Evidence over trend

Cortisol has a rhythm.
So does your skin.

“Cortisol face” has millions of views and no clinical definition. We dig into what stress actually does to your skin, sourced from dermatology and endocrinology research rather than social media claims.

Is “cortisol face” real?Browse all research →

Latest research, plainly explained

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Foundations · 3 min read

Alcohol and Cortisol: How Drinking Affects Your Stress Hormones

Alcohol can feel relaxing in the moment, but research shows it actually activates the body's stress-hormone system rather than calming it.

Cortisol Skin · 3 min read

Mouth Taping and Cortisol: Does the Sleep Trend Actually Lower Stress Hormones?

Mouth tape is marketed as a "cortisol hack" for better sleep, but the research on nasal breathing does not actually support that specific claim.

Foundations · 5 min read

Can Other People's Stress Raise Your Cortisol? The Science of Stress Contagion

Feeling someone else's stress rub off on you is not just a figure of speech; researchers who study "cortisol synchrony" have found real, if modest, evidence that close partners' and family members' stress hormones move together.

Cortisol Skin · 5 min read

Probiotics and Psychobiotics for Cortisol: What the Research Actually Shows

Gut-health supplements marketed as cortisol fixes rest on a real and expanding research base, but the two largest meta-analyses to date disagree sharply on how confident that evidence actually is.

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Foundations

The established science of stress and skin, explained plainly.

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Cortisol Skin

"Cortisol face" is everywhere right now. We separate the trend from the evidence.

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Product Guides

Comparison guides for stress-related skincare categories.