If you thought the beauty tools pandemic had peaked with gua shas, facial rollers and at-home microdermabrasion rollers, think again. The quest for a more ‘snatched’ facial structure has reached new highs (or lows, depending on how you look at it) with the introduction of shapewear for your jawline. Not surprisingly, the brand in question is arguably the world’s most famous shapewear brand right now. But the face wrap is only the latest addition to a seemingly never-ending night-time skincare routine that’s taken over the Internet. From salmon sperm sheet masks to the controversial mouth taping, the list of ways to go to bed ugly to wake up pretty are only increasing.

Salmon sperm mask. Pic Courtesy/@soficastrejon; (right) The mouth taping trend claims to aid nose breathing. Pic Courtesy/@aurorawonderwomen 

Tried, not tested

Multi-step routines have been making the rounds since the early days of the pandemic, when Korean beauty rituals began to take hold of skincare enthusiasts. But the newest entrants to the list feed into the notion that the quest for youth should be an arduous undertaking. As for the face compression wrap, which mimics medical wraps recommended to patients post facial surgeries, experts warn that the tightness (a result of reduced puffiness and slight lymphatic drainage) is only temporary. Similarly, though salmon sperm and red-light therapy have been found to boost collagen production, these findings are almost exclusively limited to clinical treatments. Finally, while mouth taping has been promoted as a shortcut to a more defined facial structure, any benefits have more to do with encouraging nose breathing — which may help improve aerobic performance and reduce snoring — over any aesthetic gains. All of these practices come with their own set of safety concerns which range from surface burns in the case of red-light masks to allergies.