If, like me, your skin is naturally dry – borderline scaly, even – then TikTok’s latest trend is sure to make a splash in your routine. “Skin flooding” is all about drenching your skin with moisture, locking it all in to encourage a deliciously dewy glow.
So what is skin flooding?
Similarly to the “glass skin” trend, this trend sees TikTok users religiously layering their skin with multiple layers of hydrating formulas in a bid to get a dolphin-like, bouncy glow. It’s an instinctive technique, and you might even be using it already; it simply spotlights rich and moisturizing ingredients, layered onto damp skin. When it comes to TikTok though, you have to wade through the trends with a pinch of salt and a hefty side of disbelief to boot, because not all trends are created equal. Remember sunscreen contouring? Yeah – the less said about that the better.
So, with “skin flooding skincare” boasting over 13.4 million views on TikTok, I thought I better reach out to the pros. Enter Ridah Syed, a Senior Medical Aesthetician at Skinfluencer. A calm reprieve from the bustling streets of London, the Skinfluencer Clinic is a cornucopia for the beauty obsessed. The walls are lined with hardworking formulas by ZO Skin Health and glossy magazines are strewn across the tables. During my visit, after submitting myself to an incredibly humbling facial scanner (which showed every single line, pore, and speck of bacteria on my face), Ridah tells me she often sees clients with severely dehydrated skin: “People come in here thinking they’ve got wrinkles, but actually they’re dehydration lines.”
As I “oooh” and “aaah” under the shocking realisation that my 25-year-old skin is, in fact, not producing forehead wrinkles but actually just starved of water, I ask how I can plump them out, and if skin flooding will help.
“You need to use formulas with multiple weights of hyaluronic acid in them”, she explains, “a lot of serums and moisturisers just sit on top of your skin and don’t do anything, but you need something that will penetrate multiple layers of skin.”
Ridah recommends trying Dr. Barbara Sturm’s serums or Augustinus Bader’s creams, but she says to be careful of overdoing it, or of “over-flooding”.
Via @augustusbaderme on Instagram
“If your skin feels tight or you have flaky patches, you might be tempted to try a super-rich cream, but that could break you out.”
Ultimately, Ridah reckons skin hydration can only be a good thing, and a quick search on TikTok shows she’s not the only one. Dr. Adel, (also known as “The Dermatology Doctor” on TikTok), says skin flooding is “derm approved” for dry or even eczema-prone skin.
@dermatology.doctor Skin flooding hack for dry skin with @REN Clean Skincare #dermatologist #dermatologydoctor #skincareroutine #skintok #skincaretips #skinflooding #dryskin #skinhacks #foryou #fyp #renskincare ♬ original sound – Dr Adel | Dermatology Doctor
So, what exactly is skin flooding, and how can we do it safely?
First, you want to apply a hyaluronic acid serum to cleansed, still-damp skin. This part is crucial – in fact, if your skin isn’t wet, it could actually dehydrate your skin instead of hydrating it. This is because hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means it pulls moisture from its surroundings. By applying it to wet skin, you’re allowing the hyaluronic acid to pull this water into your skin, but if you apply it to dry skin, it could pull what little moisture you already have in your skin, out. To be safe, we like to spritz skin with a mist between cleansing and applying serums.
The next step is optional; drench skin with another serum, this time picking one that heroes a soothing and restorative ingredient like niacinamide.
Then finish off with a hydrating cream that contains hydrating and barrier-boosting staples like ceramides, peptides, and lipids.
Et voila! You’re done. Perfect for dehydrated, irritated and sensitive complexions, this cocktail of silky, nourishing formulas will ensure healthier, more supple skin.