-line · q2 = plausible
Why this rule exists: Undeclared but plausibly dosed (top-third INCI position, or a potent sub-1% active) — the verdict stands, and the sentence says what disclosure would add. A declared figure below range would have been sub-threshold.
Rule R3 decided 570 verdicts across the catalog; “Strong choice” is the verdict on 1,475 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Salicylic Acid
- 1 · Standing
- First-line — a regulator recognises it for this use; trials support it
Document: 21 CFR § 333.350 - Labeling of acne drug products. (US Code of Federal Regulations (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)), opened July 27, 2026 - 2 · Form
- Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 0.5–2%, from the OTC monograph or label; judge it after about 6 weeks - 3 · Tolerability
- Standard tolerability — fungal triggers
Cautions: fungal-acne triggers. - Evidence dots
- Moderate evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 27, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 5 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- OTC monograph, Topical Acne Drug Products — salicylic acid 0.5–2% recognized as an acne treatment active — US Food and Drug Administration
- 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel vs. adapaline gel in mild to moderate acne vulgaris treatment: A multicenter, randomized, evaluator-blind, parallel-controlled trial — Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2024), opened July 17, 2026
← Back to the verdict All blackheads products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
for Excess Oiliness
Niacinamide has trial-level evidence for excess oiliness but no guideline or regulatory standing yet — promising, short of a recommendation; the other actives here are not yet assessed for it.
The lead active has at least one trial behind it for the concern but no guideline or regulatory standing yet, and is present at a working level. Short of a recommendation.
- Rule
- R9p → Promising. An active with early or mechanistic evidence only; declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level; the product’s category job is not a recognised companion to the concern; moderate or strong evidence dots on the carrier’s row.
q1 = plausible · q2 = adequate | plausible · supportive = false · strength = moderate | strong
Why this rule exists: 0.5.0: 'Unproven' beside three filled dots read as one question answered twice with opposite words (7,018 rows). The chip measures standing, the dots measure trial volume; where the row carries at least one RCT or a tier-2 source (moderate dots) and the active is present at a working level, the honest word is Promising. Unproven is reserved for plausible-standing rows with limited or weak evidence, or an under-dosed form. Same rank as Unproven — a bet either way; the dots order them.
Rule R9p decided 4,872 verdicts across the catalog; “Promising” is the verdict on 4,872 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Niacinamide
- 1 · Standing
- Plausible — trials support it
- 2 · Form
- Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 2%, from the trials on the row; needs leave-on contact; judge it after about 8 weeks - 3 · Tolerability
- Standard tolerability — fungal triggers
Cautions: fungal-acne triggers. - Evidence dots
- Moderate evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 17, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 5 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production — Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy (2006), opened July 16, 2026
- Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris — Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2024), opened July 16, 2026
← Back to the verdict All excess oiliness products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
for Rough Texture
Salicylic Acid is a reference standard by mechanism for rough texture; this clay mask carries it high in the ingredient list.
A trial-supported active, or a reference standard by mechanism, at a working level; or a first-line active below its studied range.
- Rule
- R5 → Good choice. A supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism); declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level.
q1 = supported · q2 = adequate | plausible
Why this rule exists: Trial-supported or guideline-supported active, adequately or plausibly dosed.
Rule R5 decided 9,843 verdicts across the catalog; “Good choice” is the verdict on 10,340 of 45,446. The full register. - Carrying active
- Salicylic Acid
- 1 · Standing
- Supported — its mechanism is established (a reference standard, not a trial result)
- 2 · Form
- Adequate — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 0.5–2%, from the trials on the row; needs leave-on contact; judge it after about 6 weeks - 3 · Tolerability
- Gentle
- Evidence dots
- Limited evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 17, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231). - What readers report
- 5 reviews read for this product; none sorted by this concern. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
- Verdict since
- September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)
The studies and documents on the row
- International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook — declared function — Personal Care Products Council
- United States Pharmacopeia / National Formulary — excipient monograph — USP-NF
← Back to the verdict All rough texture products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →
Not judged as a mask: 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).
Listed for Dullness, with no verdict: the actives here have no evidence row for that concern yet. That is a gap in our table, not a mark against the product.
- Dullness: The actives here (Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, cassia seed polysaccharide, Activated Charcoal) are in the research queue for dullness; no verdict until their rows are written.
- Fungal-acne triggers
A verdict is Dermington’s assessment of how well a product’s ingredients fit a concern — never a claim about what the product treats. Every rule is public and the same for every product; a brand cannot buy a reading. How we decide · what has changed · disclaimer.