What is the Vaseline ‘slugging’ TikTok trend?
TIKTOK has provided its users with a plethora of smart beauty tips since its inception.
However, the Korean skincare craze known as slugging has been trending on the app for a while now.
What is the Vaseline TikTok trend?
Slugging is a K-Beauty fad that started in South Korea.
It entails applying an occlusive petrolatum substance – most often Vaseline – to your face to trap in moisture and limit transepidermal water loss, which is a major cause of dry skin.
According to , using an occlusive barrier like Vaseline to guard against moisture loss is only beneficial if someone has severely dry skin or a weakened barrier on their face.
Slugging is simply slathering petroleum jelly on your skin.
The phrase comes from the idea that your face will seem glossy and slimy after applying petroleum jelly, similar to what a slug would leave behind.
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Is slugging good for the skin?
Although initial feedback on slugging has been encouraging, there are a number of drawbacks to the skincare craze, particularly if you're prone to breakouts.
"While slugging may give the short-term gratification of softened skin, I suspect that pores would become clogged over time, and the skin would lose moisture in the long term if only petroleum jelly is used to provide hydration," aesthetic doctor and founder of Skin Science Clinic Dr. Adil Sarwar told .
"Although petroleum jelly itself is non-comedogenic, it is not easily absorbed by the skin and sits on the top layer of the skin.
“As spots are caused by bacteria being trapped inside pores, putting anything occlusive directly on the skin for an extended duration could potentially cause breakouts,” Dr. Sarwar continued, also advising against the use of slugging on oily or combination skin.
What are other skin trends on TikTok?
Aside from slugging, there are multiple other skincare trends and hacks that constantly surface on the video-sharing app.
One of them includes shaving one’s face for softer and smoother skin.
It involves using a straight mini-razor to shave peach fuzz off one’s face, acting as an exfoliator, and removing dead skin from the face.
TikTok also helped popularize the use of the gua sha tool, which is a therapy that includes gently scraping or pushing a flat jade or rose-quartz stone across the skin to relax facial muscles, increase circulation, and promote lymphatic drainage.