Barre with Justine

Face massage is a big part of what I teach in face yoga and important in my own skin care routine. I was so excited to see this new study come out in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science all about the impact of daily self-massage on “visible signs of stress in the skin.” This article is in preprint, meaning its peer-reviewed but not copyedited, and I was able to read it through my institution.

Research on the benefits of face massage is slim, so this new study is an excellent support for the benefits of daily face massage using natural oils. What I love about this study is that it was both objective and subjective; clinical assessments of the skin was done by a dermatologist on days 0 and 14 AND the women also completed a questionnaire to evaluate their perception of their skin and wellbeing. The study had 50 participants and no adverse effects were reported.

Takeaways from this study:

• the oil blend was very simple – a blend of sweet almond, apricot, sunflower & rosa damascena essential oil (my personal favourite!)
• the massage took only 3 minutes/day to perform, either in the morning or evening.
• significant decreases in ptosis (drooping of the eyelid), fine lines, increase in radiance and plumpness were noted by the assessor(s)
• 85% of participants “reported a favorable opinion” of the practice.
• 96% felt their skin was smoother and 86% felt their lines were reduced.
• ALL participants “reported feeling ‘good’ or ‘very good’ on feelings of being relaxed, feelings of well-being and having a feel-good effect.”

My thoughts:

The feel-good effects of facial massage can be experienced without spending a lot of time or money, so DO take advantage of this practice! It’s something within your hands (pun intended!) to improve the health of your skin and your mental health. Also, these amazing results were in only 2 WEEKS! Imagine doing face massage every day for a month or a year….

What’s interesting about this study is that the authors are affiliated with Loreal and Decleor, established beauty brands. I appreciate that these brands are investing in research on facial massage!

What are your thoughts on this research…do you practice facial massage?

Try it out!

Here is a little routine inspired by the massage done in the study:

Reference

Frederic, Flament et al. “The objective and subjective impact of a daily self-massage on visible signs of stress on the skin and emotional well-being.” International journal of cosmetic science, 10.1111/ics.12884. 22 Jul. 2023, doi:10.1111/ics.12884