As a beauty journalist, I get tons of pitches related to skin and wellness, and you know what my initial reaction is 99 percent of the time? Skepticism. Always skepticism. For every brand that’s promoting something actually good, there are 10 more wannabes pushing some gimmick as the “next best thing.” So when I saw Wild Source, a UK-based indie brand I’ve used for years, offering meditation as a new “product” in its beauty collection, I rolled my eyes. People have been meditating for years—why is this brand now selling it to me for clear skin and a glow? I totally get the benefits of meditating for mental health reasons, but as a skincare product, I wasn’t so sure.

So I did some digging, and after a few hours of researching and emailing back and forth with Wild Source, I found out that its meditation programs are (1) designed to support clear, healthy skin by reducing stress and (2) completely free via its Instagram. Accessibility and education is key for founder Kate Roath, who says that consumers “don’t need another skincare product that will cost $50 and might not do anything—just look internally and use meditation as a beauty tool.” Refreshing, right?

As someone who has struggled with on-and-off acne for years, the skin health aspect of meditating was appealing to me, so I decided to try a monthlong experiment where I meditated as a part of my daily skincare routine. But before we can get into how all that went down, let’s break down some basics and dive into the effects of stress on skin first, shall we?

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How stress impacts skin

When our bodies experience stress, a hormone called cortisol spikes. The occasional spike in cortisol is normal, but elevated cortisol for an extended period of time—something most of us experience on a regular basis just by existing in these truly wild times—is problematic. “In modern life, most people experience chronic stress, which means their bodies are constantly being flooded with high levels of cortisol—and it’s horrible for our skin,” says Amy Wechsler, MD, double-board-certified dermatologist and psychiatrist.

High cortisol levels can lead to dry, thinning skin as well as collagen breakdown and premature aging (hello, dark spots and wrinkles). It also increases inflammation in the body (inflammation = your skin’s worst enemy) and causes pores to overproduce serum (aka oil), leading to blackheads, whiteheads, and breakouts, says clinical esthetician Pamela Marshall, cofounder of Mortar & Milk skin clinic in London. It’s no wonder we all look like shit and break out when we’re stressed.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. The science is new and emerging, but there is evidence that practicing regular meditation can help our bodies better cope with stress and, in turn, keep our hormones balanced, cortisol levels stable, and inflammation in check, says Marshall. “The brain and the skin are inextricably connected—they’re actually made from the same embryological layer of cells. The skin is the most external, the mind brain the most internal, but they have a lot of interconnections,” adds Dr. Wechsler. In other words, the mind-skin connection is a very real thing.

The benefits of meditation

Stress-release techniques are anti-inflammatory, says Dr. Wechsler, who practices a specific type of medicine called psychodermatology that incorporates mental health treatments as a part of skincare routines. “By minimizing your body’s inflammatory response to stress, meditating can improve the quality of your skin barrier, smooth and plump the skin, and reduce things like rosacea and acne,” says Dr. Wechsler.

Meditating can also improve quality of sleep—another key factor for healthy skin, says Dr. Wechsler. Our skin repairs and regenerates itself at night while we’re sleeping, so if you’re not getting good, regular sleep, you’re missing out on those healing and anti-aging benefits (sorry to all of you new parents out there).

The skin experiment

I wanted to see for myself if meditating would help improve my dry, acne-prone skin, so I decided to try meditating every day while keeping the rest of my skincare routine exactly the same. I followed Wild Source’s advice and did its online guided meditations daily for 10 minutes total for one month. Here’s how it went down:

Week 1

According to Wild Source, meditating is beneficial any time of the day, so I decided to do the “nighttime” meditation before bed in an attempt to help relax my mind and prepare my body for a good night’s sleep.

Each day, I feel refreshed and happy to dedicate 10 minutes of my time to meditating. Giselle La-Pompe Moore’s voice (she’s a spiritual guide who leads all of Wild Source’s meditations) is calming, reassuring, and easy to follow. At this point, I haven’t noticed any change in my skin, but I definitely feel more relaxed.

Week 2

By week two, I need to switch things up and start meditating in the morning. By leaving it for the end of the day, it would sometimes feel like a chore—something I had to squeeze in before bed and check off my to-do list, which, no thanks. If anything, this experiment is about relaxation, not increased stress, right?

I’m also super busy this week, so these 10 minutes of calm are really helping my mood and concentration. I decide to include a few facial massage movements that I learned from skin experts like Abigail James and All You Can Face during the meditation, which are honestly really great for relieving tension too.

There’s no change in my skin, but it’s been only two weeks (skin doesn’t transform overnight, my friends) so I’m not discouraged.

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Week 3

At this point, I think I start to see a *subtle* change in my skin. There’s no noticeable difference in tone or texture, but my face feels calmer and less reactive. I continue my daily meditations hoping this skin retains its newfound chillness.

Week 4

I’m pleased to report that I’ve experienced zero new breakouts for the past three weeks. Again, my tone and texture have stayed the same, but no new acne breakouts is a major win for me. My skin even feels less dehydrated too—and I haven’t upped my water intake or changed my serum.

Based on my short lil experiment, I think it’s safe to say that regular meditating could have a positive impact on skin over time. Did my skin transform into something ultra smooth and poreless? No, but that’s okay. It feels healthier, which is most important to me. And my overall stress levels feel significantly less elevated too.

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Fani Mari
My skin before meditating.
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Fani Mari
My skin after four weeks of meditating.

The takeaway

All the experts I spoke to for this story agree: Meditation can be a great way to lower stress and, as a result, improve your skin health overall. However, it has to be the preferred stress-reducing technique for you, says osteopath Kemmy Gichaba, founder of Holistic Impact. “Meditation can be a great tool, but it shouldn’t be the only mechanism in your ‘toolbox’ of stress relief.”

If you’re not into meditating, NBD—try exercising, going for a walk, spending time in nature, reading a book, anything that helps you chill out for a bit. The important thing is whatever stress-release technique you prefer, stay consistent with it. We tend to throw our good, calming routines out the window at stressful times, which is when we need them the most. As for me? I’ll be using Wild Source’s guided meditations as a “product” in my daily skincare routine, just like my face moisturizer.

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Fani Mari

Fani is a freelance journalist who loves all things beauty and wellness. When she’s not writing about new beauty products and trends, you can find her creating content, watching Netflix and hanging at the beach.