Our Take On 3 Viral Skincare Hacks
Join us as we take a look at three TikTok skincare trends doing the rounds on social media. Because we believe you need to know the difference between the super smart and the downright dumb.
Don’t get us wrong, social media beauty hacks can be pretty cool. But while foundation dotting and Manga lashes are harmless fun, not all of what you see on TikTok is for the good of your skin. In fact, some skincare hacks can do more harm than good. And when it’s your precious skin at stake we believe it’s worth taking a beat to delve deeper into what’s really going on before doing something you and your complexion might later regret.
Here, we dissect three attention-grabbing skincare trends that have been all over social media in recent months to see which get our thumbs up and which we believe you shouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole. Because if they’re not good enough for us, they’re not good enough for you.
1. Oil Gritting
What It Is? Also known as skin gritting or oil pulling, this beauty hack is all about getting rid of blackheads. It’s a simple technique if the hordes of obsessed TikTokers are anything to go by, and involves rubbing oil into your skin in a quest to draw out the oil-based gunk from your pores. According to many avid fans, you will actually feel gritty particles in your hands as your blackheads are eliminated by the magic of massage. The result? Crystal clear pores and a smooth, blackhead-free (and whitehead-free for that matter) complexion.
It sounds simple enough, for sure, but the fact that you need to massage the skin continuously for a good 10-15 minutes in order for it to get the job done does not fill us with hope. Come on, that’s a pretty long time. Our hands are aching just thinking about it.
Does It Work? Yes and no. As you know, massaging the skin is an incredible way to stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage thus boosting nutrient-rich oxygen to the skin and helping unwanted toxins and pollutants to flush away. So that’s one point in its favor, right there. However, oils aren’t going to penetrate deep into the sebaceous glands to truly draw out impurities. Instead, they will simply exfoliate the top layers of your skin, sloughing away dead skin cells and removing surface debris.
Of course, gentle exfoliation is great for health of your skin and we’re all for it. However we’re not convinced this oil gritting technique offers much more than that. And the question of will it actually eliminate your blackheads in the long-term? Probably not.
The Better Alternative: Unless your skin is very sensitive or prone to serious acne breakouts oil-gritting is not going to do your skin any harm. But who has 15 minutes in their day to spend massaging oil into their face when there are so many quicker ways to do the exact same thing? Instead, we’d rather use effective skincare ingredients that are clinically proven to work on pore health. Salicylic acid, for example, is a much more effective ingredient for sloughing away dead skin cells, plus it cuts through excess sebum to help you achieve cleaner, clearer, smoother skin.
Try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which takes seconds to apply (take that, oil gritting!) and blends salicylic acid with glycolic acid and gluconolactone to unclog your pores safely and effectively.
2. Sunscreen Contouring
What It Is? This viral trend is the absolute worst and should have been shot down before it even became a thing. Unconventional, silly trends we can stomach, but when they verge on the downright dangerous? It makes us mad.
Sunscreen contouring is the act of using sunscreen to create intentional tan lines on your face or body. It involves applying sunscreen to specific areas only – usually the higher contours of the face like down your nose, on the tip of your chin and across your cheekbones – so that these areas stay pale, while the rest of your face tans. This is supposed to create a similar contoured effect to using dark and light makeup to highlight and create shade on the skin, thus replacing that often laborious step in your makeup routine.
Does It Work? Not really. In fact, the chances of achieving the precision of contouring makeup is slim to none. Instead, you’re more likely to end up with blotchy, patchy skin and, worse yet, sunburn.
More importantly, this is a very dangerous game to play. UV radiation is not only responsible for almost 90 percent of external skin aging, but it’s also the primary cause of skin cancer which, according to the American Cancer Society, is the most common type of cancer in the US.
Exposing your skin to that kind of peril? Not. Worth. It.
The Better Alternative: For starters, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen to all areas of exposed skin, every day without fail. And if you hate that extra step in your skincare routine, try our brand new SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Facial Serum. This lightweight serum smooths seamlessly under your moisturizer and helps to protect your skin from the sun’s collagen-harming, DNA-destroying UV rays.
Then, if you want a more permanent contoured effect than makeup can offer, try achieving it with a self-tanning product instead.
3. Face Taping
What It Is? No matter how much we like to embrace aging, when it comes to the pursuit of youthful-looking skin, most of us are keen to try new products and techniques. But the thing about this viral beauty trend is that it’s really not so new. In fact, Hollywood movie stars and professional drag performers have been face taping (aka wrinkle taping) for decades.
