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Sinead Butler
Apr 07, 2023
How to make pickles
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Pickles are a tasty snack but now the pickled cucumbers are part of a new skincare trend - and an expert has warned against trying this out for ourselves.
The cost of living crisis has caused many people cut non-essential spending out of their daily lives, ‘DIY skincare’ has started to rise in popularity, with Google searches spiking by 127 per cent since January 2023.
Social media searches have risen by 3,800 per cent with #pickleskincare receiving 80,000 views on TikTok, however, Humanery has warned this is a trend that should not be tried at home.
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Thom Watson, skincare expert at Humanery, warns that applying pickles directly to your skin does not act as a natural toner but it can cause inflammation and visible irritation instead.
Alternatively, Watson recommends drinking pickle brine instead to receive the health benefits in order get that glow-from-within , to benefit from the liquid’s probiotics.
Advice to take away from this: ingest it, don’t apply it.
However, skincare experts at Humanery have warned that not every at-home-treatment is safe to try. That includes TikTok’s latest skincare trend: pickles.
What is the pickle skincare trend?
People have been attempting to gain skin-boosting properties.
However, rather than simply consuming the natural probiotics and antioxidants that gherkins boast, skincare addicts on TikTok have been applying the pickles in different ways.
This includes directly to their skin in lieu of their toner while others are using the brine to create a DIY facemask and letting it soak in for a few minutes like a sheet mask.
The trend claims to treat acne, tone skin like an acid-based toner and remove dead skin cells to reveal a glowing complexion.
What are the dangers of TikTok’s pickle trend?
Skincare aficionado, Thom Watson, said: “Applying pickles or pickle water directly to the skin is likely going to cause irritation, leave your skin inflamed, and will also leave behind a smell that will linger all day.
“If you’re worried about spending money on skincare in the cost of living crisis, please do not try applying pickle brine directly to your skin because you will definitely end up having to spend money on over-the-counter treatments to remedy the ailments caused by this TikTok trend.”
Are there any benefits to this trend?
While apply pickles to the face is not recommended, eating pickles does have some health benefits.
Thom explained: “Actually, ingesting pickles and the brine can be very good for you.
"They are high in lactobacillus, a very powerful probiotic that is highly beneficial to the skin as well as other antioxidants and other goodies that do the gut, body and skin well.
"So by eating them on a regular basis, you are making your gut happy, which will ultimately help to support your skin, too.”
He added: “If you are trying to get rid of acne scarring or dead skin cells, please look for a suitable toner and put the pickles down.”
@paigeisloko You guys asked for a pickle face mask and I delivered #fyp #picklefacemask #xyzcba
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