Skin slugging involves applying a rich ointment, like petroleum jelly, to your skin. This final layer acts as an occlusive, meaning it helps your skin hold in moisture. However, it may not be suitable for acne-prone skin.
No matter where you might have first come across the term “slugging,” skin slugging isn’t just the trend du jour. This practice has been featured in Korean beauty routines for quite some time.
Slugging doesn’t actually involve slugs. But it does involve making like a slug, in a way — you slime your face with an occlusive, like petroleum jelly, before bed in order to wake up with glowing skin.
Does it work? We reached out to Jessie Cheung, MD, board certified dermatologist and founder of Cheung Aesthetics & Wellness, to find out.
“Dermatologists have been recommending [slugging] for years as the last step in your skin care routine to treat dry skin, as we know that skin slugging helps prevent water loss,” says Cheung.
The main goal of slugging is to help keep your skin hydrated. You may just wake from a night of slippery, slug-like slumber, with glowing, plump, and dewy skin.
Surface benefits aside, here are the skin-deep benefits that help make slugging a beauty hack worth trying.
Prevents moisture loss
Occlusives sit on the surface of your skin. This thick surface layer helps prevent transepidermal water loss (TEWL), or the process of water evaporating from your skin.
TEWL is a typical bodily function, one that increases with age. As you get older, your skin may naturally become drier, and your skin barrier function may function less effectively.
A night of slugging may help prevent some TEWL, so your skin stays hydrated — and shows the difference.
Protects your skin from damaging elements
If you sleep with the heat on or use scalding water frequently, that hot, dry air or water may suck moisture from your skin and lead to dryness.
Certain harsh ingredients in skin care products and other environmental elements can also dry out skin.
Consider lowering the thermostat, opting for gentle, moisturizing products, and washing your hands, body, or face with lukewarm water. Then, add an occlusive layer to help your skin retain some of that moisture.
Restores lipids
Skin lipids, your skin’s natural fats, play an important part in its structure and function. They help your skin:
- retain moisture
- keep out bacteria and other harmful invaders
- maintain skin elasticity (firmness)
The same things that draw moisture out of your skin can also affect the lipids on and in your skin.
Whether this beauty trick will work for you depends on your skin type.
Cheung recommends avoiding skin slugging if you’re prone to clogged pores or acne. Products like Vaseline, when applied to your face, may cause your skin to break out.
“Be mindful if you’re applying potentially irritating actives underneath your occlusive, as you will enhance their penetration. Be careful with retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs),” Cheung says.
If you decide to slug, try to simplify your skin care routine as much as you can. For example, you might try slugging over only a gentle or light moisturizer and skipping the serums.
You’ll decrease your risk of irritation or possible skin reaction if you slug with fewer products.
Slugging works best with an occlusive cream or ointment that creates a barrier over your skin to lock moisture in. Petrolatum-based products and products containing ceramides work well.
A few picks worth considering:
Vaseline
Vaseline (petrolatum) can be found at most drug or convenience stores. It’s also the most effective occlusive: It can
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Aquaphor, another occlusive sluggers swear by, is 41% petrolatum. It also contains mineral oil and lanolin, both of which help reduce TEWL by locking in moisture.
If you have a wool allergy, however, you may be allergic or sensitive to occlusives containing lanolin, as this product is secreted from sheep sebaceous glands.
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream contains petrolatum, along with three ceramides, or skin lipids, and hyaluronic acid.
Though ceramides and hyaluronic acid aren’t occlusives (hyaluronic acid is a humectant), they work similarly when it comes to locking in moisture.
You can try slugging in two different ways.
You can go all in and slug overnight, or you can try short-contact slugging, which involves slugging for just a few hours.
Overnight slugging
Grease marks on your pillowcase will happen when you sleep the slug life, so you might want to start by swapping out your good linens for some backups if you’re worried about the aftermath.
Slugging overnight
- Start with clean, damp skin. You can apply a lightweight or gentle moisturizer, but skip the face oils, spot treatments, serums, and actives like retinoids, AHAs, and BHAs.
- Apply a small dollop (approximately pea-sized) of your slugging product of choice.
- Spread the product across your skin, covering it with a thin, even layer.
- When you wake up, cleanse your skin to remove any excess product, gently pat dry, and add a moisturizing sunscreen.
Short-contact slugging
Short-contact slugging can work well when you have a few hours to spare.
Short-contact slugging
- Start with clean, damp skin.
- Apply a thin layer of your slugging product to your face.
- Go about your usual activities for a few hours.
- Wash off the product and gently pat dry. Reapply moisturizer.
A few final tips:
- Aim to apply the occlusive to damp skin, whether it’s damp from cleansing or other skin products, such as a moisturizer.
- If you use OTC or prescription medications for acne or other skin concerns, check with your dermatologist for guidance before slugging over them. You could enhance their effects and irritate your skin.
- If you have a skin condition like psoriasis or eczema, it’s best to check with a dermatologist before slugging.
- If slugging leads to increased breakouts, rashes, skin discoloration, or irritation, you should stop. If any skin symptoms don’t improve within a day or two, connect with a dermatologist or other healthcare professional.
Slugging can leave your skin with a glowing, soft appearance right away. But if you want to soothe dry skin, you may need to slug for several days before you notice results.
Everyone has different skin, and individual skin care needs to match. So, there’s no set timeline for how quickly slugging will work.
Slugging may have gone viral thanks to skin care and beauty influencers. But applying Vaseline and other occlusives to seal in your skin’s moisture is nothing new for dermatologists and Korean beauty experts.
If you’d like to address skin dryness or just up your glow, slugging may be a safe beauty trick to try at home for most skin types.
A board certified dermatologist can offer more information and help you get started with creating a custom skin care routine.
Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a Canada-based freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. When she’s not holed-up in her writing shed researching an article or off interviewing health professionals, she can be found frolicking around her beach town with husband and dogs in tow or splashing about the lake trying to master the stand-up paddle board.
