Yes, People Are Using Period Blood as Skincare
Midjourney
The Trend: If you ever felt like DIY skincare routines have gotten a little, um, intense, TikTok would like to raise you one period mask. Popularized on social media, hashtags like #periodfacemask has racked up billions of views. The practice, known as menstrual masking, involves applying menstrual blood to the face. Yes, really.
What People Are Saying: Supporters consider menstrual masking to be both a beauty ritual and an empowering way to connect more deeply with their bodies and ancestral femininity. They also point to the biological richness of menstrual fluid, and surprisingly, this idea is not entirely untethered from science. In lab settings, plasma derived from menstrual fluid has been shown to help wounds heal faster. Other research suggests that stem cells taken from menstrual blood can stimulate collagen production.
What to Know: These findings come from controlled medical studies that may not be replicable in the real world. Plus, dermatologists are quick to point out that menstrual fluid is far from sterile and can contain bacteria and pathogens. From a medical perspective, it’s a practice best to leave behind until more medical research dictates otherwise.
