Is Ear Seeding The Solution To “Cortisol Face”?

Ava Lee is telling me that I have really soft ears. She certainly would know – she’s just applied lymphatic ear seeds to them after 10 minutes of massaging my lobe, the shell-shaped auricle, and helix (the curved part at the top).

“In traditional Chinese medicine, there is an ear reflexology map where your ear literally reflects every system and organ of your body,” Lee, founder of K-beauty brand By Ava, explains to me over ginger-carrot juice and gluten-free zucchini bread at Maman in New York. Acupressure has been used across different cultures for thousands of years. As of late, it’s included small stickers with a bead – the ear seed – that applies targeted pressure with a desired result. “You have all of these different pressure points you can target with acupuncture or ear seeds to stimulate them.”

But Lee’s version of ear seeds, the viral V-Line Ear Seeding Kit, is a future-facing take on the ancient practice. Each of the nude-coloured stickers inside the V-Line kit has either five or 10 “seeds” carefully spaced out. But the seeds aren’t just there to apply pressure. “Instead of being made of plastic, like normal ear seeds, these are made of 10 different Chinese herbs that help to detox your body,” Lee says. She claims that targeted placement (for example, inside the middle of the conch or edge of the helix) can result in a lymphatic lift of the face. Cortisol face, be damned. “You have really flexible, soft ears,” Lee adds. A compliment! “Some people are so tense, even their ears are tight.”

The ear seeds are placed in areas along the face that connect to puffiness, tension and the dreaded “cortisol face” – and while cortisol face is not an official medical condition, per se, it is a bona fide social media phenomenon and a significant concern for overstressed people. Got unbalanced and excessive cortisol? Consequences can include weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, digestive problems… and the manifestation of inflammation on the face, which can in turn cause sagging and visible ageing.

“Ear seeding isn’t Botox,” Lee says. “It cannot change the muscle or shape of the face. But it can help with blood flow and relaxation.”