In recent years the beauty industry has developed an obsession with skincare; from tweens to middle-aged adults, people are dying to talk about their routines.
Recently, a new trend has emerged in the skincare world: facial rollers. A facial roller is made with two stones, either jade or rose quartz, on either side of the handle that work to massage and enhance several features of the face.
According to Energy Muse, a blog focused on educating the public about crystal energy, the jade stone is the “ultimate good luck charm.” Jade works to calm and nourish the soul, as well as protect it from harm.
Energy Muse also mentions that the rose quartz stone, “helps enhance love of all kinds, including kindness for yourself, loved ones, and all living things.” Even though these rollers are currently showing up on social media, they have been around for ages.
In an article published by Marie Claire, dermatologist Melissa Levin, explained the history of facial rollers. Levin said, “Jade facial rollers have been used to massage the skin since the 17th century in China.”
Junior English student, Shannon Johnstone has heard of facial rollers, but never tested the product on herself. With the recent buzz in the beauty market, Johnston said, “I am curious to learn about the purpose of a facial roller
There are several aesthetic benefits to using this facial tool. The main benefits of both jade rollers, and rose quartz rollers, include but are not limited to: de-puffing the skin, soothing inflammation, improving blood circulation, smoothing wrinkles and fine lines, and brightening skin complexions.
William Schreiber, Ph.D., Lecturer and Chair of Chemistry & Physics department, said “the stones are cool to the touch.” Schreiber explained properly using the roller will enhance facial features to help you look more awake and livelier.
Although facial rollers have been named one of the best beauty products by lifestyle magazines such as Allure, and Cosmopolitan, there is still doubt about the product by shoppers.
Junior English student, Emma Varga, recently purchased a jade roller because she, “hoped it would reduce facial swelling.” However, she hasn’t seen much progress.
Currently, there is no concrete evidence that shows that the addition of the gemstones to your skincare routine will have better results than a normal facial roller would.
Kayla Lewis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics, said, “I can’t think of any plausible mechanism by which using these rollers would be better than getting an ordinary facial massage.”
Furthermore, Lewis cited an experiment consumers can use to determine if jade and rose quartz rollers are more beneficial than an ordinary facial roller.
Lewis said, “One way to test whether the rollers are efficacious would be to do a “double-blind” study: Make it so that neither the people getting the treatment nor the people administering it can tell whether they are using a jade roller or a fake roller made to look the same. Then later, the data could be de-coded and analyzed statistically to see if there’s a real effect beyond what would be expected from, say, using wooden or metal rollers.”
Something else to take into consideration is that jade and rose quartz rollers may be, as Schreiber mentioned, a “pseudoscience”, meaning that beliefs override factual evidence.
A pseudoscience, “is used to sell new consumer products, especially in the area of cosmetics,” said Schreiber. Including the words “jade” or “rose quartz” could be a scam because people are willing to try anything that claims to work better than previous products they have used.
Companies like Herbivore Botanicals and Bee Dewey, sell gem-stone facial rollers that use real jade and quartz. There are several companies that sell “fake” jade and rose quartz rollers for profits.
BeeDewy, a skincare company selling facial rollers whose mission is to carefully source their products that will benefit your skin rather than do harm, warns against buying these “fake products.”
The company’s website states that there are rollers made out of materials like plastic and glass that can cause defects in the skin. Beedewy’s website states that if you find a jade roller for under $20 it is mostly likely made out of plastic, and will break easily.
Although there are many consumers who have seen results from jade and rose quartz rollers, remember to always research any product before purchasing.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth University
