Scroll through Instagram long enough and you’re bound to see a posted selfie of someone wearing a sheet mask. According to a report by a new report by Transparency Market Research, the sheet mask market is expected to be worth $336.7 million by the end of 2024. But, as many flock to this latest k-beauty trend, how safe is it? Over the summer, Racked shed light on the possible dangers, as some companies are employing people to manage the masks in their very own homes in order to save on costs. Here’s some notable excerpts from the article:

A few cases of debris and off smells in masks have been noted. Kukmin Ilbo reported on one individual in Korea finding an insect in their sheet mask in the wake of the at-home mask folding scandal.

Earlier this year, Alana, a k-beauty fan, posted a photo showing a long, dark hair between her illi sheet mask and the mask’s backing that she discovered upon opening the mask.

About one year ago, Marianna was just getting into k-beauty when she asked a private Facebook group if her SNP mask — not yet expired — was supposed to have black spots on it or not. Sheet mask designs have been very popular in the last year, but that particular mask was supposed to be just a white sheet.

Snow White and the Asian Pear — who, full disclosure, works on a podcast with the author of this article — reported in April 2015 that her Sooryehan Pomegranate Mask smelled like “laundry detergent and stale nicotine” despite the ingredients not accounting for the smoky scent.

Does this mean that you should give up your chance to ignite your need to look like a ghost temporarily? No. Here are some helpful tips to keep you safe:

• Select sheet masks made by major brands and only buy from trusted sources. It may be chic to buy from that unknown k-beauty source, but unless you trust where they are sourcing the products from, don’t take the risk.
• Ask yourself, if using sheet masks are necessary for your skin care needs and determine if you can use an alternative product, such as a face moisturizer, that can deliver the same results. Really, there are no substantiated reports that prove that sheet masks perform any sort of miracles that a good old serum or hydrating face cream won’t do.
• If you really must jump on this trend, consider researching some DIY sheet masks you can do at home.
• When considering small brands, do some research. Read reviews to see if anyone has reported about anything weird they noticed.
• This may be common sense, but if you see or smell anything strange, don’t put it on your face. It’s really that simple.