TikTokers are using banana skin to get rid of dark circles and more
TikTokers somehow always manage to find new ways to shock us with their unusual beauty rituals. The latest skin care craze taking the platform by storm? Slapping a few banana peels under your eyes and letting the fruit wrappers lay waste to your dark circles, acne and pigmentation.
And we know what you’re thinking – why? Why would someone do this?
Well, apparently there’s legitimate science behind the fruit recycling hack. Or at least that’s what Claire Williams, skin specialist and founder of WOW Facial told Refinery29: “Bananas have many great vitamins and minerals such as potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, which are ingredients known to have benefits on the skin."
"There are also acids in bananas, which are beneficial to the skin, but the pH of these acids isn't low enough to create deep exfoliation," which is why Williams suggests more potent, clinically-proven alternatives such as mandelic and glycolic acid for faster results.
We don’t know about you, but we’re happy to forgo plastering ourselves in decaying banana skins in lieu of Williams' professional opinion. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a few skin care goodies packed full of exfoliating alternatives to banana peel (think: AHAs like mandelic and glycolic acid or gentle LHAs if you have sensitive skin).
We recommend:
Paula’s Choice RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA ($44 at Paula’s Choice); L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Eye Cream ($26.99 at Chemist Warehouse); and NeoStrata Clarify Mandelic Mattifying Serum ($35.99 at Chemist Warehouse).
Paula’s Choice RESIST Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA
L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser Eye Cream
NeoStrata Clarify Mandelic Mattifying Serum
A lesser known exfoliator that should be on your radar? PHAs are the gentle hydroxy acid you need to know about.
Main image credit: @annalovesu
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
