Dermatologist rates 6 skincare trends popular on social media: Dipping face in ice cold water to face taping

Dermatologist Dr (Major) Gurveen Waraich rates skincare trends which are popular on social media, including face taping and dipping face in ice water.

Social media is full of skincare trends. Every day, some influencer or expert comes out with a skincare trend that they claim is beneficial for you. Some of these trends range from bizarre, like face taping, to sounding okay, like dipping the face in ice water. But how much of it is just noise, and what is actually good for your skin?

Dermatologist rates viral social media trends

Dr (Major) Gurveen Waraich, MBBS, MD, a dermatologist, debunked some of the popular skincare trends in an Instagram video shared on October 13.

In the post, she rated viral social media trends, like ice water face dipping, face taping, slugging, skin cycling, rice water on skin, and rosemary oil for hair. Let's find out what she shared:

1. Ice face dipping (5/10)

Often practised by people, including stars like Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon, who want to remove puffiness from their face, the dermatologist rated the viral trend of ice water face dipping: 5 out of 10. According to Dr Waraich, it temporarily reduces puffiness, pore prominence, and, to some extent, redness, but offers no real long-term benefits.

2. Slugging (7/10)

Dr Waraich rated slugging 7 out of 10. It is a well-known skincare technique that involves slathering the face with a moisturising product as the last step in your evening skincare routine. “Can work really well for dry, dehydrated, irritated skin, but could be a disaster for oily, acne-prone skin,” the dermatologist said.

Dermatologist rates viral social media skincare trends. (Gemini AI)

3. Rosemary oil for hair (4/10)

Rosemary oil is a popular part of many people's scalp massaging routine. But is it really good? According to Dr Waraich, it gets a rating of 4 out of 10. Sharing her views on the trend, she said, “No harm [in using it], of course. There is little evidence to support the notion of solid benefits for hair growth and scalp health, but quantity, quality, and consistency are crucial.”

4. Skin cycling (10/10)

Dr Waraich rated skin cycling 10 out of 10. According to the dermatologist, it is a practice where you alternate your skincare actives, such as retinoids one night and AHAs or BHAs the next. “[It] is a great way to enhance results without compromising the skin barrier,” she added.

5. Face taping (0/10)

The dermatologist gave face taping a rating of 0 out of 10. For the uninitiated, face taping involves placing flexible, skin-safe adhesive strips on areas prone to expression lines—typically the forehead, between the brows, or around the mouth and eyes.

6. Rice water for skin (6/10)

Lastly, she rated applying rice water to your skin: 6 out of 10. “Quite popular in Korean and Japanese skincare. Although there is no definitive scientific evidence, it is generally considered calming and soothing to the skin,” Dr Waraich said.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.