There are no two ways about it, social media’s latest trend sounds a bit...repulsive?

Well, that’s all in good fun we suppose. But does “slugging” work?

If you’re not in the loop, slugging is the process of coating your face in petroleum jelly before you go to sleep at night. The concept is that this will moisturize your face and give you a nice glowing tone. The texture of the jelly lends this fad it’s name, referencing the imagined sensation of slugs having crawled all over your face.

Grossed out yet?

But Does it Work?

Well, the Skin Actives answer is, yes...sort of.

Like all things that are fads, you really have to watch out for extreme behavior. Nature overall is a place of balance, and that’s where humans evolved from. This means that we have to keep our own behaviors in balance to stay healthy physically, mentally, emotionally.

The thing about fads is that they don’t often come with that sense of let’s say the Golden Mean.

Fads tend to focus on extreme behaviors repeated at the exclusion of others. So you can take a behavior that is overall healthy for you and make it unhealthy by doing it too much. And those who study skin and skincare have already determined that slugging too much, more than twice a week say, can be harmful overall to your skin. So, as always proceed with caution.

But the truth of it is that petroleum jelly isn’t bad for your skin, as our founder, Dr. Hannah Sivak has pointed out so often in our DIY articles. Petroleum jelly is not only good for moisturizing your skin, but its presence is often found in top-shelf, high-cost skincare products, with its name masked by jargon so you don’t realize you are spending $300 on something with the same components as a $3 jar from the drug store.

So if slugging is something you want to try, you can, but exercise caution.

What to Use when you Slug

The best thing about slugging is the process’s ability to enhance the effect of another product you are using. This can be helpful or harmful depending. So take a look at this list and get a sense of the best Skin Actives products to use if you decide slugging might be for you.

Do!
Dermatologists suggest that slugging helps beneficial products penetrate even deeper than they would normally. This can be a big boon for the right products. The following products pair well with what dermatologists see as the best benefits available from slugging.

Do! Every Lipid Serum - Feeding your skin with a thin layer of our fan-favorite serum will pair nicely with your new slugging routine. We make sure to keep our Vegan ELS on hand for our friends and family dedicated to living ethical lifestyles.

Do! Nourishing Skin Serum - Our Nourishing Skin Serum is already designed to moisturize, hydrate, and combat itch! You can match it up with a slug night for extra benefit.

Don’t! 

While the following products are titans all on their own, the deeper penetration caused by slugging could actually irritate your skin.

Don’t! Vitamin C 15% - Dermatologists recommend against products that contain alpha-hydroxy acids. So leave your Vit C 15 and 20% on the shelf on the nights you decide to slug.

Don’t! Vitamin A Cream - Getting retinoids too deep in your skin could be harmful as well. Our Vitamin A Cream is designed to keep you from damaging your skin with abrasive retinoids, so maintain that intentionality and leave this cream out of your slugging routine.

So, is slugging a new “essential” behavior? Definitely not. We’re certain some people are getting good use out of it. And we’re also certain that in five years most of us will have forgotten all about it. 

Good science is good science however and is built to last. As always, Skin Actives is here for you with formulas designed to help your skin and avoid fads. If you think that slugging is right for you, we want you to be as careful and informed as possible. Stay healthy out there Skin Actives family!