I slept with diaper cream on my faceand dermatologists actually approve

Beauty trends have officially entered their “check the baby aisle” era.The truth? I never imagined I’d willingly slather diaper cream all over my face before bed, yet here we are.One scroll through BeautyTok and you’ll find countless creators capping off their nighttime skincare routines with a generous layer of diaper cream, waking up the next morning to skin that looks suspiciously calmer and glowier.The logic sounds a little unhinged at first.

After all, diaper cream is to protect babies from irritated bottoms, not adults chasing glass skin.Naturally, I had to see what the fuss was about.I spent a night looking like I’d lost a fight with a tub of white paint, fully expecting to wake up questioning every life decision that led me there.Instead? My skin felt surprisingly smooth, less red and noticeably more comfortable.No, diaper cream didn’t magically erase my pores or grant me red carpet-ready skin overnight, but it did make my complexion look like it had enjoyed a luxurious eight-hour spa retreat while unconscious.As bizarre beauty experiments go, this one earns points for delivering more than laughs.Dubbed “face basting” or “zinc slugging” on TikTok — the beauty involves coating your face in diaper cream before bed.

After all, the TikTok dermatologist expert notes that “adding a zinc-based barrier cream to your face is a one-way ticket to the best skin of your life.”Click here to jump to skincare creams that best mimic the soothing effects of the diaper cream trend.While TikTok may have introduced diaper cream to a new audience, the hero ingredient isn’t exactly new.“Zinc oxide paste has been around for decades,” says Dr.Nelson Lee Novick, MD, a RealSelf Verified Provider.

It’s traditionally been used to treat and prevent diaper rash, soothe irritation from incontinence, and even by lifeguards as sun protection because zinc oxide blocks both UVA and UVB rays.“[It] essentially provides barrier protection to lock in moistur...