Face taping involves placing strategic pieces of tape on the face before bed to keep the skin taut and immobile while you sleep. This apparently restricts muscle movement to prevent you from making facial expressions. It's also supposed to put a stop to ‘face scrunching’ as a consequence of sleeping on your front or side. By doing all this face taping is said to improve the appearance of existing wrinkles as well as to prevent new lines from forming.
The technique is most often practiced on areas prone to aging, so think the forehead, around the eyes and down the sides of your mouth.
Does It Work? The jury’s out on this one. While some experts are all for it, others are dubious. Celebritiy facialist, Guendalina Gennari, for example, is a big fan, stating that it not only helps to smooth out the lines she usually wakes up with, but it also lifts the skin to help improve circulation and therefore bring nutrients to the surface of the skin.
Our thoughts? Well, there’s no doubt that it offers a short-term fix and can help to soften the look of your lines and wrinkles temporarily, but it’s unlikely to scientifically change the structure and strength of your skin. Also, you really need to tread carefully with regards to the type of tape you use. Stick with gentle medical tape that’s suitable for sensitive skin – this is not the time to reach for the duct tape.
The Better Alternative: A much better way to ensure your skin ages healthily is to stick with an effective skincare routine that encompasses tried and tested, long-term collagen-enhancing ingredients like retinol, bakuchiol, peptides, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. Retinol, for one, has been proven time and again for being best in class for wrinkle improvement. And vitamin C provides not only awesome antioxidant protection to shield your skin from environmental damage, but is also an effective way to brighten and energize your skin.
We have all sorts of incredible treatments to help control the rate at which your skin ages but if you’re looking for a complete regimen try our Longevity range which uses bakuchiol (nature’s alternative to retinol) to strengthen, firm and hydrate mature skin on the face and around the eyes.
Tape, shmape.
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![Your Ticket To Bouncier Skin Is Right Here]()
No matter what you do, skin will naturally lose firmness and elasticity as you age. But all is not lost because there are many ways to dial that bouncy skin right back up again.
When it comes to the look and feel of your skin, life has a tendency to come up and bite you on the booty. You blink and suddenly that hydrated, bouncy skin you took for granted in your 20s is suddenly no more. Where’s the fairness in that?
Skin ages because time does not stand still. But the good news? It’s the same for everyone. Sure, some people like to use Botox and fillers to keep their skin looking as young as possible – and if that’s your jam, good on you – but everyone’s skin will intrinsically age, no matter what. Over time, it will naturally lose collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and, well, basically all the good stuff that keeps it looking young, springy, soft and firm. That’s life.
But it’s not just time that ages up the skin. In fact, there are tons of lifestyle factors that affect the rate at which your skin ages. Your diet, levels of emotional stress, your sleep patterns and of course, environmental factors like pollution and UV radiation all play their part. Some more than others (*cough, sunlight).
Thankfully, unlike that ticking clock, these are the things you can control. So read on for some important ways to do just that.
What Is The Definition Of ‘Plump Skin’?
Let’s get one thing straight: plump skin isn’t something only the under-20s get to enjoy. In fact, your skin can be plump at any age – fine lines, wrinkles and all. All it means is that your skin is fully hydrated, full of life and imparts a healthy glow. When you touch it, it feels soft, moisturized and springs back to life. And when you look at it, it looks dewy and radiant.
Sounds perfectly doable, right? That’s because it’s well within your reach. You just need to make a few lifestyle changes…
Bouncy Skin Lesson #1: Think About What You Eat
Diet plays an important role in how much (or little!) collagen your skin produces. Pack your diet with sugar-laden treats and fried or highly processed foods and quality collagen you will not get! This is because an excess of sugar in your system encourages the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the skin. AGEs are harmful compounds that attack your skin cells and cause collagen and elastin to stiffen and weaken. Bad news.
Salt is another one-way ticket to dehydrated, puffy (and not in a good way!) skin so that’s another thing to cut down on.
So, what about the good stuff? Foods that help stimulate collagen production or help your skin stay moisturized? Well, superfoods that are chock full of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids are your true friends here. These include dark leafy greens, berries, eggs, oily fish, nuts, seeds, watermelon and avocados.
