The Winter K-Beauty Trend of “Slugging”: What Is It? Could I Benefit from It?

Popularized on social media, skin “slugging” is a K-Beaty trend of moisturizing the skin during dry winter months. Slugging involves the use of a thick emollient applied to the face at night. An emollient (e.g. petrolatum) is an occlusive ingredient that holds moisture on the skin. The thicker the emollient, the more effective it is. However, thicker emollients tend to look and feel greasy on the face, which is why these emollients are applied to the face at night. Examples of petrolatum-containing emollients include Aquaphor® and Vaseline®. 

Slugging may not be suitable for all skin types including, but not limited to:

• Individuals with acne or acne-prone skin
• Individuals with oil-occluded pores

Applying thick emollients to the above skin types may make these conditions worse. It is also important to note that emollients are not typically used in isolation; rather, thick emollients enhance the effects of humectants such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Humectants are substances that draw in moisture. Emollients are added over humectants in dry environments in order to prevent the  diffusion of moisture from the skin to the dryer air. 

See the previous blog post Dry Skin and Moisturizers: An Explainer for more information.