The Secret Behind TikTok’s Jello Skin Is Surprisingly Wholesome

It’s smooth to the touch, plump with a slight wiggle, and taut — it’s jello skin. Coined by beauty enthusiast and content creator Ava Lee, jello skin is a trend taking over TikTok feeds for a surprising reason. Rather than highlighting a new, flashy technique like the Douyin Blush Trend, or jaw-dropping before and afters like the ones caused by tretinoin, SkinTok’s fave new ingredient, this viral TikTok skin care trend focuses on wellness. TikTok has been through a wild few years when it comes to viral skin care moments, but unlike creating glass skin or glazed skin, Jello skin is relatively low-key with a focus on internal health and overall well-being. In other words, you can’t get jello skin by slapping a $30 gloss on your face.

According to Lee who goes by @glowwithava on TikTok, both glass and glazed skin focus on external factors and using makeup and products to enhance glow. Jello skin, on the other hand, is all about how your skin looks and feels, and can only be achieved by taking a holistic approach to your beauty routine. “By definition, jello skin is skin that’s so elastic that when you move it, it bounces back just like Jell-O,” Lee tells Elite Daily. “But it's so much more than just the texture. It's a whole lifestyle that focuses on internal wellness and external skincare.”

What is jello skin?

Lee coined the term “jello skin” and started the TikTok sensation after celebrity facialist Lord Gavin complimented the amount of collagen she had in her cheeks, comparing the plumpness to that of Jell-O. Collagen is essential for bouncy skin because it gives it the strength and elasticity it needs for the skin cells to adhere to one another. “It's what is going to prevent the sagging we all see as we age,” Lee explains. Beyond boosting collagen, “jello skin is about eating your greens, but not restricting yourself from a croissant. It's about moving your muscles, I'm not a big yoga person, but I do love facial yoga or relying on my facial tools. And it's about being patient,” she says.

If that seems like a lot to take in, don’t fret. The comparison between her own skin’s bounce and the famous wiggly snack inspired her to design an acronym that breaks down the approach she uses for jello skin.

• ‘J’ stands for journey “as it's not an overnight change.”
• ‘E’ stands for “eat balanced meals.”
• The first ‘L’ stands for “lifestyle, not just skin care.”
• The second ‘L’ stands for ‘laugh,’ “to encourage you to move your facial muscles.”
• ‘O’ stands for “old is not bad. Age gracefully with plump skin.”

How do you get jello skin?

Lee suggests incorporating an overall balanced lifestyle full of nutritious foods and self-care if you’d like to get jiggle jiggle, collagen-rich jello skin. Specifically, she recommends using the aforementioned second ‘L’ laughter, your fingers, or beauty tools to move your facial muscles, eating healthy food, including healthy fats, antioxidants, and superfoods, drinking lots of tea, and getting exercise. If you’re not quite sure where to start, take a page out of Lee’s jello skin recipe book. She says that jello skin starts in the kitchen.

Lee grew up in China and Traditional Chinese Medicine aka TCM is a major influence on her current jello skin routine. “The root of TCM is that food is medicine and internal nourishment will reflect on the outside,” says Lee. “TCM believes that the skin is closely linked to your organs like the gut and heart so [eating] gut-friendly, anti-inflammatory is crucial.” Berries, bilberry powder, and goji berries, key ingredients in a TCM lifestyle, are all antioxidant-rich foods Lee enjoys. She’s also shared recipes for a yogurt and mango breakfast recipe and a raspberry avocado smoothie that are jello skin-approved.

Facial massage is another important step to achieving jello skin as it helps with boosting circulation and tightening the face. It even kick-starts the process of lymphatic drainage to flush out toxins, relax facial muscles, and stimulate collagen production for a fresh glow. While you can use your fingers alone for facial massage, Lee prefers using a beauty tools, including this gua sha tool from Amazon and this REFA Carat Face Roller. For Lee, beauty tools are “like an extension of my fingers to guide my facial massages and make my life easier,” she says. “They’re also great for when I am traveling. We can’t all get lavish facials so the best I can do is use a gua sha [tool] or face roller while watching tv and relaxing.” For those who don’t mind using their hands for facial massage, Ava has posted a facial massage routine that is totally tool-free.

What are good skin care products for jello skin?

For skin care products, Lee looks for products that simultaneously leave a healthy glow and protect the skin barrier. “I do believe that double or triple cleansing is so important to make sure your skin is always clean while maintaining a healthy skin barrier,” she says. “Another thing is to always wear your sunscreen and reapply every three hours if you can.”

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At night, Lee reaches for both cleansing balms and oils, such as the Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm and Hanskin Pore Cleansing Oil, following up with either the Rovectin Hypoallergenic Face Wash or Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser before applying a serum and moisturizer. And when she reapplies sunscreen, Lee enjoys Korean sunscreens, powder sunscreens, and even stick sunscreens, especially the AHC Double Shield Sun Stick. But the key component to achieving jello skin? Giving you, your body, and your skin a whole lot of love.