Slugging might be trending (the hashtag #slugging has amassed more than 268 million views on TikTok), but slathering on Vaseline before bed is a winter moisture hack as old as time. Layering on petrolatum has been a staple practice in the Black community for decades, has roots in K-Beauty, and has long been hailed as the skin barrier’s savior among dermatologists. Think: the best face moisturizer, but supercharged.
“There’s a lot of great data, since the beginning of dermatology, that petrolatum-based products are great for repairing the skin barrier, as an occlusive to prevent trans epidermal water loss, and to help the barrier repair itself,” explains board-certified dermatologist Robert Finney, M.D..
