A video of a skin expert telling people not to wash their face in the morning has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip, which was shared to the app by Nicole Caroline, an esthetician from Connecticut, has garnered more than 3.3 million views on the app and divided opinion in the process.
The footage, which can be watched here, sees Caroline, who is the skin expert for Access Daily on NBC, telling her viewers: "Don't wash your face in the morning, unless you have acne, please stop doing it. Thank you."
The video, which was shared on September 26, 2021 attracted lots of attention, with more than 122,800 likes and many comments.
One TikTok user, Kennedy James, wrote: "Whaaaaaat omg please do not listen to anyone who says to not wash your face in the morning."
Another person, Lonesometown, added: "That's great if it works for you, but don't generalize if it's not founded..."
However, some people did agree with her advice, with Georgia Rose Brown typing: "Finally someone said it."
Andy00peace added: "I only wash it with cool water in the morning. Literally just wash my eyes and splash the rest with just water."
Although there is not a one-size-fits all method when it comes to skincare, the American Academy of Dermatology advises that people: "Limit washing to twice a day and after sweating. Wash your face once in the morning and once at night, as well as after sweating heavily.
"Perspiration, especially when wearing a hat or helmet, irritates the skin. Wash your skin as soon as possible after sweating."
On December 15, 2021, Caroline then released a follow-up video, which can be watched here, to explain her comment, citing her 20 years experience as backing for her words.
Speaking into the camera, the expert said: "Cleansing too much strips your skin of its natural barrier.
"It disrupts your acid mantel and it disrupts your skin's natural microbiome which is essential for having healthy, bouncy, glowing, dewy, 'normal' skin. And that's what we aim for, normal skin."
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Caroline continued: "Not over-cleansing your skin will dramatically change the health of your skin. I don't mean for people that sweat profusely at night. I don't mean for people who have super oily skin.
"But here's the thing, perhaps your skin is producing too much oil because you are stripping it and drying it out. So if you double cleanse properly at night... use the right products made for your skin, you can just rinse in the morning with some cool water.
"Don't wash it with cleanser but rinse with cool water and you will be surprised at how well your skin's oil production begins to balance."
Newsweek has contacted Caroline for comment.
