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As someone who’s been writing about beauty for three years, I’m fairly confident that I can sniff out when a skin-care trend is just another fad and not to be taken seriously, and what is worth investigating. So when a reader sent in a link to a TikTok of a dermatologist with suspiciously good skin telling everyone to put butt paste on their skin, I became instantly curious to see how well something so simple could work on my skin.
Dr. Shereene Idriss, the dermatologist in question, calls it “face basting,” but it’s also come to be known as “skin basting.” Simply put, “skin basting” is a moisturizing technique that involves slathering on a layer of a cream with a high percentage of zinc oxide as your last skin-care step before bed. The idea is that you’ll wake up with glowing, deeply hydrated, and smooth skin in the morning. And if you’re wondering what a cream with a high percentage of zinc oxide looks like, it’s diaper cream.
Now, diaper cream has never been a product I’ve considered incorporating into my skin-care routine, but when I thought it through, it made complete sense. If I want skin as smooth as a baby’s … I should go straight to the source.
And the science checks out on this one. As my fellow beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst reported, “Zinc oxide is good for hyperpigmentation in particular and is thus a favorite of dermatologists for patients with melasma.” You can also find it in moisture-rich hand creams, and it’s commonly found in mineral sunscreen, since zinc-oxide particles scatter and reflect UV light, forming a physical barrier between the sun and the skin. “This is something that dermatologists have known works for a long time,” said dermatologist Dr. Jaimie Glick when I asked her if zinc oxide would be an effective skin-care ingredient. “We know that it’s gentle enough for a baby’s tush, and I’ve also worked with wound-care experts who used a lot of zinc oxide.”
As someone with dry, acne-prone skin, I couldn’t think of a single reason not to try it. While I’d seen dermatologists like Dr. Idriss basting with Triple Paste, which has a 12.8 percent concentration of zinc oxide, I’m a Brit and you can’t shop that brand here. Instead, I turned to Sudocrem — a remarkably similar product with an even higher concentration of zinc oxide at 15.25 percent. I followed Dr. Idriss’s lead and applied the cream after my other skin-care steps.
I have to admit: Applying it felt weird. I’ve only ever used Sudocrem to treat the odd patch of eczema or dry skin, so slathering it over my whole face felt a little unnatural. I also looked weird, as my flatmate didn’t hesitate to point out. The thick cream leaves a very visible white layer over your skin, meaning you’ll look a bit like Austin Butler in Dune 2. Another thing about the cream is that it doesn’t absorb right away, so it tends to get your pillowcases sticky. I change my pillowcases every day (so I’m not triggering acne with potential bacteria), but you can also remedy this by sitting and reading (or doomscrolling) for about 20 minutes before bed so the mask can absorb just enough that it’s no longer tacky.
I wasn’t expecting much to happen on the first night, but I was honestly dazzled by the results. My skin, which is usually demanding of some hyaluronic acid first thing in the morning, woke up feeling hydrated and even looking a little glowy. I’d noticed a bit of flaking around my nose due to the pesky benzoyl peroxide I have to use for my acne, but the diaper cream had soothed that entirely. I’ve been basting for a week now, and I know I’ve unlocked a new permanent step in my skin-care routine. I feel as though it may be helping with my acne scars, which this week have looked a little less inflamed since I’ve been basting. It’s early days, so this could be wishful thinking, but it certainly feels as though we’re stepping in the right direction. I absolutely love the feeling of waking up with what feels like normal skin, and once I’ve applied my other hydrating products in the morning, my skin feels, well, as smooth as you-know-what.
This article originally appeared in The Strategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter from our beauty writers on their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. Sign up here.
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