The Lululun Hydra CX Mask, a new face mask from Lululun, goes on sale at drugstores across Japan on October 1, 2026 (Thursday). It is formulated with double next-generation CICA ingredients and uses an original black sheet, which the brand calls "Black Lululun" (黒ルルルン).
Lululun is the face mask brand ranked No. 1 in brand share in the pack market, based on 2025 sales results, in Fuji Keizai's 化粧品マーケティング要覧 2026 (Cosmetics Marketing Handbook 2026 No. 1). According to the company, the series has sold more than 3 billion sheets in total between July 2011 and February 2026.
Different Causes of Unsettled Skin, More Than One Approach
The Hydra CX Mask comes from Lululun's Hydra series, which has taken the No. 1 spot in the @cosme Best Cosmetics Awards for four years in a row. Combining next-generation CICA ingredients (skin-conditioning ingredients: Centella asiatica leaf extract; Centella asiatica extract, madecassoside, and asiaticoside) with a black sheet, it is designed to quickly care for unsettled skin.
Skin can become unstable for many reasons: dryness caused by temperature swings, external stress such as autumn pollen, or dryness-related damage from summer UV rays. The mask aims to care for these various kinds of instability from multiple directions, making it a face mask suited to a wide range of people regardless of age or gender.
What Is CICA (Centella Asiatica Extract)?
"CICA (Centella asiatica extract)" is the collective name for extracts taken from the leaves and stems of Centella asiatica. It contains useful components such as madecassoside, which helps prevent rough skin, and asiaticoside, which conditions the skin.
The types and amounts of useful components in CICA vary depending on factors such as which part of the plant is used for extraction.
Next-Gen CICA Ingredients for Skin Prone to Roughness
The Hydra CX Mask focuses on the useful components of CICA for intensive care of skin prone to roughness. It features two next-generation CICA ingredients.
CICA Exosome (skin-conditioning ingredient: Centella asiatica leaf extract)
An ingredient made by extracting exosomes from Centella asiatica leaves at a high concentration (compared with the company's previous products). The ingredient is wrapped in nanocapsules with a high affinity for skin, pursuing penetration into the stratum corneum, to quickly approach unsettled skin.
CICA EX (skin-conditioning ingredients: Centella asiatica extract, madecassoside, asiaticoside)
An ingredient rich in madecassoside and asiaticoside, the useful components that make up CICA (Centella asiatica extract). By providing intensive care for recurring skin roughness, it leads skin toward a healthy state.
Supporting Ingredients for Other Causes of Instability
Beyond CICA, the formula includes carefully selected supporting ingredients that target other causes of unsettled skin.
Glycylglycine for Visible Pores and Rough Skin Texture
The mask contains glycylglycine (firmness and radiance ingredient: dipeptide-15), an ingredient currently drawing attention for conditioning skin texture and leading to smooth, silky skin. It also focuses on pores and rough texture, approaching funnel-shaped open pores (via wiping).
Total Care That Supports the Skin Barrier
To address external stresses such as UV rays and pollen, the formula uses a penetrating (to the stratum corneum) vitamin C derivative (firmness and radiance ingredient: ascorbyl palmitate phosphate 3Na) and Scutellaria alpina extract (skin-conditioning ingredient: Scutellaria alpina flower/leaf/stem extract), approaching a variety of causes of instability.
It also contains human-type ceramides (moisturizing ingredients: ceramide NP, ceramide AP, ceramide EOP) and vitamin B5 (moisturizing ingredient: panthenol) in a balanced blend. These fill skin that tends to be delicate with moisture and condition the skin's foundation (the stratum corneum), leading the easily disrupted skin barrier toward a healthy state.
Black Lululun: A Binchotan Charcoal Black Sheet
Lululun face masks are made for daily use, so the comfort of the sheet is also a point of focus. For the Hydra CX Mask, the sheet is an original black sheet kneaded with binchotan charcoal. Full of moisture, the charcoal sheet fits snugly to the unevenness of the skin and physically adsorbs sebum and dirt (via wiping).
After the sheet is removed, folding it and gently wiping the skin helps remove roughness and old keratin (via wiping), also approaching unneeded things that can lead to instability.
The mask also has a gentle, refreshing "deep green" scent, meant to quietly stay close to emotional instability as well.
Comment From the Development Team
Changes in temperature, the turn of the seasons, and environmental stress mean skin troubles can arrive unexpectedly in our changing days. Is it dryness, sebum, or external irritation? Instability with no clear cause can unsettle not only the skin but also the mind.
That is why "Black Lululun" combines skin-conditioning ingredients, starting with the next-generation CICA (skin-conditioning ingredients: Centella asiatica leaf extract; Centella asiatica extract, madecassoside, asiaticoside), to care for a range of skin troubles. It also introduces a new idea of "removing" sebum, dirt, and old keratin, which can cause instability, with the sheet. On top of that, it adds a "defensive" approach that provides moisture and supports the skin's natural barrier function.
With next-generation CICA and a multifaceted approach, it stays close to all kinds of skin instability.
Product Details
- Product Name: Lululun Hydra CX Mask
- Contents and Price:
- 7 sheets: ¥880 (tax included)
- 28 sheets: ¥2,640 (tax included)
- Release Schedule:
- September 15, 2026: second early release, on sale in stages at Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Cocokara Fine, and variety stores
- October 1, 2026: nationwide release (excluding some stores that do not carry it)
- Official Page: https://lululun.com/shop/products/LUAA391112
The Lululun Hydra Series: No. 1 Best Cosmetics Four Years Running
Among Lululun's daily-care masks, the Hydra series offers "moisture plus alpha" for a step beyond everyday skincare. It brings ingredients that are drawing attention in aesthetic medicine into daily home care, as a step-up, proactive face mask. While highly functional, it is designed for everyday use, pursuing an ingredient design balanced for daily use and a comfortable feel on the skin.
Each of the following Hydra series products ranked No. 1 in Best New Sheet Mask (first half) at the @cosme Best Cosmetics Awards:
- 2023: Lululun Hydra V Mask (@cosme Best Cosmetics Awards 2023)
- 2024: Lululun Hydra EX Mask (@cosme Best Cosmetics Awards 2024)
- 2025: Lululun Hydra AZ Mask (@cosme Best Cosmetics Awards 2025)
- 2026: Lululun Hydra PD Mask (@cosme Best Cosmetics Awards 2026)
