What Is Slugging? And Will Your Skin Benefit From It?

With winter storms and cold weather on everyone’s radar, it’s not just the roads that are taking a hit. As the cold weather takes a stand, you may notice your skin changing too. But is slugging the solution that will prevent that from happening?

For a lot of us, the freezing temperatures cause a lot of things to dry up, including our skin. I fall victim to this and moisturizer quickly becomes my best friend.

What Is Slugging? And Will Your Skin Benefit From It?

And recently, a new beauty trend has been taking over social media. It is called “Slugging” and we are here to share what it is all about.

Thankfully, this trend is safe. As Prevention reports, “slugging is a K- Beauty trend that originated in South Korea. It involves coating your face in an occlusive petrolatum product, like Vaseline, to ‘trap in’ moisture and prevent trans epidermal water loss, which is one of the biggest reasons for dry skin.”

In an interview with Chloe Savvides, a licensed medical aesthetician at Paviol Dermatology, she explains the reason behind slugging and why it is so effective. Savvides explains that it “is actually nothing new, we just didn’t have a cute name for it.”

“We can take this ‘trend’ back to our grannies and great-grannies with their self-taught skincare techniques for hydration. We can think of slugging as the OG anti-aging moisturizer,” she continued.

And while it may not be a permanent fix for those who suffer from chronic skin issues, it is a great temporary quick fix for those dealing with seasonal dry skin. “When we think of slugging as a ‘reparative’ means to the skin, we slug more than we think,” Savvides admits.

The term slugging is simply because, after lathering your skin with a product like petroleum jelly, it will leave you looking shiny and slimy, like a slug. So is there any more we should know about this new, yet old, skincare fad?

Savvides says she doesn’t think slugging is the right route for everyone. She specifically points out people with acne-prone skin. “Although petrolatum jelly is non-comedogenic, it’s too occlusive for acne-prone skin and can trap dead skin cells and other debris, which encourages bacterial overgrowth and acne breakouts.”

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As a final point, Savvides tells Prevention that the skincare fad should only happen when necessary. “In the short term, is slugging going to make your skin feel uber soft? Absolutely, but we should be thinking long-term results in our skincare routine… because that’s what helps us to stay motivated to actually stick to it. [‘To slug’] is not for everyone. However, a properly balanced skincare routine is.”

And dermatologist Dr. Shari Marchbein, M.D. agrees. In fact, as Teen Vogue explains, before it was ever called slugging, Marchbein had talked about it on her social media accounts before.

“In truth, dermatologists have been ‘slugging’ for years. We just didn’t come up with a cute name for it,” Dr. Marchbein told Teen Vogue. “I don’t go to bed without it.” 

Marchbein also shared how she prefers to slug. The doctor explained that is often using the petrolatum on its own, or she puts a thin layer on top of her moisturizer or hydrating serum.

Do you slug as a part of your winter skincare routine?