Scrub your face with a banana peel… ‘Natural Botox’ to prevent wrinkles?

Are banana peels natural botox?

It is said that rubbing a banana peel on your face can give you elastic and bright skin, and videos of this practice are popular on social media. Banana peels can replace Botox, a popular wrinkle treatment treatment.

Katie Jane Hughes, a New York makeup artist with 286,000 followers, joined this trend on the 7th (local time). In a video posted on TikTok, he described a banana peel as ‘natural Botox’ and meticulously rubbed one side of his face with the inside of the peel. After waiting for 10 minutes for the peel ingredients to be absorbed into the skin and then washing it off, he claimed that his skin became softer and his pores became tighter than on the side of his face that was not rubbed. This video attracted a lot of attention, reaching 750,000 views.

There was also a claim made online that rubbing a banana peel around the eyes can help lighten dark circles.

But doctors aren’t sure.

According to the Daily Mail on the 23rd, Dr. Gita Yadav, a dermatologist in Toronto, Canada, posted on TikTok about the banana peel beauty trend, saying, “There is no topical or food supplement that can give the same effect as Botox injections.” He said that although banana peels have antibacterial properties, the effects are so minimal that they would not be noticeable, and recommended over-the-counter beauty products such as vitamin C serum instead.

“There is no scientific evidence that rubbing a banana peel on your face helps with wrinkles, dark circles or inflammation,” said Dr. Taylor Bullock, a dermatology resident at the Cleveland Clinic.

Despite what dermatologists say, social media users aren’t willing to give up their faith in the banana peel beauty treatment.

One TikTok user left a comment on Hughes’ video saying, “I always use that (banana peel),” adding a heart emoticon.

Another user said, “My grandmother took care of her skin with eggs at night and banana or mango peel in the morning, and she didn’t have any wrinkles on her face.” Banana peels contain a lot of antioxidants such as tannins and flavonoids. Antioxidants, which are also abundant in blueberries, green tea, and cocoa, can help prevent cell damage caused by free radicals, ultraviolet rays, and environmental pollution.

Nevertheless, experts believe that the banana peel beauty method will not be as effective as expected.

“Theoretically, if you rub a banana peel on your skin, you could get some of the oxidizing properties,” Dr. Bluck said. But if you want to treat your skin with something rich in antioxidants on a daily basis, using a professional product is much more effective, he advises.

Park Hae-sik, Donga.com reporter [email protected]