A not-so-love letter to wasteful nonsense disguised as skincare
Let’s talk about the latest so-called skincare “solution” sweeping its way across TikTok and Instagram, skin tape. You’ve probably seen it! Videos of people sticking strips of adhesive onto their foreheads, cheeks, or jawlines before bed, claiming they wake up with fewer wrinkles and tighter skin. Like Botox, but budget-friendly! Like a miracle!
The idea is that by preventing your facial muscles from moving during the night, you’ll reduce wrinkles and stop new ones from forming. Some people even say it “trains” your face to relax. However, here is the uncomfortable truth, your face isn’t a toddler that needs to be trained. It’s a living, breathing part of you that responds to care, not restriction. This whole concept reeks of yet another beauty trend preying on our insecurities, all under the guise of “self-care”.
The Waste Behind the Wrinkles
What’s even more frustrating, is what skin tape is actually made of. This isn’t some gentle, skin-loving material. It’s synthetic, single-use plastic. Medical-grade adhesives, silicone coatings, or a serum layer might make it sound fancy, but let’s call it what it is, a disposable plastic sticker for your face. Like every other disposable thing in the beauty world, it’s designed to end up in the bin after a few hours of use, along with your self-esteem and any lingering hope of eco-friendly skincare.
This isn’t just about skin tape. Let’s throw blackhead removal strips, disposable sheet masks, and those little spot stickers into the mix too.
They might seem like harmless helpers, but they all follow the same wasteful formula, single-use plastic, a moment of satisfaction, and straight to the bin. Spot patches might promise to shrink a blemish overnight, but most of them are made with non-recyclable plastic film, tiny but collectively harmful. It’s time we stopped calling this kind of skincare “pampering” when the planet is paying the price.
That is where this trend really falls apart.
The beauty industry already produces over 120 billion units of packaging every year, the vast majority of it plastic. Most of it is destined for landfill, or worse, floating in our oceans, where it harms marine life and disrupts ecosystems. So now, on top of the plastic bottles, tubes, pumps, lids, sachets, spatulas, and shrink wrap, we’re adding tiny face stickers to the mix? For the sake of what, maybe a slightly smoother forehead until your first coffee?
Even if we put the environmental cost aside for a moment (which, frankly, we shouldn’t), there is the skin side of things to think about. Daily use of adhesive products can disrupt your skin barrier, strip away natural oils, cause irritation, trigger allergic reactions, and leave your skin more stressed out than supported. So now we’ve got a product that’s wasteful, expensive, and potentially damaging, all while marketing itself as a beauty breakthrough.
A Better Way to Care for Your Skin
All for what? A temporary result based on the illusion that ageing is something to be ashamed of, instead of the natural, beautiful process it really is?
Here is a better idea, facial massage. It’s been around for centuries. It’s grounding, effective, and plastic-free. With a few drops of nourishing oil and a couple of minutes each day, you can stimulate circulation, ease tension, soften lines, and actually enjoy the process.
Warm a few drops of your favourite oil or moisturiser in your palms. Gently massage upwards from your chin to your temples. Breathe deeply. That’s care, not control, not shame, and definitely not a plastic patch pretending to be a miracle.
Skincare That Feels Like Care
We deserve better than these disposable distractions. We deserve skincare that respects us and the planet. At Olive & Joyce, we believe in skincare that respects your skin and the planet. Our 100% natural oil cleansers and face creams are created and handmade with intention, using ingredients that nourish your skin and leave no harm behind. It’s skincare that feels like care, because it is.
So let’s stop sticking plastic to our faces in the name of beauty. Let’s stop buying into the idea that we need to be fixed, frozen, or faked. Let’s massage, not mask. Let’s connect, not cover up. Most of all, let’s choose care over gimmicks.
- Explore our collection of sustainable, natural skincare
- Or learn more in our guide to face yoga a calming, plastic-free ritual
Because looking after your skin shouldn’t cost the earth.
No tape (or sticker) required.