In search of the GLOW

Josie Steenhart uses herself as a guinea pig to check out the oil enriching ene ts of wrapping your face in Vaseline.

The term “slugging” doesn’t sound pretty, and if you’re not familiar with it, you would be forgiven for thinking it’s something a lot worse than what it is.

Slugging is, in fact, a South Korean beauty skincare method, which involves applying a thick layer of Vaseline to your face as the final step of your evening skin routine.

Fans of the method swear by it for plump, dewy, glowy, glassy skin, or “chok chok” skin as it’s known in South Korea.

How does it work? “Simply put, slugging refers to the process of sealing your skin with a petroleum-based product overnight,” says Laura Duggan, advanced skin therapist at Skintopia in Auckland.

“Petroleum is occlusive, meaning it creates a barrier that seals everything into the skin underneath it, like a water-protective barrier, not letting anything in or out.”

Duggan says that when she first learnt about slugging, she was shocked “to see what people were doing with basically a mineral oil, after we have come such a long way with clean beauty”.

“Then, after reading into it and calming down, I thought OK, well, this is better than stripping our skin, right? At least it’s not destroying our microbiome and causing excess harm. But do I think it’s the next big thing? No.

“My professional opinion is that it isn’t solving any problems. If anything, it’s like putting on a thick, shiny Band-Aid overnight, and then washing it off and exposing the skin and the problems it has again. Plus, it locks everything in, not just moisture, so it will also trap bacteria and oil, meaning very little breathing space for the skin,” she says.

Fair warning, but having been locked down alone for the past 1000 days, I’m bored and feeling a little reckless, so having added a jar of Vaseline to my grocery order, I tried the technique for myself.

After a good cleanse, I put a layer of hyaluronic acid (I like The Ordinary) on still-damp skin. This is an optional step, then comes the goop. It feels wrong smearing Vaseline over my face, but it is also soothing.

I put my hair in a top knot and put an older pillowcase over my usual one, both of which turn out to be good moves as, while there’s still a surprising amount of Vaseline left on my face in the morning, there is also quite a lot on the pillow.

It takes quite a few passes with cleanser, warm

water and a face cloth to rid my face of that special Vaseline texture, but I have to confess my skin does feel quite soft, and a hint more hydrated than usual.

I did cheat slightly and avoided my chin, which is enjoying a resurgence of “maskne” (mask acne), but having an especially plump/dewy chin is really not something I've aspired to anyway.

Duggan agrees on the acne front, and says it's also a no for those with oilier skin types.

“It can prevent the skin from releasing toxins, sweat and sebum. If this happens, the skin can't breathe or eliminate toxins, thereby blocking pores and potentially causing breakouts.”

It's sad this home hack with such potential is, overall, too good to be true. Though I would probably try it again, maybe just once a month or so. But Duggan says there are “so many products” that can give you the same results and protect your skin barrier from transepidermal water loss without the risk of congestion or the environmental impact of creating mineral oils.

“These skincare ingredients are scientifically proven to have [good] results, compared to just masking the problems. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides help restore transepidermal water loss, protect, and replenish the skin's barrier," she says.

“Hyaluronic acid holds 1000 times its weight of water in the skin, so it is the best solution for transepidermal water loss. Ceramides create more of a breathable occlusion to lock and retain moisture and ingredients into the skin. Our barrier is made up of about 50 per cent ceramides, so replacing and strengthening them is crucial to skin health.”

Products containing oats, squalene, phyto oils, and linoleic acid will all also support locking in hydration, and/or supplements containing omega 3 and 6, taken for at least three months.

“It's not overnight or trending on TikTok, but it's a real, long-term healthy skin solution,” Duggan says. “I recommend BePure Three, or for a vegan option, The Beauty Chef.”

Alternatively, Duggan says, “if you are really loving this trend then maybe you need to look at changing your moisturiser consistency for night time. Even if it's just two to three nights a week of a richer cream, you'll get the benefits of occlusion without the potential disasters that can happen too”. Try Emma Lewisham's (refillable) Supernatural 72-Hour Creme, or Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre Moisturiser.

If you really want that feeling of more on the skin at night, use overnight masks in lieu of petroleum. A favourite of Duggan's is Dermalogica's Melting Moisture Masque, which is “an extremely moisturising product that is activated by the skin's natural heat, and penetrates the skin's surface layers to deeply nourish and rehydrate”.

“Petroleum is occlusive, meaning it creates a barrier that seals everything into the skin underneath it, like a water-protective barrier.” - Laura Duggan