What Is A Buccal Facial? Meet The Strangest New Beauty Trend

As a self-proclaimed facial enthusiast, I jumped at the chance recently to try one of the rarest — and possibly most intimate — in Australia: a Buccal Facial. The session started with Elisa Osmo, Advanced Dermal Therapist and Founder of Glow Medispa in Sydney, running me through what she would do and how I might feel. She explained that while some clients get mild headaches or vivid dreams post-treatment (neither of which I had), most feel a tenderness in their jaw for a few days (I did).

The treatment began with Osmo reaching down with gloved hands, hooking her thumbs into my mouth. The latex squeaked against my gums as she pulled my bottom lip taut over my top teeth, keeping a firm tug for nearly a minute before finally letting go. I don’t know if my mouth had ever been contorted like that. It sounds strange to describe, but it was even stranger to experience. As my cheeks and jaw were massaged from the inside out, I felt exposed. While she was wearing gloves and going inside my mouth, like a dentist would, but it felt different. There was no harsh fluorescent light, and I wasn’t counting down until it was over. Instead, the lights were dimmed, and I was warm under a blanket with my top off. 

According to Osmo, it’s a specialised facial massage technique where part of the treatment is performed intra-orally, inside the mouth. April Brodie, another Australian therapist qualified to perform the facial, explains that the double-sided approach is the key to its results. When one gloved hand is massaging the muscles from inside the cheek, and the other hand is working externally, it allows the therapist to reach deeper muscles, like the masseter and buccinator. When those muscles finally soften, the face can appear more lifted and balanced. 

“The result is both structural and skin-related,” Brodie tells Refinery29 Australia. “The face often appears more sculpted, with improved cheek definition and a softer jawline. And then because circulation’s increased, clients may also notice a healthy glow, brighter skin and an overall improvement in skin vitality.”

The barrier to entry for practitioners is high. Osmo estimates there are just 20 practitioners in Sydney and likely fewer than 100 in Australia — a staggering figure when compared to the thousands of skin clinics nationwide. It requires specialised training, but also confidence working intra-orally and a detailed understanding of facial anatomy. Brodie adds that there’s a big difference between learning the technique and specialising in it. Performing a buccal treatment occasionally is very different from working with it regularly. “It’s the repetition, experience and consistency that allow a therapist to develop the sensitivity, precision and confidence required to safely work with the deeper facial muscles,” she says. “Mastery comes from both training and hands-on practice over time.” Once the foundation of the technique is mastered, therapists can then put their own spin on it, as both Brodie and Osmo do. Brodie's is a fusion of techniques she’s constantly refining, including lymphatic drainage, fascia release, Japanese facial techniques and Eastern European sculpting methods. Osmo's includes an enzyme mask and LED. 

As someone fortunate enough to experience many facials in the name of the research, I can say it was certainly the most unique I've ever tried. While I didn’t walk with drastically higher cheekbones, the tenderness in my jaw during the session — and the subtle ache afterwards — was proof enough that deep-seated tension was finally being released. It's on the pricier side, at $250 for just 75 minutes.

However, it's an intimate and slightly surreal time on the table. For anyone looking to release facial tension — and get a skin glow while they’re at it — it’s worth it.