There’s been a handful of trends as of late where people want their skin to look like various food items. First, there was glazed donut skin, and now we’ve moved on to Jello skin. While striving to look like a donut or a bowl of Jello may seem similar, they diverge in a really pivotal way. Jello skin is hyper focused on what you put in your body just as much as what you put on your skin to help it achieve its Jello-like feel. To get the scoop on the trend, we talked to the TikToker who coined the term, Ava Lee.
What is “Jello Skin?”
“By definition, Jello skin is having skin that is so elastic that when you move it, it bounces back, just like Jello,” says Lee. “But it’s so much more than just the texture. It’s a whole lifestyle that focuses on internal wellness and external skin care.”
Lee feels Jello skin has caught on as a trend, with #jelloskin reaching over 15.7 million views on TikTok, because “it’s something people can really relate to. We have been seeing so many skin-care launches that we tend to forget that what we eat and feed our bodies actually has a huge impact on our skin. It’s all related.” She adds that “the term Jello skin helped people remember this and that having good skin goes beyond just your vanity.”
It’s all about the collagen
In a TikTok featuring Lee’s facialist, he explains that you can tell she has a “beautiful level of collagen” in her skin because it bounces right back when you touch it, indicating that it’s firm, “like the perfect consistency of Jello.” Robin Ashley, also known as the Dallas Facialist, explains that “collagen is the main structural protein in the skin, which gives it support and provides volume, so the skin is smooth and wrinkle-free.” As we age, collagen tends to deplete, resulting in a loss in volume and elasticity. “Yes, we can replenish volume with quality skin care and professional treatments, but we still need proper nutrition internally to nourish our skin and maintain skin elasticity, hydration and collagen.”
In addition to a collagen-rich diet, which might include bone broth, dark green vegetables, vitamin C-rich fruits, fish and fermented foods, skin care can help. “The gold standard to building collagen is using retinoids/retinol nightly as well as other known and proven ingredients such as certain peptides, growth factors, and antioxidants like vitamin C,” says Ashley.
How to achieve Jello Skin
You may not know this, but Jello is actually an acronym. Lee explains that “J” stands for journey as “it’s not an overnight change,” “E” stands for “eat balanced meals,” the first “L” is for “lifestyle, not just skin care,” and the second “L” is for laugh to encourage you to “move your facial muscles” and the “O” stands for “old is not bad—age gracefully with plump skin.”
While good skin care is a factor in achieving Jello skin, that’s not all there is to it. The beauty of Jello skin is that it encourages you to enjoy your life without restriction. “It’s about eating your greens, but also not restricting yourself from a croissant. It’s about moving your muscles—I’m not a big yoga person, but I do love facial yoga or relying on my facial tools. And it’s about being patient!” says Lee.
Facial massages are essential
According to Ashley, “facial manipulation is paramount in healthy, bouncy skin” and offers a “myriad of benefits, including lymphatic drainage, tension release, boosting collagen production and increasing circulation to nourish our cells.” She wants you to think of blood flow “as a nutrient-rich river that delivers skin cells the ‘food’ they need to act in an optimal way. Healthy skin starts at the cellular level.” She suggests incorporating a facial massage into your daily skin-care routine.
Expert-approved products that can help you achieve Jello Skin
TikTokers tend to be quick to refer you to a tool, but Lee says she loves using her fingers. When she does use a tool, she prefers a Gua Sha ($8) or her “advanced Japanese beauty tool” ($250) for facial exercises. As for skin care, the most important aspect is having a “routine that is right for you and your skin type,” says Lee. “Besides that, I love taking my beauty powders and supplements for that inner wellness—supporting my collagen levels and my gut health.”
Ashley gave us some ways facialists achieve Jello Skin in their clients that you can try at home. She suggests honey tapping with iS Clinical Warming Honey Cleanser ($48) and a facial massage “to boost circulation and gently resurface the skin.” In addition to a collagen-rich diet, Ashley suggests taking Osmosis Beauty Elevate ($76) to “support collagen and elastin to promote a bright, healthy complexion.” Other products Ashley suggests include Babor Collagen Concentrate ($50) and Skinbetter Alto Advanced Defense and Repair Serum ($185).
Collagen induction therapy for Jello Skin
While professional treatments aren’t necessary to achieve Jello Skin, they can help speed up the process. Ashley suggests collagen induction therapy, also known as microneedling. It’s “a minimally invasive skin rejuvenation treatment. During the procedure, tiny punctures create micro-damage within the skin, directing your skin to release biomolecules that stimulate the production of collagen, elastin fibers and new blood vessels,” explains Ashley. “Over the next few months after the treatment, the amount of collagen in the skin will increase, giving the skin a revitalized, more plump and smooth-looking appearance.”
