If you’ve spent some time on TikTok recently, you know there’s a new wave of skin care trends. The most popular that have racked up millions of views are slugging, banana peels and something called glass skin. But, what exactly does each TikTok skin care trend entail and are they worth the hype? Here’s everything you need to know:

Slugging

Not the most appealing name, the latest skin regime on TikTok is a slimy mess that is reminiscent of a slug trail. In fact, #slugging has racked up more than 226 million views on TikTok. Simply put, slugging is the practice of smearing a layer of a heavy occlusive, such as petroleum jelly, on the face at night before going to bed.

Diana J. Rieger is a licensed cosmetologist, the owner of Love Skin Holistic Medical Spa in Tempe and the creator of Love Skin Botanicals.

• Worth the hype? Yes. Adding a layer of petroleum jelly as the final step in your beauty routine will help ensure your other skin care products get to work. The petroleum is occlusive so it is great to lock in moisture, especially in dry climates. On the other hand, if you suffer from cystic acne, slugging is not recommended as it can cause additional irritation to blemishes.

• Better alternative: Petroleum products offer moisture locking benefits, but usually have zero healing properties. A great alternative would be a product with a grapeseed oil base to achieve the same occlusive barrier to provide a moisturizing protective layer. You might also consider a stem cell moisturizer which is a highly effective product that provides intense hydration resulting in smoother, softer, more youthful looking skin. Products with chamomile and calendula are also recommended to speed up healing of the skin.

Banana Peels

You’ve heard of chemical peels for your skin, but what about banana peels? A video posted by TikTok user and dermatologist @dr.mamina recently blew up as it showed her rubbing a banana peel on her face, neck, arms and hands.

• Worth the hype? No. While bananas contain antioxidants and potential benefits could include hydration, exfoliation and antioxidant effects like wrinkle reduction, there is no science that says rubbing banana peels on your body will benefit your skin.

• Better alternative: If you are looking for something that you can do at home for exfoliation, look for AHA or Enzyme cleansers to help smooth and brighten skin. Most are gentle enough to use daily to decongest and exfoliate skin. Enzyme scrubs are great for all skin types and can be used on a weekly basis to really nourish and give a deeper exfoliation to minimize pore size and fine lines.

Glass Skin

It’s a skincare movement that originated with the K-beauty scene and depicts a complexion that’s smooth, clear and resembles glass. Achieving the glass skin trend takes more than a three-step routine though. It requires a healthy lifestyle, a well versed product lineup and time.

• Worth the hype? Absolutely! You should most definitely be taking care of your skin from the inside out. Glass skin is what everyone should strive for – glowing skin with the confidence to go without makeup. Try and follow these steps on a daily basis – cleanse, tone, serum, moisturize and sunblock.

• Better alternative: If you’ve had a significant amount of sun exposure, glass skin is very difficult to achieve without professional help and a lot of sunblock. If you suffer from significant skin damage, monthly facial treatments are absolutely necessary to make sure your skin continues turning over. If an at-home regime isn’t achieving the glass skin look, professional treatments like Hydrodermabrasion, IPL Photofacial, Microneedling and RF Skin Tightening all non-invasive treatments that should do the trick.

Author: Diana J. Rieger is a licensed cosmetologist, the owner of Love Skin Holistic Medical Spa in Tempe and the creator of Love Skin Botanicals™. She specializes in holistic skin rejuvenation, non-surgical anti-aging treatments, no-needle filler injections, laser skin tightening, skin tag removal/irregularity treatment, LED photo-pulsation therapy, acne treatment and scar reduction using cutting edge PRP Micro-Needling therapy, RF Microneedling, hydrodermabrasion, and customized chemical peels. For more information, visit https://www.loveskinmedspa.com.