Slugging, icing and other social media skincare myths debunked
The extreme change in temperature when 'icing' your skin can cause redness and stinging. Picture: iStock
Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok can be wonderful features of the online beauty community. They are platforms for creativity, connection, and — once we accept that many images are more representation than real life — personal expression. They are also share-points for questionable skincare advice and some interesting trends.
This trend sounds worse than it is, it just means coating your skin in Vaseline before bed. Slugging is unusual in its embrace of petroleum jelly. Vaseline got a bad beauty-rap even before social media, and claims that it clogs your pores or is somehow toxic are still doing the rounds. Petroleum jelly is an extremely safe skincare ingredient. However, if you put any moisturiser (including a mineral-oil free product) on skin that is improperly cleansed or if you sleep on a dirty pillowcase, you are risking spots and blackheads. Vaseline will not harm or inflame active acne, but it’s best to put a prescription product on that at night until acne is under control. Smoking day or night can create smoker’s comedones. Those can do long-term damage to your skin — lest you need even more proof that smoking is disgusting and should be avoided. Slugging clean skin before sleeping on clean bedding is harmless and can prevent the transepidermal water loss that happens during the night while skin renews itself.
Skinimalism has two meanings, either of which will lighten your cosmetics bag. On TikTok it means having such good skin that you wear minimal makeup, which as trends go is quite healthy and potentially cheap.Â
My favourite skinimalist makeup launch this season is Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer SPF50, €49, available from June 24 at charlottetilbury.com. It is an antioxidant moisturiser, a broad-spectrum SPF50 and a flaw-blurring primer all in one.Â
I also love L’Oréal Paris Skin Paradise Tinted Water Cream, €14.95 at pharmacies nationwide from July. The dewy formula is 70% water and infused with aloe and ginger yet still provides more coverage than a BB Cream.
On Pinterest, skinimalism means reducing the number of products in your skincare regimen, which can be good for both your face and your monthly spend. Pinterest tipped it as one of the year’s biggest trends and you can seen why it appeals to millions who went makeup-free in lockdown and have an increased interest in improving their health and reducing household waste.
Chlorophyll is plant-based pigment. When used in skincare, it has an antioxidant effect. Drinking this stuff is unlikely to improve breakouts. Its liquid form has been shown to limit the bioavailability of carcinogens and I don’t like to dismiss anything that’s encouraging people to drink more water but high concentrations of chlorophyll (such as those found in liquid supplements) have also been found to increase skin’s photosensitivity, as well as your risk of the blotchy inflammatory condition pseudoporphyria. This trend appears to have arisen from evidence that patients undergoing photodynamic light treatment for acne got better results when they took chlorophyll, but that is only because their natural photosensitivity was heightened by the green stuff. It did not clear their spots.
Applying water or tea-based ice cubes directly to your face is not the most dangerous TikTok beauty trend (that would be scrubbing your skin with clay and oil, also known as 'gritting'), but the extreme change in temperature can cause redness and stinging. Advocates say icing reduces dark circles and gives you an instant facelift. Some users say it makes skin absorb products more effectively or reduces fluid retention around the eyes. The most troubling video I came across suggests that it whitens the skin. None of this is true. Creating a cool compress by wrapping ice in cotton causes vascular constriction that reduces inflammation. It feels good when skin is hot or chronically itchy. Refrigerating your skincare is also advocated by some TikTok users. Cosmetics brands must prove their products can remain stable at room temperature before they can go to market, you do not need to refrigerate anything. Skincare mini-fridges are completely unnecessary.
Massage is very relaxing and anything that helps sleep ultimately benefits the skin. However, claims that massage tools of any kind smooth skin, improve elasticity, and otherwise prevent skin-ageing just aren’t true. The tools look very pretty: Kora Organics Rose Quartz Face Sculptor, €57.99, makes a lovely gift for someone who believes in the healing power of crystals, but there is absolutely no science that supports using them in your daily skincare.
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