Ever since K-Beauty (Korean beauty) entered our lives, the world of cosmetics began to orbit around it. From the creators of double cleansing, 10-step routines, and the Dolphin Skin trend, now comes Slugging!
The "slugging" technique involves applying an occlusive product, like a mask (usually petroleum jelly), as the final step in your routine before going to bed. The reason it's recommended is that it helps the products you applied before penetrate deeper, reduces water loss overnight, and ensures you wake up with more radiant and fresh skin the next day. However, as with all the latest beauty trends for which there are no studies to endorse the results, we have prepared a decalogue so you can decide if slugging is for you or not.
- Slugging, another trend from the Asian continent that we need to dissect to see if we can adopt it or not. It's not that it's an absurd trend, but we don't see it for us either. In our opinion, it represents a strategy to protect the skin against low temperatures. It's common in Korea to reach 18 degrees below zero at this time of year.
- Petroleum jelly is an inert ingredient, and the European Union constantly reviews cosmetic ingredients and has declared that all fossil derivatives and synthetic waxes are non-toxic at recommended doses. It has a bad reputation because the natural cosmetics trend has condemned certain synthetic ingredients.
- The objectives confirmed by a good number of dermatologists are to hydrate and protect the skin.
- Petroleum jelly belongs to a category of cosmetic ingredients called film-forming agents; in this case, it creates a greasy film that reduces water loss.
- In principle, all skin types can benefit, but rather than skin types, we should talk about the circumstances we are in, for example, after a cold, windy day, or very low-temperature days.
- All the layers we apply influence the final result. We recommend a mix of soothing ingredients like mallow or bisabolol combined with repairing agents, such as ceramides and unsaponifiable oils.
- Slugging could work well if the previous steps are evanescent textures (like many Korean products). Applying a layer of petroleum jelly over a classic routine of serum, oil, and cream, in our opinion, is excessive.
- It is not meant to be part of our daily routine; it is a technique for specific days. There are studies that confirm that applying an excess of oils could interfere with the functionality of the sebaceous glands responsible for generating skin lipids.
- If you are curious, you can try it, observe the results, and space out the time before repeating it.
- Some natural ingredients you can substitute for petroleum jelly include plant-derived squalene (from olive oil), which is chemically a hydrocarbon, and grapeseed oil is also a good plant-based alternative. Even ingredients like hyaluronic acid or mallow also have the ability to create a protective film on the skin. This list could be extended to include safflower oil, castor oil, moringa oil, pullulan, and even rice starch.
How to achieve the slugging effect with your favorite Twelve products
Our proposal is the combination of Intelligent Frontier Facial Oil with either Ideal Moisture Level Serum or Ideal Rebalancing Level Serum. These two products provide key elements to maintain the skin's protective hydrolipidic film in good condition. It is a way to create a permeable film for the skin, while also reducing water loss.