Some folks swear by the products’ ability to smooth fine lines, particularly the so-called elevens that form between the eyebrows. “They make a massive difference, but only to my elevens and frown lines—I’ve not used them anywhere else,” says Becca Caddy, 35, a journalist based in the United Kingdom.
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Caddy says her lines aren’t age-related, but rather appeared because she went without glasses for years and squinted instead. “I’m fully aware they’re not magically getting rid of age-related lines, but must be doing a similar thing to Botox in relaxing that area that’s usually mega-tense.”
Gwen Calais-Haase, a graduate student in Boston, found out about Frownies on TikTok. “I get so much baby Botox content that I was like, hmm, interesting alternative!” she says, referencing the trend of people in their twenties—“babies”—getting “preventative” Botox. “I was pretty dedicated [to Frownies] for three weeks” before falling off the wagon, she says.
Frownies are “similar to Botox” in that they “immobilize the underlying facial muscles through their unique design,” according to their maker. Theoretically, the patches prevent the muscles from moving, thus helping to “retrain the facial muscles to relax, release tension, and lay flat.” Other brands of wrinkle patches, such as the silicone-based SiO Beauty, work similarly, though SiO also claims that it helps the skin stay hydrated, thus “plumping” the skin and causing it to appear smoother.
Wrinkle patches require a fair amount of effort daily. Users must first wash their face, and any moisturizer must be allowed to sink in for 10 to 15 minutes before applying the patches. After massaging any fine lines for 10 to 15 seconds, the skin is ready for application. Each patch must be lightly wetted on one side. After gently separating the lines on the relevant area of the face, the user should apply the patch while pressing down with the fingers to ensure it adheres completely; the patches then harden as they dry.
Frownies recommends that people use the patches for several hours a day, preferably overnight for three to five days for shallower fine lines. Long-term results may take up to four weeks, according to the company, which advises users to wear them at least three to four nights every week to “maintain wrinkle-free skin.”
Using them is as uncomfortable as it sounds. I recently tried Frownies on my forehead and around my smile lines, and I was unable to drink water except through a straw; I couldn’t laugh, and could only mumble, as my mouth was too constricted to form words clearly. When I finally tore them off at my bathroom sink—an unpleasant experience—I was incredibly relieved. Considering that laughing, speaking, eating, and drinking all require facial movements that will inevitably result in fine lines and wrinkles, it follows that a product aimed at preventing their formation would also prevent the movements that create them. But in practice it is extremely awkward and bizarre.
“The idea of these types of products is they harden and basically stiffen, so you cannot use the muscles. So temporarily the idea is to prevent a movement, and over time to train the muscle to not move,” says Mary Stevenson, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. “The results of these are temporary, and I think they’re gimmicky,” she says.
Anjali Mahto, a dermatologist based in the United Kingdom and author of "The Skincare Bible: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Great Skin" (Penguin, 2018), says she’s unaware of any data that suggests that wrinkle patches are effective. Any temporary effects “will disappear as you start to use your muscles again—a bit like an ironed piece of clothing in that it’s smooth to start with, but with wear, will become creased.”
Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photo: Shutterstock
This column first ran in Valerie Monroe’s newsletter, How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, which you can subscribe to on Substack.
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Leave it to a viral TikTok video to create the beauty world’s latest fixation: silicone patches. The video has been viewed over 50 million times with commenters in awe of the perceived power of each patch, seemingly smoothing the woman’s wrinkles and making her skin appear smoother, bouncier, and firmer overnight. Made for your forehead, under-eye area, smile lines, and chest, the patches have even been dubbed an alternative to costly invasive treatments, like Botox.
A reader thinks she may have stumbled upon some wrinkle-reducing magic. But how easy would it be to slap something on your face at the first sign of a wrinkle before you hit the hay and wake up smooth as a freshly ironed sheet? Experts share their honest thoughts on the efficacy of these patches and if they live up to the hype.
Q: Have you heard about silicone patches like these? You’re supposed to apply them at night to clean, dry skin. Since nighttime is typically when I slather on my moisturizer and treatment product, I wasn’t sure about this. I would welcome your thoughts.
A: The patches do prevent your skin from wrinkling while you’re wearing them — but you’d have to wear them 24/7 to enjoy this effect. I have a word for that: Impractical. Bottom line? “I wouldn’t invest in them,” says dermatologist Jessica Weiser, who I emailed to get her expertise. Better to use proven ingredients like vitamin A derivative retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids.
She added: “These silicone patches were trendy a few years ago for the neck and décolletage, because people believed they’d prevent wrinkles from side-sleeping,” says Weiser. “Silicone is an occlusive, drawing water to the skin’s surface to create a temporary plumping effect. But consumers ultimately realized the patches often didn’t stay in place overnight. More to the point, they didn’t prevent lines and wrinkles.” There are many affordable, drugstore options for occlusive creams that hydrate well, adds cosmetic chemist Kenna Whitnell.
Because the patches are hypoallergenic, it’s unlikely you’d experience any downside from using them, says Weiser, except suboptimal outcomes. Including a lighter wallet.
Valerie Monroe was beauty director at O, The Oprah Magazine, where she wrote the monthly “Ask Val” column for nearly 16 years. Now she writes the weekly newsletter How Not to F*ck Up Your Face. Her goal continues to be to shift our thinking in the beauty arena from self-criticism to self-compassion and to learn how to be loving witnesses to ourselves and one another as we age.
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