Gen Z’s beauty routines are officially exhausting (and a little unhinged)

What is it about beauty that makes us feral and foaming at the mouth? We hear the word “anti-ageing” and start maxing out our credit cards. We cling to every bizarre skincare “ritual” that might come out of a conventionally pretty person’s mouth: “Oh, I use my own spit to treat acne”, or “I shove my face in a bowl of ice”, or—no one has actually said this, but give it time—“I just buy a pack of good genes over the counter.” We introduce retinols in our routines the second we enter our 20s (let me de-influence you: You don’t need to go anywhere near it if you’re not at least 30 years old), and spend hours staring at our reflections in the mirror, scrutinising every single laugh line or enlarged pore. The mere mention of crow’s feet or turkey neck (why does ageing sound like an Animal Planet episode?) is enough to send us spiralling. It is almost like, if The Substance (2024) were real, half of us would be on it.

As per writer Sable Yong, beauty has been integrated into our lives way before our original chromosomes Retinol at 20, collagen yarn face wraps, and a skincare routine that takes longer than a night’s sleep. Is Gen Z okay? By Ananya Rai paired up. In her book Die Hot with a Vengeance: Essays on Vanity, the former beauty editor of Allure, writes, “It (beauty) is everywhere, even if you don’t see it—kind of like dust mites. Beauty is embedded in the ways we are socialised to value people, so that makes it kind of a big issue.”

Well, naturally then, we grasp at whatever straw that promises to keep us “beautiful”. So, when we see a TikTok or a Reel wherein a person is slathering on multiple layers of products (ever heard of doughnut skin?) on their face, or using heatless hair curlers tied inside a silk bonnet, or even sealing their mouths shut with a tape before going to bed, we follow suit. After all, they show us results—a before and after. And then, we find ourselves questioning why we’re shelling out a small fortune at the derm’s clinic when it feels like TikTok University is teaching us everything for free. But is it, really?

At 21, Saiesha Dubey* has fallen for these trends more times than she would like to admit. She says she wouldn’t even have known what retinol was if not for Reels; same with snail mucin and even mouth tape. “Honestly, once you see every influencer doing it, you’re like, ‘Okay, I need that too!’ Even if it’s extra, it’s lowkey therapeutic and gives you something cute to look forward to every day,” she says.

Last year, a certain phrase went viral on TikTok and subsequently everywhere else: The Morning Shed. With over 99 million (and counting) posts on the platform, the “shed” is literal in that you are supposed to remove all skin, hair, and self-care products you applied the night before in the morning. These products, however, go Crazy with a capital C. You start by applying layers of skincare, followed by under-eye masks, and a face sheet mask, add one on the neck too if you’re feeling it. Top it off with a silk bonnet, a chinstrap for the jaw, and the pièce de résistance: Mouth tape. The internet is selling this trend by saying that “the uglier you go to bed, the hotter you will wake up”. Not sure about that, but by morning, you might look like you wandered off the sets of The Skin I Live In (2011), but I digress.

Fact from fiction 

Started and popularised by influencers, this trend lacks scientific backing. Delhi-based cosmetic dermatologist and Isya Aesthetics Founder, Dr Kiran Sethi, says putting pressure on people to do excessively long routines with negligible data is unnecessary. She explains, “While oil pulling and tongue scraping can help with oral bacteria, it’s not necessarily proven to increase your life span. Mouth tape can exacerbate sleep apnea or worsen your oxygenation if your nose or airways are already compromised. If you vomit, you can aspirate and get pneumonia if the tape is still on your mouth.” If you still want to practice nasal breathing, you can do it in the daytime without subjecting yourself to a risky mouth tape. Dr Sethi also points out that face taping can cause acne, rashes, worsen sagging, and irritate sensitive skin over time. Ergo, the shed could be doing you more harm than good in the long run, not to mention how expensive and time-consuming the whole process is.

And, this holds true for a lot of gimmicks we see online. In a report published earlier this year by The Times of India, several Lucknow-based dermatologists said that nearly 40-50 per cent of the patients they see have already tried over-the-counter remedies promoted online, which worsen their conditions, and it becomes harder to treat their issues.

In another “uglier to bed, hotter in the morning” trend, entrepreneur and reality TV star Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS launched a Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap. Made with the same fabric that they use to make their snatching bodysuits, mixed with some collagen yarns, the face wrap is supposed to lift the skin around your chin, cheekbones, and jaws. Priced at $48 (₹4,220 approx.), this face-wear got the backlash it deserved in a few hours after its release.

All these trends beg the question: Why are young people so easily swayed and quick to fall for them? Dr Sethi has an answer: “I think it makes people feel more in control. Post-COVID, many of us struggle with the feeling of life seeming to be out of control. And frankly, the pandemic showed us how little things can be in our control.” Fair, but if you ask me, it stems from Gen Z’s fear of ageing, but that’s a discussion for another time.

My absurd wish is that we stop waging a war against time and start flirting with it instead. Who wants to have perfectly smooth skin at 50? A skin with no story to tell! Take it from the greatest philosopher of our time (lol), actor Julia Fox. Back in 2022, she prophesied that ageing is going to be in. She said, “If I see another product that says ‘antiageing’ on the label, I’m suing. I’m going to sue because I’m gonna age regardless of if I put the f**king $500 serum on my face. Getting older is hot.”

Images: IMDb and Instagram

*Name changed for anonymity

This article first appeared in the September-October 2025 issue of Cosmopolitan India.

Also read: Six dermats tell us what they think about Kim Kardashian’s Skims Sculpt Face Wrap

Also read: Beauty lessons to learn from Gen Z