My skin is glowing and dewy but I’m having to put my pillowcases on a hot wash for the third time this week. It’s the price I’m paying for trying out the latest skincare trend dominating TikTok’s For You page. “Slugging” is the slimy beauty routine encouraging skincare disciples to cover their face with a thick, unctuous layer of petroleum jelly before going to bed for ultra-hydrated skin come the morning.
Although the trend is making the rounds on social media, its origins go way back. Fifties icon Marilyn Monroe would drench her face and body with the product, and in recent times model Hailey Bieber and reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian have been proponents.
Like most OTT skincare hacks, slugging originated in South Korea, where K Beauty pundits popularised this simple one-product, one-step routine. Now it’s clocking up millions of views on TikTok, with beauty lovers all over the world obsessed with its promise of unbeatably glowy skin.
Creator Edward Zo has posted one of the 495.5 million videos under #Slugging. Captioned: “TikTok made me do it: Slugging”, in it the beauty influencer lathers his face with vaseline, saying, “This practice can help transepidermal water loss and help heal irritated skin. It’s especially good for people with a damaged skin barrier or people like me, who suffer from eczema.” The 15-second clip has 5.5 million views, with thousands of people commenting on their love for the practice. But does it work?
“Vaseline contains pure petroleum jelly plus a preservative. Petroleum jelly is extracted by distillation of a by-product of oil production in the sea and on land. It has emollient properties, creating a protective barrier on the skin’s surface; sealing in moisture and absorbing into the skin slowly overnight,” says Emma Coleman, dermatologist and aesthetic RGN. “This gives the impression of plump, smooth, hydrated skin in the morning.”
For those with dry or sensitive skin, or anyone cautious about the temperature drop in winter irritating their face, slugging can be a fun — if a little OTT — way to reclaim hydration. It’s similar to barrier repair, which is another TikTok trend focused on restoring over-exfoliated skin damaged by strong retonids and acids. But Coleman is quick to note that petroleum jelly contains no nutrients, antioxidants or active ingredients, so it won’t help maintain healthy, balanced skin.
“Heading to bed coated in a thick, occlusive petroleum jelly wouldn’t be top of my agenda,” agrees Diane Ackers, beauty expert for Doctors Formula Cosmeceuticals. “I love the use of an occlusive agent, but preferably one combined with some other active ingredients that would benefit my skin while I slept.” It’s not just about considering your skin’s needs, but your bed linen too. “I’d rather use an active ingredient, like Theobroma Cacao, within my nightly skincare routine than leave a snail trail of petroleum jelly.”
What’s more, although petroleum jelly itself is non-comedogenic (unlikely to clog pores and cause spots), both Coleman and Ackers recommend that those with oily or combination skin avoid slugging. As spots are caused by bacteria being trapped inside pores, putting anything thick or heavy directly on the skin for an extended duration could affect the balance of the skin’s surface bacteria and potentially cause breakouts. Still, if this sounds like a technique you want to try, you can pop to any local shop and pick up a tub of Vaseline for less than a fiver. Considering the expensive skincare products men and women are usually bombarded with, this cheap hack is a welcome antidote — especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
This cheap hack is a welcome antidote — especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis
If Vaseline doesn’t feel quite chic enough, Huda Beauty Wishful Pillowgasm Cherry Glow Sleeping Mask (hudabeauty.com; £34), CeraVe Healing Ointment Skin Protectant (cerave.com; £22), La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Repairing Balm (laroche-posay.co.uk; £15) and The INKEY List Rosehip Nourishing Night Oil (theinkeylist.com; £8.49) will achieve the same effect, with the bonus of additional active ingredients. Be sure to thoroughly cleanse your face pre-slugging to prevent any unnecessary bacteria building up under your glutinous layer.
As for saving sheets, try your best to sleep on your back — or stock up on extra pillowcases for the eventual slimy overspill.
