With hydration at the core, the latest skincare trend, skin flooding has garnered the attention of millions of TikTok users.
It’s not just dry, but all skin types need hydration. Moisture, being a natural ingredient in the skin, renders unmatched benefits that leave us with a supple glowing skin. Well-hydrated skin retains its elasticity and prevents dryness, flakiness, and irritation. It also helps create a protective barrier against environmental factors. A testament to this is the skin flooding trend that has been one of the biggest trends on TikTok this year. So much so, that #skinflooding has garnered over five million posts on the app.
What is skin flooding?
Skin flooding refers to ‘flooding’ your skin with moisture by layering various hydrating products on slightly damp skin. Vidhi Arya from Professional Beauty India spoke to dermatologist Dr Aparajita Lamba. She explained, “Layering different products for maximising hydration is a very well-known and renowned technique in dermatology. We have had the wet wrap technique mentioned in our textbooks for ages. What we are seeing on Instagram and TikTok is a modified version and it’s now becoming popular again.”
The end goal of skin flooding is to provide your skin with ample hydration and lock it in. The products used for skin flooding are such that they help the skin retain moisture. “When we talk about hydration and moisturisation, we are looking for three ingredients — humectant, emollients and occlusives — applied using the technique of layering.” Dr Lamba explained.
Applying products on damp skin helps the skin absorb the product more efficiently. Since moisture is a natural substance in your skin, hydrating your skin will lessen the visible fine lines and wrinkles. Furthermore, it will also lead a glowing, blemish-free, and healthy-looking skin.
The products for skin flooding and how to layer them?
Skin flooding includes layering your skincare products like your daily AM or PM routine. Once you cleanse your face, pat it just a little with a clean towel. Firstly, apply a layer of moisture in a form of toner or a face mist. The idea is to leave your skin damp before you move on to humectant serum like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, or glycerin. Then you move on to a thick emollient moisturiser.
Dr Lamba also said, “The benefit of this technique is that it provides constant moisture. Now we are using toner on your face, which is a source of water. The layering makes sure that all the moisture penetrates the skin and does not just stand on the surface or lost in the environment.”
Why the humectant serums and emollient moisturisers?
To achieve ultimate hydration, the trend emphasises the use of two hydrating ingredients — humectants and emollients. Products with humectants attract and bind water from the atmosphere and absorb it into the skin. If you apply these on damp skin, you help it draw moisture from the dampness on the outer layer of the skin and penetrate it into deeper layers.
On the other hand, emollient creams are skincare products designed to moisturise the skin. These creams create a protective barrier on the skin’s surface and trap-in moisture. Consequently, they help in preventing water loss and maintaining hydration.
Is it safe for everyone?
Everyone with dry and dehydrated skin can benefit immensely from this trend or treatment. However, the good news is that it is inherently advantageous for all skin types. Experts suggest that people with dry skin can use this treatment every day. Whereas, people with oily and acne-prone skin can use it weekly.
However, there lies an important thing one must be cautious about while using this trend. It is the fact that layering more than three-to-four products or layering heavily oil-based products. Such products are likely to do more damage to your skin than good. Dr Lamba also warns about combining the ingredients and actives without much care. She said that “There are a lot of products with different molecules. We should not be combining ingredients that can lead to irritation when used together.”
In the end, she advised, “We have ample information regarding moisturisers and various other products. But, what we miss out on is internal hydration, which is more important than just applying topicals. Drinking enough water, and adding coconut water or lemonade to your daily routine is important, especially in summers.”