Soda and oil: a Japanese myth that can ruin your skin

For the second month now, Russian public pages have been retelling the “Japanese recipe for washing” from soda and vegetable oil — supposedly the secret of the porcelain skin of Asian women. We checked the primary sources and found a surprise: in Japan itself, no one had heard of such a technique, but dermatologists around the world, on the contrary, warn that baking soda on the face is a direct path to irritation.

A recipe that spread across the RuNet class=»notranslate»>__GTAG8__

The scheme is indecently simple: a teaspoon of vegetable oil, half a teaspoon of baking soda, mix everything with your fingers to form a paste and apply to a damp face with massaging movements, writes xrust. Next, wash it off, admire the result and believe that you have touched the age-old Japanese wisdom.

In recent weeks, this story with slight variations (avocado, coconut, almond oil — to choose from) has been distributed to dozens of regional publications with almost the same conclusion: “in Japan, where the culture of care has been brought to perfection, women have been using this duet for a long time.” The wording is beautiful. However, it cannot be verified.

How they actually wash their faces in Japan

class=»notranslate»>__GTAG17__There really is a real Japanese facial tradition, and it's older than any TikTok trend. We are talking about double cleansing: first, the face is treated with oil on dry skin to dissolve makeup, sebum and sunscreen, and then washed with a soft foam or gel product. It is believed that the habit dates back to the traditions of geishas and still remains the first step of almost any j-beauty ritual.

There is no soda in this scheme and never has been. Japanese brands do produce powder face washes with sodium bicarbonate — but these are factory-made cosmetics with a proven formula and pH, and not a homemade kitchen project with soda from a baking pack.

Where did the “Japanese” legend come from

The real trail leads not to Tokyo, but to TikTok. Videos with soda and oil (sometimes with the addition of Vaseline or honey) collect millions of views under hashtags like #diyskincare and #bakingsoda — this is a long-known, quite international trend in home cosmetics, without any geographical reference. This year, George Washington University even issued a separate warning to journalists specifically about this hobby — they simply call it a “beauty hack with soda,” without a single mention of Japan.

It seems that the “Japanese” label was stuck to the recipe retroactively — probably to give the kitchen life hack a touch of oriental aesthetics and virality. It works flawlessly: Asian skin care has long been sold as a standard, and any technique with the prefix “Japanese” or “Korean” receives a credit of trust that is not always deserved.

What dermatologists say

And, apparently, there is nothing special to trust. Dermatologist from George Washington University Pooja Sodha notes that there is practically no evidence of the benefits of baking soda for the skin, and the temporary glow effect after washing is not due to the properties of the ingredient, but to the usual removal of the top layer of fat and dead cells.

Another thing is worse: soda is alkaline, and the skin is normally slightly acidic, and it is this acidity that maintains the barrier and retains moisture. Cosmetic surgeon Hannah Kopelman says that in some of her patients, after soda scrubs, the skin becomes red, flakes and breaks out in rashes worse than before, and in people with dark and dark skin, soda sometimes intensifies exactly what it is supposed to fight — pigment spots. The reason is that lightening occurs only on the surface, and melanin, which gives dark spots, lies deeper and is not reached by soda.

Bacteria penetrate more easily through a barrier damaged by alkali — hence exacerbations in people with acne, eczema or psoriasis, for whom such an experiment may end with a visit to the doctor rather than to the mirror.

Analytics: why the myth lives on despite warnings

The old mechanics of viral content work here: a simple instruction of two ingredients from the kitchen defeats any complex formula with a serum costing three thousand rubles — simply because it is free and understandable at first glance. Add a spectacular “before/after” photo with a temporary glow (which, as explained above, is provided not by soda, but by regular fat removal) — and virality is guaranteed.

It is worth remembering that soda as a folk remedy for the skin was used in a variety of cultures long before social networks — from grandmother’s recipes to Soviet magazines “for women”. There was never anything specifically Japanese about the idea itself; She received exotic packaging only in recent months, when the trend began to spread across Russian-language public pages.

What to do instead

class=»notranslate»>__GTAG7__ Dermatologists unanimously advise not to reinvent the wheel: a mild cleanser, a light moisturizer and sun protection in the morning — a base that works without side effects. For exfoliation, instead of baking soda, they recommend salicylic or glycolic acid and niacinamide — ingredients with proven effectiveness and understandable concentrations, and not just a teaspoon by eye.

If the skin has already reacted to soda experiments with tightness, dryness or redness, you should temporarily abandon any exfoliation and switch to moisturizing care with ceramides, squalane or panthenol — and give the barrier time to recover, usually this takes about a week.

And if you still want to try something real from j-beauty, you can take the authentic Japanese practice as a basis: cleansing with oil followed by gentle washing. At least this is a method with a story and not a hashtag.

Sources:
healthline.com
savvytokyo.com
gwu.edu

Xrust Soda and oil: a Japanese myth that can ruin your skin