Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company Skims isn’t just lifting butts and boobs — it’s also supporting your jaw. At least that’s the idea behind the company’s new product, the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap.
The wrap, which looks like a postsurgical compression garment, is described on the Skims website as their “first-ever face innovation.” It comes in two of the brand’s famous neutral colors: clay and cocoa. “This must-have face wrap boasts our signature sculpting fabric and features collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support,” the site reads. “Velcro closures at the top and nape of the neck allow for easy, everyday wear.” Currently the brand is retailing the product for $48, and both colors are already sold out online.
Skims has not specifically claimed that this product can change the shape of your face. However, over on the brand’s Instagram, influencer Jasmine Alisha tried on the garment for her “morning shed” — aka her morning routine in which she removes nighttime products like lip masks and hair bonnets in order to reveal glowy skin and hair. In the video, Alisha says, “Shout-out to Skims for giving me this snatched jawline.”
She also called out how the product is “infused with collagen,” though it’s unclear exactly what this means or what Skims claims it will do. Skims states on its website that the garment is infused with “collagen yarn” but also that it is made from 81% polyamide and 19% elastane, synthetic fibers commonly used in stretchy clothing. Yahoo reached out to Skims via email to request more information about the mask, including what collagen yarn is and whether Skims had conducted any trials on the wrap to test its effectiveness. A spokesperson replied that the company is “unable to provide comment at this time.”
While this may be the brand’s first face wrap, Skims is not the only company selling this type of garment. Skin Gym sells a similar product, which the company claims can “sculpt and support your jawline while you sleep” as well as “reduce the appearance of puffiness, ease facial tension, and enhance the appearance of more defined features for a well-rested, lifted look.” Meanwhile, one silicone face wrap sold on Amazon claims to be a “double chin reducer” and “jawline shaper,” while a second, similar product sold on Amazon says it can be used for “jawline tightening.”
What do experts think about the face wrap?
So far Skims has not offered details on the science behind the wrap, but experts who spoke to Yahoo voiced skepticism about its ability to change one’s face shape the way Alisha’s Instagram post suggested.
New York City dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner told Yahoo that in theory compression could change one’s face shape — but the garment would have to be worn over time. During the natural aging process, he explained, collagen production slows down, and the skin becomes weaker and “starts to sag.”
“The effects of gravity do add to this, and, theoretically, using a compression garment like this from a very early age may give some modest benefit, because the skin is not experiencing those effects of gravity as much,” said Zeichner.
But Dr. Stafford Broumand of 740 Park Plastic Surgery said that people hoping for major transformations of their face from this product may be disappointed.
Broumand said that the face wrap is essentially a compression garment, much like the ones people use after having procedures like a facelift in order to reduce swelling and aid in the healing process. He said that people may notice a change in their facial appearance after removing the face wrap, the same way you might notice a reduction in swelling after you remove a compression from any part of your body. However, he stressed that this would be a temporary change. In order to get a true tightening effect, Broumand said, surgical options — such as a deep plane facelift, which Kardashian’s mom, Kris Jenner, is rumored to have gotten herself — are what will offer the most dramatic results.
Ultimately, Broumand said, clinical trials are the only way to know for sure if the product works as Skims claims it does.
Zeichner said that while this product may not be the solution to a sagging face, it could help people who recently had a facial tightening procedure done in order to potentially maximize their results, noting “there is a theoretical role for compression after those types of procedures, perhaps to provide enhanced outcomes.” However, he said, “results will be modest.”
“This type of product coming to the market and getting such attention shows the focus that even younger people are having on aging the best that they can,” Zeichner said. “And if you are concerned, then touch base with a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to see what’s right for you. The earlier we address signs of aging the better.”
Not all customers are convinced either
The new Skims face wrap has also prompted skepticism from some potential customers. In the comments section of the initial Instagram post by Skims, people accused the company of playing into their customers’ insecurities in order to make a profit, with one user calling it “proof that women’s insecurities are a billion-dollar industry and celebrities continue to abuse this fact to profit.”
Meanwhile, another joked, “Just dropped — new invention to make women feel insecure for no reason.” Others called out the brand for raising “beauty standards” and charged that Skims has been “making women feel bad about themselves since 2018.”
And one asked, “If this works so well, why didn’t Kris Jenner use this instead of spending thousands of dollars on a facelift?” referring to recent statements by Jenner’s reps confirming that she received a facial refresh from Dr. Steven Levine last year.
Some people online, however, noted that the face wrap might have some noncosmetic purpose: “I have a connective tissue disorder that caused TMJ and my jaw recesses at night, which causes mouth breathing + allergies so I am actually stoked for this!” one person wrote in the Instagram comments. A second added, “This isn’t new. People who suffer from burns on neck and face have worn these before in the U.K.”