Bouncy Skin Lesson #2: Figure Out Ways To Manage Stress
When you’re stressed your brain releases cortisol into the bloodstream. Cortisol, aka the ‘stress hormone’ is great for boosting your energy first thing in the morning or keeping you on your toes during a job interview, but when you’re constantly stressed, your levels of cortisol go up… and they stay there. This not only disrupts your sleep (more on that in a minute), but it compromises collagen and elastin production, increases inflammation and screws up your skin’s barrier function. None of which will help your retain plump, bouncy skin.
There are many ways to help stay on top of emotional stress including meditation, yoga, reading and breathing exercises. Some of these practices might work for you, but others won’t, and that’s OK. Simply find the thing that makes you happy and that you actually enjoy doing. Otherwise you’ll get stressed trying to fit it into your daily routine and, well, that completely defeats the purpose.
Bouncy Skin Lesson #3: Get More Quality Sleep
A good night’s sleep is literally one of the best things you can do for the health of your skin. Period. This important time is when you skin restores itself: blood flow increases, collagen production amps up, antioxidants kick in and cellular turnover accelerates. If you miss out on the recommended seven to nine hours of quality shut-eye, you reduce the time in which your skin gets to regenerate and renew itself. Not only that but a lack of sleep also impacts hormone production and weakens the immune system which sends your skin all out of whack.
To help you sleep better, get into a rhythm of going to bed and waking up at similar times each night and morning. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet and at a comfortable temperature, and avoid heavy foods, caffeine and screen time for a good few hours before hitting the sack.
Bouncy Skin Lesson #4: Plump & Protect Your Skin
It goes without saying that what you put on your skin plays a massive part in how bouncy it will look and feel. So what should a bouncy skin routine look like? Well, it’s all about caring for and maintaining your collagen while concentrating on hydration, protection and radiance.
Feast your eyes on these dream products for getting the job done…
5 Of The Best Skin Plumpers
If there’s one thing your skin absolutely needs in order to look plump and bouncy it’s hydration. And one of the finest ingredients for crushing this is hyaluronic acid. A powerful humectant, hyaluronic acid draws water to the surface of the skin, visibly plumping it up and adding a real pep to its step. Our uber-hydrating serum combines a plant-based botanical hyaluronic acid with other moisture-boosting ingredients like cica and aloe vera. It’s like an instant wake-up call for tired skin.
Retinol is the queen of collagen rejuvenation. Ask any skin expert and 99 percent of them would agree. And the other 1 percent? Well they’d just be wrong ;)
You see, retinol has a very clever way of ‘communicating’ with your skin at a deep, cellular level, boosting the skin’s natural renewal process and simultaneously encouraging collagen synthesis. By doing all this it helps to strengthen the skin while improving tone, texture, firmness and reducing the visible signs of aging. Hello plump, youthful-looking skin! Try our Retinol Moisturizer to get your fix.
Sun exposure is your skin’s arch enemy, causing sunburn, hyperpigmentation, skin cancer, wrinkles, you name it. It’s also a killer on your collagen supplies, accelerating the formation of free radicals which like to do a real number on the structural proteins in the skin if you let them.
So don’t.
Of course, holing yourself away in cave isn’t realistic, but you can wear protective clothing, stay in the shade whenever possible, and shield your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays with a high-quality, broad spectrum sunscreen. And we’ve just the guy for the job: NEW SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen Facial Serum which is so lightweight and silky smooth that it slots seamlessly into your morning skincare routine with zero effort. Obsessed? Us? Hells yeah.
While we’re at it, why not feed your skin from the inside with our fabulous Collagen Supplements? Formulated with clinically studied vegetarian collagen, combined with skincare favorites like brightening vitamin C and soothing vitamin E, it helps to promote healthy collagen and elastin production while protecting the skin from environmental damage. Simply take two capsules each morning with your breakfast. It’s as easy as that.
Exfoliating once a week – more if your skin prefers it – encourages your skin to shed dead cells which can otherwise outstay their welcome and leave your complexion looking flat, tired and lackluster. Nobody wants that so grab our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub and show those dead skin cells (as well as other built-up debris) the door. The great thing about this scrub is that it won’t over-stimulate your skin or cause irritation. It just calmly goes about its business giving you the plump, glowing skin you rightly deserve.
Can we have a group hug for that?
Your Ticket To Bouncier Skin Is Right Here
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