TikTok's Morning Shed Trend Promises To Cut Your Beauty Routine Time In Half

We've become obsessed with perfection. Whether it's devotion to a daily skincare routine, regular trips to the aesthetician, or falling for trends that promise the impossible, we eat it all up in the name of perfection.

One of those trends making the rounds on TikTok is the "morning shed." With over 30 million views, the morning shed is centered around "the uglier you go to bed, the prettier you wake up." Those who participate load up on face masks, serums, pimple patches, mouth tape, chin straps, and a whole lot more before going to bed. Then, in the morning, they "shed" all those layers to reveal perfection — or at least something close to it. "Not only is the theory behind its effectiveness not compelling, but there's also a lack of data to support its use, and the trend may even be harmful," board-certified dermatologist, Nava Greenfield, MD, told Well + Good. "I suspect creators are using these techniques for the shock appeal and rarely actually use them as a committed routine."

Those who use this technique also tout how much time it shaves off of their morning skincare routine. While that may be the case for some, it still seems a little too good to be true. To determine whether or not to get on board, Women exclusively spoke to Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai and the owner of Geria Dermatology, Dr. Aanand Geria, to see if there's any validity to the claims behind this trend.

Although Dr. Geria agrees that some time can be saved with "morning shed" and "overnight use maximizes product absorption and effectiveness," he doesn't seem to be completely sold on the concept. "Stressing your skin with too many active substances can cause irritation, redness, and sensitivity," says Dr. Geria, adding that "layering multiple products, especially with active ingredients can have unintended consequences." According to Dr. Geria, in addition to irritating the skin, some products can deactivate others, therefore rendering them useless. There's also the possibility of enhancing "pore-clogging effects" due to over application of a myriad of serums, moisturizers, occlusives, and all the rest of it.

Dr. Geria also isn't too keen on the use of one-time physical products, like face masks, mouth tape, and chin straps, citing how awful they are for the environment and that there's no legitimate evidence that they do anything at all. "Anything that forms a tight seal on the skin, especially worn overnight, has the potential to mechanically occlude the pores," says Dr. Geria. "In addition, the adhesives in some of these items may cause irritation."

If you want to cut down on time and make the most of your beauty routine, then skip all the hoopla — including the "morning shed." In fact, the multi-step skincare routine is on its way out. "As a dermatologist, I'm very pleased about this," board-certified dermatologist Dr. Loretta Ciraldo told CNN. "Not only was it time-consuming and potentially quite expensive, it also introduced a lot of irritants and conflicting formulations into people's skin routines."

Dr. Geria agrees that a bunch of products aren't necessary. "Washing your face in the morning is a step many people can skip especially those with sensitive or dry skin ... Peptides, retinol, and one to two moisturizers can be used right on top of each other without fear of irritation. The only necessary step for the morning is sunscreen." If your skin goals include anti-aging or brightening, then Dr. Geria suggests adding Vitamin C to your lineup, but if not, then you can skip it.

Looks like the skinimalism movement is the way to go, as opposed to overdoing it with senseless products. Although those who are on the morning shed bandwagon aren't likely to ditch it, if you've yet to become one of them, then it might be best to keep it that way. Trends like this are usually short-lived for a reason and if there's no science to back it up, there's no point in wasting your money and products in this way.