What is the morning shed TikTok trend? Gen Z are strapping up their faces before bed in a bid to reduce ageing - but skin experts aren't convinced

The latest Gen Z beauty trends has thousands of women all around the world sleeping in sellotape and double chin-reducing face straps to wake-up with 'glass skin' for a maintenance look.

The viral treatment - dubbed the 'morning shed' - promises a fuss-free start to the day by instructing individuals to sleep in sellotape, silicone face peels loaded with products, and augmenting chin straps.

The new method - which has over 3.2 million tags on TikTok - has been called the 'morning shed' thanks to the ritual it requires it requires first thing to remove the extensive array of attachments. 

The method reports to offer an 'effortless' morning look for those who want to save time in the morning, enhancing their natural beauty by putting in the work the night before. 

Many have warned that, as well as making for an incredibly uncomfortable night's sleep, some elements of it could pose a risk of 'suffocation'.

Pictured, one creator posted a video removing all of the attachments she uses for her nighttime routine. The viral treatment promises a fuss-free morning by having individuals sleep in sellotape, silicone face peels loaded with products, and augmenting chin straps

Creators are often seen wearing silicone patches on their foreheads or under their eyes, sometimes filled with reactive productive such as retinol, which can cause irritation when pressed into the skin over night.

Other popular elements of the night-time up do includes taping their mouths shut or taping the eyebrows up to the hairline. 

One user even peeled off a layer of tape over the top of her eyelids which were also covered by an uncomfortable looking compress. 

Answering one viewer's baffled question on why she was taping her eyes shut, the user responded: 'It’s a warm compress to help with clogged glands and styles! Also it’s weighted so it helps keep my eyes shut completely when I sleep.' 

Heatless curls, which are harmless, are also commonplace. 

Breaking down the benefits of each part of her nighttime facial up do, one creator, Mayte Myers, from Texas, USA, explained that each component has its own specific purpose.

In the video, which has raked in over three million views on the app, Mayte first began by explaining mouth tape, saying it 'helps when you sleep and you tend to open your mouth or breathe in through your mouth'.

'It redirects you to breathe in through your nose which results in better quality of sleep,' she said.

Mayte Myers, from Texas, pictured, USA, explained that each component has its own specific purpose. She started by explaining that mouth tape stops her from sleeping with her mouth open at night

Creator are often seen wearing silicone patches on their foreheads or under their eyes, sometimes filled with reactive productive such as retinol, which can cause irritation when pressed into the skin over night

As she then removed an uncomfortable looking silicone sling from around her jawline, which alleges to help create a more chiseled look.

'It's like a waist trainer for your jaw. I just wanted to define it [her jaw] a little bit more. It also helps me from moving around my jaw at night.'

Removing the strap, Mayte revealed her sleek looking jawline, commenting that she had achieved 'pretty good results.' 

Silicone eyepatches, also commonplace for morning shedders, are aimed at 'reducing wrinkles' with the creator claiming they give her 'the best glow'.

Peeling off a forehead silicone patch, Mayte goes as far as to attribute her 'glass skin' to her routine. 

Her final peel after is to remove her bonnet and heatless curls. 'So, I wear a bonnet to keep my hair protected'.

She also wore a large clip at the back of her head to achieve an 'overnight' blow our look.

Mayte, who has racked up over eight million views in total on all her peeling videos, claimed she had received 'amazing results,' using the method.      

Another TikToker agreed with the effectiveness of the jaw defining sling, explaining that it both helped her to 'snatch' her jawline into a slimmer shape, and also improve sleep.

UK based TikToker, Nicole, pictured, said she has noticed a difference in the slimness of her face since wearing the double chin strap overnight

Another creator pictured with an array of uncomfortable looking accessories before sleeping. many are dubious about the reported benefits of the the skin perfecting accessories

Though she was convinced the benefits were there, she joked that it was hard to take herself seriously when so covered with uncomfortable contraptions.

'I can't take myself seriously whenever I have everything on. No idea how my partner sleeps next to me,' she said.

However, speaking to Healthline, dermatologist Sophie Momen warned that the long process is more than likely to simply be 'very time consuming and largely unnecessary'.

She warned that stamping endless products into the skin overnight can be counterintuitive to optimising skin health.

She explained: 'Drenching the skin in heavy serums and products may block pores and lead to breakouts, while around the delicate eye area, it may cause the formation of milia.'

One user, pictured, even peeled off a layer of tape over the top of her eyelids which were also covered by an uncomfortable looking compress 

Answering one commenters baffled question on why she was taping her eyes shut, the user pictured explained: 'It’s a warm compress to help with clogged glands and styles! Also it’s weighted to it helps keep my eyes shut completely when I sleep.'

Further, using harsh ingredients with active ingredients that cause irritation since these products are only meant to be used for a short period of time and should be breathable rather than pushed beneath silicone.

Not only can it be damaging, but most products will achieve their intended effect after 10 minutes with little to suggest a further eight hours will better the results.

Though she does believe that some elements can be helpful, for example using silk wraps or pillow cases to reduce harm to our hair at night, the rest isn't likely to reap any improvement in skin quality. 

Not to mention, many complain that products and attachments are prone to falling off over night, likely making for a more irritating an uncomfortable night rather than one 'better sleep quality.

Many viewers online are also dubious about the reported benefits of the the skin perfecting accessories.  

Responding to one of the innumerable posts of a creator's 'morning shed', one sceptic wrote: 'I don't get it? Why use all this stuff, what's the point?'

A concerned second expressed concern over whether the extensive night routine might be fatally dangerous with one writing: 'I'm scared to tape because during summer, I have allergies to pollen that makes my nose stuffy and I feel I might not be able to breathe enough during the night.' 

Another also expressed concern about the risk of suffocation. They said: 'One girl said "if you have nasal congestion, mouth taping with cure it" and I was like no... You'll suffocate in your sleep.' 

Others seemed equally unlikely to be drawn in by the purported benefits of the the uncomfortable looking night routine as one wrote: 'And the crazy part is, none of it works'. 

Responding to one of the innumerable posts of a creator's 'morning shed', one sceptic wrote: 'I don't get it? Why use all this stuff, what's the point?'

However, another dermatologist, Brendan Camp MD, told Glamour, there may be some merit behind the long procedure.

'Silicone wrinkle patches can temporarily plump skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,' he said.

'They do this by creating an occlusive barrier on the skin, which traps moisture and prevents its evaporation of water from the skin surface, causing the skin to plump.' 

The extensive ritual is a far cry from what the 'Brat summer' purports to be - with singer Charli XCX's June album becoming a cultural reference point for Gen Zs justification of partying and general debauchery.

While fans of the singer have spent the season glamourising boozing, smoking, and putting hedonism into full practice - the trend specifically hailing a 'messy' aesthetic.

In contrast, the 'morning peel' involves a laborious ritual of applying face pinching tape and and silicone to hold in place the cheeks, jaw, and often the mouth.