A guide to slugging naturally without using petrolatum or Vaseline

Keeping your skin hydrated is one of the simplest and most important basics of skin care. This is especially true for those of us who live and work in the Northeast during winter (Reviva Labs is in southern New Jersey). But dehydrated skin can appear anywhere and anytime for a myriad of reasons. Enter the K-beauty skincare trend, slugging.

What is slugging?

Slugging is the Korean beauty skin care trend that includes layering petrolatum (think Vaseline) over top of your moisturizer – to form an extra thick occlusive layer – to prevent transepidermal water loss and to “lock-in” your moisturizer overnight. While it’s not necessarily a new concept, it’s recently become a hot topic on reddit’s skin care sub-reddits.

It’s become popular for good reason; it can truly help rejuvenate dry skin on your face, hands, feet, and even your body. Of course, it does come with a trade-off; even the thinnest layer of Vaseline can leave you feeling goopy and sticky. And unless you’re someone who can sleep on your back – prepare for your hair to be stuck to your face and for more frequent pillowcase replacements.

But what about those who don’t like to use petroleum-based products?

If you’re like the crew here at Reviva, you don’t want to use petrolatum products on your skin – even if dermatologists say it’s fine. You’d rather choose more natural products that are good for you and less harmful to our planet too. Fortunately, there are many excellent natural alternatives for locking in moisture at night – with natural occlusive ingredients.

Our Ultra Moisturizing Cream Hydratante is your perfect slugging alternative

Slugging suggests the use of Vaseline or similar type products because their thicker viscosity helps the product to stay in place – creating a good occlusive barrier that stays put while you sleep. Reviva’s Cream Hydratante offers this same function without any petrolatum or harmful ingredients! Better yet, not only will it lock-in your hydrating serum or cream you apply first – but it’s also infused with beneficial hydrating ingredients!

Don’t be fooled by its simple formulation!

Sure, our Cream Hydratante only has 11 ingredients, but each was chosen to support and boost the others. And the goodies are each in there at helpfully high percentages.

Lanolin Alcohol, Euphorbia Cerfera (Candelilla) Wax, Sunflower Oil, Purified Water, Hyaluronate Gel, Cucumber Melon Extract, Chamomile Extract, Licorice Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Chloride.

Key ingredients:

36% Sunflower Oil
22% Lanolin Alcohol
8% Euphorbia Cerfera (Candelilla) Wax
3% Hyaluronate Gel

Nourishing sunflower oil, which is rich in vitamins A, C, D, E, and beta-carotene, is a great emollient that’s rich in linoleic acid, a fatty acid found naturally in skin’s sebum. Lanolin alcohol (aka sheep alcohol or wool alcohol) is a non-drying organic compound that’s an alcohol in chemical structure only. That is, it’s a beneficial fatty alcohol that soothes skin and helps defend against moisture loss and, as a skin similar ingredient, can help skin feel more supple. Candelilla wax is a natural vegetable wax that is a skin conditioning protectant and natural occlusive (and our substitute for a petrolatum). Plus, we’ve included a healthy percentage of hyaluronic acid to attract moisture and to help keep it near the skin.

Hey, we’re not going to deceive you, yes, our Cream Hydratante is a thick, viscous product that applies and stays goopy for several minutes (like Vaseline). But it eventually does absorb and “seal” as the candelilla wax forms a natural waxy film to hold everything in. So, you’re less likely to wake up with hair matted to your face as with petroleum jelly-based products.

It’s good for your face, hands, elbows, and feet too

You can use our Cream Hydratante on your face, feet, hands, or anywhere. Judith Strassler swore by it during her various rounds of radiation and chemotherapy (you can watch Judy’s video). For other body uses – we wrote a tongue-in-cheek blog about it “Maybe we should have called it secret feet sauce!” The real-life inspiration was one of our own using it to “slug” and rejuvenate her dry rough feet.

So, if you’re looking for a slugging solution that doesn’t require petrolatum-based products, look no further than Reviva’s Cream Hydratante. It’s your natural slugging alternative for your face and body too.