How to Try "Slugging" Your Skin With Vaseline, According to Pros

When one thinks of moisturizing one's skin, many words have historically come to mind, but it wasn't until fairly recently that "slugging" became a popular term for describing this skincare step. The term blew up on TikTok (and currently has 1.4 billion views on the platform), but it actually originated from Reddit way back in 2014. Beyond simply moisturizing, "slugging" one's skin involves applying an occlusive ointment on your face (or body, nails, or feet) over a moisturizer to increase water retention and reverse dryness.

Popular ointments used for this are Vaseline and Aquaphor, whose thick consistency inspired the term "slugging." Since the technique locks in moisture, it's very effective at plumping, softening, and moisturizing. As such, it's become popular amongst those with dry skin and rough, bumpy patches. Even those who don't experience those symptoms can benefit from slugging their skin, but it's not without its caveats.

As such, we turned to three leading dermatologists and asked them to break down everything there is to know about slugging, including whether or not it's beneficial for every skin type. Their answers, below.

What Is Slugging?

"Slugging" is a skincare technique that involves sleeping in a thin layer of an occlusive like Vaseline on top of your usual moisturizer. The idea is that the occlusive—Vaseline or Aquaphor—will "trap" moisture in your skin, thus helping to repair the skin barrier and deliver soft, glistening skin overnight. It's something that dermatologists have long recommended—particularly for those with dry skin—but it has found popularity and a new cheeky nickname on TikTok.

The Benefits

• Prevents Water Loss in the Skin: Landriscina explains that Vaseline acts as an occlusive and a skin protectant, helping prevent 99% of transepidermal water loss.
• Traps Moisture in the Skin: Not only does slugging prevent water from escaping the skin, but it also traps moisturizer in the skin for deeper moisturizing power.
• Helps Repair Skin Barrier: "Petrolatum prevents most water loss while allowing your skin to repair its barrier, leaving it better off once the petrolatum is removed.” Translation: A slug is born. 

How to Try It

Slugging is simple: After your nightly skincare routine, add a pea-sized layer of a petrolatum-based occlusive like Vaseline or Aquaphor on top of your moisturizer as a final step. Slugging is typically recommended 1-2 times a week during the winter or if you have a dry skin type (or are temporarily experiencing dryness or irritation). The only word of caution is that you want to avoid slugging on top of any active ingredients like retinol or glycolic acid, as slugging will trap the ingredients and potentially irritate the skin.

In the morning, you'll want to be sure to thoroughly cleanse your face with face wash to remove any remnants and ensure that your morning skincare can penetrate effectively.

And while slugging can produce some pretty stunning results overnight, it's important not to overdo it. 1-2 times per week is plenty for most skin types, and over-slugging can send the wrong signals to your skin. You want some water loss from your skin as it “acts as a signal that tells your skin to produce more intercellular lipids thereby repairing the skin barrier," Landriscina explains.

Skin Type Considerations

People with a dry skin type will benefit the most from adding slugging to their skincare routine 1-2 times per week. Slugging is safe and beneficial for all skin types, but it's worth noting that acne-prone skin types might want to skip this trend. While occlusives like Vaseline aren't comedogenic on their own, they do "trap" the skin, so if you have an active breakout, acne-causing bacteria, or oil on your skin, slugging could make it worse.

That being said, you don't have to slug your entire face if you're concerned about breakouts. For example, if you have combination skin and deal with oiliness along the chin and forehead—but dryness around the eyes and nose—you can slug just the areas where you experience dry, flaky skin.

How to Choose Safe Slugging Skincare Products

The reality is, in the US, products with 30% to 100% petrolatum are considered skin-protectant drugs and are subject to FDA regulation and registration on NDClist.com. Any over-the-counter drugs like sunscreen and hand sanitizer are considered OTC drugs and must register with the FDA to receive a unique NDC code for consumers. As petrolatum is recognized by the FDA as a proven skin protectant, like colloidal oatmeal, any product with over 30% petrolatum must register. This unique code identifies your brand and the factory that produces it making it easy to find vetted products. While you won’t find brands under the 30% petrolatum mark on the website, parent companies are a good indicator of business practices. Why? Factories that follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) register with the FDA, as the FDA does routine checkups with factories, they don’t want to lose their license. Basically, they aren’t peddling contaminated petrolatum. 

Another way to make sure your petrolatum is safe is to ask the brand for their “USP”— the factory will have it and some brands, like Vaseline, indicate it on their packaging. If a brand is using “USP” petrolatum they meet or exceed the requirements set by the United States Pharmacopeia meaning it’s safe for food, drug, or medicinal use. However, the easiest way to determine the purity of your petrolatum is via NDC listings and NDClist.com. Some of my favorite brands include Vaseline, CeraVe, and Aquaphor (which is the same company that owns Nivea). If you don’t want to use Vaseline, La Mer uses mineral oil which is another popular petroleum byproduct that’s effective for the skin.

If you're looking for a sustainable product, the reality is we have a long way to go to make the skincare industry less reliant on fossil fuels. As long as farms and processing facilities use gasoline to harvest plants and power factories, using a byproduct of the petroleum industry isn’t what’s keeping big oil afloat. Shea butter, rosehip oil, and plant-based products all require oil to make it to shelves. As always, it’s a personal preference.

Is Slugging Safe?

Dr. Ranella Hirsch, a board-certified dermatologist in Boston and former president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology, notes Vaseline’s main ingredient, petrolatum, is safe to use on the skin. Despite what you may read on the internet, the ingredient is so safe that the American Academy of Dermatology recommends it for use on small babies with eczema. As to whether you should put it on your face, Hirsch explains that “some people may find it too occlusive for their tastes” but it’s not a question of safety, it’s a matter of whether you’re into looking like you’ve dunked your face into a vat of Crisco.

One of the biggest barriers to using Vaseline has little to do with efficacy and actual safety and more to do with perceptions. Why does an ingredient dermatologists recommend for babies have such a bad wrap for being “toxic"? Clean beauty is partly to blame. The EWG or Environmental Working Group ranks petrolatum as a “1-4” due to contamination concerns and The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has a post that, without context, would make you think that most petrolatum causes cancer. 

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (TCFSC) claims that “petrolatum is often not fully refined in the US.” As we’ve established, this is not true. The U.S. has regulated and tested petrolatum since the '60s, and it has long been recognized as a skin protectant by the FDA. TCFSC goes on to note ”it can be contaminated with toxic chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).” While studies have shown that PAHs are linked to breast cancer, petrolatum is not listed as a potential source, whereas tobacco smoke and smoked and grilled foods are.