Everyone’s going wild for these ‘overnight Botox’ skin patches, which apparently smooth skin and retrain facial muscles

Whether you’re a Botox convert or not (no judgement here), it never hurts to check out the latest skincare innovations on the market. Or – should we say – on TikTok. 

The latest trend? Facial patches that smooth wrinkles in your sleep. Granted, there’s absolutely nothing with having wrinkles, no matter what your age, but still, it’s also perfectly acceptable to want to delay your skin’s ageing process – if that feels right for you. 

The idea behind the patches is to retrain the facial muscles to stop wrinkles from forming in the first place. However, some TikTok users have also noticed a visible difference in the appearance of existing wrinkles. 

So err, are facial patches the real deal? Here’s what we know about the trend so far: 

Leading the trend is TikTok user @literallylizzi, who regularly uses her social media to test emerging beauty and makeup trends. 

In her video, she says, “Because I’m 24, I might be a bit young for actual Botox. However, I wanna try this Botox alternative because – even though I don’t really have wrinkles – I do have a lot of attitude and I [raise] my eyebrow a lot, and it’s starting to [create] creases.”

You can watch the full TikTok, here: 

According to Frownies, the brand that everyone is raving about on TikTok, the patches work by holding the facial muscles in place and “retraining [them] to lie in a smooth flat position again.” 

Here are their steps for applying the facial patches: 

1. Cleanse, rinse and dry your face. If using a moisturiser, allow it to absorb into your skin before applying a facial patch.

2. Massage facial lines for 10 seconds to stimulate circulation.

3. Moisten the shiny side of the patch with water to activate the adhesive.

4. Using two fingers of one hand, smooth your skin while pressing the patch onto your face with your other hand.

5. Leave on for a minimum of three hours (preferably overnight). 

In her results video (which you can watch below), @literallylizzi says her eyebrow crease looks “significantly reduced,” adding that, “the way I lift up my eyebrow is not the same.” 

She’s not the only person on TikTok to notice results after using facial patches. One TikTok user, @carolinetlord, described Frownies as “the best purchase I’ve made in my entire life,” adding “I used to have lines on my forehead and now they’re completely gone. I thought they were just going to smooth out my lines but no, they literally train the muscles in your forehead not to raise.” 

Another TikTok user, @samanthafrost_, described Frownies as her “15 dollar botox, which makes [her] wrinkle-less.” 

But do they actually work? GLAMOUR spoke to Dr Ross Perry, the medical director at Cosmedics, to find out. 

Dr Ross point out that “we have to remember this is largely a social media trend and fantastic marketing,” adding that, “When influencers or celebrities promote something and champion a new product, often showing off so-called ‘results’ the fan base react immediately and buy into said product, without really knowing if it works or not.”