NEW YORK, Jan 7 — Since the beginning of the pandemic, skincare has moved to the forefront of beauty regimes, driving all kinds of trends in the field. After natural skincare products and techniques from Japan and China, ice globes are emerging as a new beauty trend as we head into 2022 — and they’re already proving a hit among younger generations.

Throughout 2021, social networks were invaded by new beauty techniques dedicated specifically to skincare. And anything and everything goes, it seems, when it comes to achieving healthy, naturally glowing skin, without requiring multiple layers of makeup. The champions in the matter are none other than TikTokers, who doubled down on ingenuity all year long to propose innovative techniques — often revamping age-old tricks — to combat redness, dullness and other imperfections.

The benefits of cold

If there’s one thing that really stood out, it’s ice, and using the powers of cold, notching up millions of views on social networks. Indeed, skin-icing, frozen cucumber, rice water and frozen beauty blenders were some of the top beauty hacks of 2021, while cryolipolysis — or fat freezing — has become one of the most popular cosmetic treatments. Inevitably, this icy wave has given some people ideas, paving the way for new beauty tools and tricks that could soon become must-haves. 

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This is undoubtedly the case of ice globes, the new skincare trend to try in early 2022. Such is the hype that the global search platform Stylight* has seen a 97 per cent increase in clicks for the Skin Gym brand — known for its many facial tools — between November and December 2021. The search engine also reports a 194 per cent jump in search interest for ice globes during December 2021, according to Google Trends data.

So what is an ice globe? 

An ice globe is a very simple tool which — as its name suggests — takes the form of two globes that you fill with water then place in the refrigerator or freezer, before applying them to the face for a massage on dry skin or after applying a cream or serum. They supposedly help soothe the skin, reduce inflammation and imperfections, and even reduce dark circles and bags. Their virtues are therefore similar to those of skin-icing, which only requires an ice cube, but without the discomfort of applying ice directly to the skin.

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On TikTok, the trend has been growing for several weeks, already counting more than a million views for the #iceglobe hashtag, and more than nine million views and counting for #iceglobes. And this is just the beginning. Overall, ice globes form part of a larger phenomenon that involves drawing on the riches of nature — sometimes among the simplest — to get healthy and flawless skin. And what better way to do that than with water, a beauty tonic that’s as old as time and (virtually) free of charge? — ETX Studio

* Stylight figures are based on the analysis of its own data and Google Trends data for November and December 2021, unless otherwise stated.