‘Anti-wrinkle straws’ beloved by Gen Z slated by skin experts
Gen Z have adopted “anti-wrinkle straws” as their latest weapon in the ongoing battle to slow down ageing – despite no scientific evidence they do anything to prevent wrinkles.
The straws have a differently shaped mouthpiece to the traditional drinking utensil, which apparently helps to avoid using facial muscles.
They have gone viral on social media as the generation scrambles to slow the ageing clock before they hit 30.
They function by allowing the user to drink from the side and avoid straining or pursing the lips.
However, medical professionals have called the trend misguided and lacking in scientific basis while it continues to gain upwards of 350 million views on TikTok.
Scientific evidence suggests wrinkles are developed through sun damage, smoking and the loss of collagen levels as we age, rather than caused by drinking through a regular straw.
It would suggest that the contraptions do little to have any aesthetic impact.
Dr Leah Totton, founder of the Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinics chain, told The Telegraph: “There is no scientific evidence as to whether anti-wrinkle straws are an effective method of preventing perioral wrinkles – also, some slight pursing of the lips is still involved.
“You would have to be drinking through a normal straw very often for this to contribute to the formation of perioral wrinkles.”
If Gen Z are looking to avoid developing lines around the mouth, Dr Totton advised opting for SPF suncream as well as maintaining a lifestyle with enough sleep and reduced smoking and alcohol intake as this will have “more of an impact”.
Dr Daniel Hunt, the founder and director of Imperial Aesthetics, added that the lines develop mostly from the natural parts of life, such as laughing and talking, causing the straws to have limited impact.
He said: “Might they help in the short term? Yes, as anything that slows down the [ageing] process a little will do something.
“But do I think they’ll cause dramatically less of these lines in 30 years? No.
“It really depends how much you use a straw in the first place.
“If we’re just talking about a drink on a Friday or Saturday night then using the anti-wrinkle straw won’t do much for you.”
Young customers have lauded the anti-wrinkle straws, which are sold in sets costing around £10 on Amazon, as “a great invention” in the product’s reviews, but influencers peddling the gadgets were criticised by the wider internet for Gen Z’s inability to accept ageing gracefully.
Thousands of commenters accused the demographic of being obsessed with their appearance, and called the trend another example of their vanity.
Responding to a social media review of the straw, one user wrote: “It’s mentally exhausting to be thinking about our appearance all the time.”
Another questioned: “So you’re using a straw to stop wrinkles, but you’re drinking alcohol – counterintuitive.”
The straws are the latest in a slew of Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – methods to avoid the natural ageing process before the demographic reaches the age of 30.
It comes as Gen Z is the UK’s top consumer of skincare products, according to research by Statista, having beaten out millennials, Gen X and boomers over concerns of “prejuvenation”, using pre-emptive skincare to banish wrinkles before they arise.