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Have the ice cube and the cold become the ultimate beauty allies? Radiance, firmness, puffiness, dark circles, wrinkles, blood circulation, and even dilated pores… They tick all the boxes to become essential in the bathroom, if this is not already the case. Social networks already swear by these little frozen cubes, which are now attracting the attention of brands, and are even the subject of new beauty and well-being escapades in northern Europe.
A simple small cube of artificial ice, in other words a tiny amount of water placed in the freezer, unleashes passions on social networks. Millions of users are now turning to the powers of cold to obtain a radiant complexion, firmer skin, less visible wrinkles and dark circles, or even shinier hair, in all possible and imaginable variations. And as if that weren’t enough, they in turn offer frozen tips of all kinds to combine the effects of cold with those of other super ingredients such as aloe vera or cucumber.
Ancestral virtues
The benefits of the cold have not been discovered in the era of social networks, far from it. From ancient times, the Greeks used it to alleviate certain pains, as did the Egyptians, and it has even been part of the culture of certain countries in northern Europe, such as Finland, for decades. But it was then essentially a question of properties intended to cure certain ailments, or to strengthen the immune defences. Over time, these benefits have crept into the beauty industry to enhance the skin in many ways. At first, it was a question of placing its creams, masks, and other cosmetics for a few minutes in the refrigerator to increase their benefits tenfold, but the phenomenon ended up bringing out new gestures and beauty tips, as accessible as they are affordable, in going to become unavoidable.
Not content with helping to burn fat, but also to eliminate toxins, the cold would improve blood circulation. Benefits that are attributed for example to cold showers – more precisely to the jet of cold water spent a few minutes on the body at the end of the shower – but also to sports practiced outdoors in the middle of winter or to cryotherapy, otherwise said to cold treatment. That’s not all, since the cold also acts as a decongestant; which makes it an ideal ally to fight against puffiness and dark circles. And as if that weren’t enough, by improving blood circulation, it puts an end to dull complexion, lack of firmness, dilated pores, or even the formation of wrinkles. So many properties that have propelled ice cubes to the rank of essential beauty.
Skin-icing, the powers of the ice cube
The innumerable virtues of the cold did not escape the tiktokeurs who were quick to experiment with them, then to adopt them for the long term. Today there are dozens and dozens of hashtags related to these beauty tips, for a total of several hundred million views. Gestures sometimes shared by dermatologists, who do not hesitate for their part to remind them of their limits, particularly in terms of sensitivity and skin dryness. But used optimally, and in moderation, cold, in the form of ice cubes or beauty tools, actually allows you to enjoy a host of benefits.
On the Chinese social network, skin-icing, which simply consists of applying an ice cube to the face, is the most widespread and popular practice (23 million views). But today there are many variations such as the frozen cucumber, which this time consists of applying a frozen cucumber to the face (39 million views), the frozen lipstick, which boils down to practicing skin-icing but with the using a tube of lipstick (400,000 views), or the frozen beauty blender, which would facilitate the application of foundation (9.7 million views). More recently, frozen aloe vera, this time consisting of making an aloe vera ice cube to combine the effects of the cold with the moisturizing virtues of the plant (3.2 million views), which went viral. So many tips that have become essential that have not escaped the actors of beauty.
From social networks to the bathroom
If it is possible to place your cosmetics – serums, creams, masks, and other make-up removers – in the refrigerator to increase their properties tenfold, brands have gone even further in recent months by offering tools directly inspired by cryotherapy, to be used home. This started in particular with ice globes at the beginning of 2022, a tool that takes the form of globes filled with water to put in the refrigerator and then apply to the skin. The goal ? Soothe it, and reduce dark circles and inflammation. A year after their popularization, these accessories seem to have had a maximum of followers, with no less than 60 million views on TikTok.
But there is an even simpler way, namely placing massage tools, such as a jade roller, a gua sha, or a quartz roller, in the refrigerator to achieve the same results. And to combine the virtues of cold with other properties, brands now offer refreshing masks, roll-ons and cold effect sticks, for an even more optimal result. This is particularly the case with the “Cryo Recovery Mask” mask by Charlotte Tilbury, the “Cryo Rubber” mask by Dr. Jart+, the “Cryo-Fraîcheur” stick by Holidermie, the “Cryo Anti-Pockets” roll-on by Sothys Paris, or the “Ice Therapy Kit” from the Akane Skincare brand.
To combine beauty and pleasure, there are also today many well-being getaways focused on the virtues of the cold, whether in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, or even closer in France. In Finland, ice swimming – or avanto (hole dug in the ice in Finnish) – is a tradition, a real ritual renowned for its benefits for the skin and for health, and even for stress and general well-being. All you have to do to take advantage of it is to take out your best swimsuit and slip into one of the country’s countless lakes and rivers. A real boost of freshness that will undoubtedly help you better perceive the benefits of winter.