What Is the Point of the Skims Face Wrap?

Seemingly every day, I look at my phone and say to no one in particular, “What fresh hell is this?” But my usual doomscrolling took a hard left when I saw the latest post from Skims: A model wrapped in shapewear fabric—not around her body, but around her face. 

I’m used to business ventures from Kim Kardashian causing a stir. From pierced nipple bras to a giant inflatable Kim taking over Times Square, Skims seemingly thrives on getting people talking. That bra is completely sold out, and the brick-and-mortar store on Fifth Avenue regularly sees lines out the door.

But the brand’s new launch, a $48 surgical-looking face wrap has me wondering what on earth is going on at Skims HQ. Ostensibly the brand’s first beauty product—Kardashian bought back Coty’s stake in SKKN by Kim earlier this year for $200 million, paving the way for Skims to branch into the category—it’s touted as their “first-ever face innovation.” 

@skims/Instagram

Looking at the photos and reading the product description, it’s hard not to feel like it’s simply a way for the Kardashians to get a rise out of us. The comments section on the brand’s Instagram is thousands of posts deep—most of them negative, or at the very least, puzzled. “SKIMS: Making women feel bad about themselves since 2018,” reads one top comment, while another simply asks, “What in the Hannibal is this?” 

Wrapping from the chin to the crown of the head, it is undeniably spooky-looking. The product page offers almost no explanation as to what the wrap actually does, either. “This must-have face wrap boasts our signature sculpting fabric and features collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support,” it reads. “Velcro closures at the top and nape of the neck allow for easy, everyday wear.” 

For what it’s worth: The fabric makeup is listed as 81% polyamide and 19% elastane; Byrdie reached out to Skims to inquire about the collagen claims, as well as specific uses for the product, but the rep declined to comment.

On their socials, the brand would have us think that the face wrap is the logical next phase of the “morning shed,” a.k.a. the ritual of stripping away all the nightly beauty steps—mouth tape, masks, hair curlers, etc.—to look like a glowing goddess in the morning. An Instagram video with creator Jasmine Alisha that offers little extra context. “The way the Skims face shaper has elevated my entire morning shed is crazy,” she says in the video. “Like, my jawline has never been this snatched.”  

“Snatched” jawline aside, Alisha presents no other information about why this product is a worthwhile purchase. She also doesn’t share how long to wear it or how many nights she’s worn it to achieve her results. 

After many years in beauty, I have a strong suspicion that Skims cannot actually advertise that this contraption has any medical or aesthetic benefits for regulatory reasons. In other words, Skims is speaking in code to avoid getting fined by the FTC. Slimming your jawline? Too specific and quantifiable. But a snatched jawline? That they can work with. 

However, according to Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Dr. Marc Mani, who specializes in endoscopic deep plane facelifts, it’s possible that wearing a garment like this one might lead to results. 

“I make patients wear a similar ‘face bra’ after facelift surgery,” Dr. Mani tells Byrdie. “But wearing one at other times isn’t a bad idea.” Still, he stresses, “It’s not going to mimic a facelift, but if used regularly, it will support the ligaments of the face that end up getting strained by gravity and other forces.”

Facial sculpter Joseph Carillo is similarly enthused. “I’ve always believed in the power of facial compression,” he says. “When used consistently, it can support jawline definition, reduce under-chin puffiness, and even help retrain tongue posture.” 

Skims

It also isn’t lost on me—or the commenters—that the face wrap resembles a facial cosmetic surgery accessory. After all, maybe you’ve heard: The Kardashian-Jenners are in a new era of plastic surgery transparency. Kris Jenner kicked off the phase with a facelift, while Khloé revealed “every” procedure she’s gotten to date on Instagram. And of course, Kylie confirmed her breast implants via the comments section on TikTok. Everyone say it with me: “445 cc, moderate profile, half under the muscle!!! Silicone!!! Garth Fisher!!! Hope this helps lol.” (Kim’s list is still MIA, but surely under construction.)

In a way, I can understand the argument from a business standpoint: Why wouldn’t Skims offer a product that might emulate these results? But if the Kardashians themselves are admitting that their looks are only attainable via plastic surgery, then why would anyone fool themselves into thinking a piece of elastic wrapped around their face could offer similar results?

But if the Kardashians themselves are admitting that their looks are only attainable via plastic surgery, then why would anyone fool themselves into thinking a piece of elastic wrapped around their face could offer similar results?

Carillo suggests that Kim is simply “on the pulse” of what’s happening in beauty right now. “What Skims did was take something clinical or niche and make it feel intentional, wearable, and elevated it.”

Whether or not the item is representative of the culture right now isn’t necessarily up for debate. Body confidence speaker Alex Light posted a reaction video contextualizing the face wrap amid the larger shift toward thinness and youth. 

“This isn’t happening in isolation,” she says. “It’s happening alongside the normalization of buccal fat removal, the popularity of weight loss drugs, facial taping, threads, and an algorithm that rewards looking basically like an AI-generated doll.”

No matter how dystopian, the popularity of all of those things goes to show that there is a demand for products like this. The face wrap, it’s worth noting, is sold out. Whether or not it works? That remains to be seen.