Last month, when I was going through a situationship breakup of sorts, my For You Page was inundated with tarot readers and intuitives telling me to "stay no contact" and self-help-esque content about thinking positively and changing my mindset to get over someone with an avoidant attachment style. Blah, blah, blah. But I fully bought into all of it. I now have a meditation app subscription, a completely full journal, and always something to bring up at dinner parties. And I'm mostly over them. (Win.)
This newfound sense of self has me wondering what the heck else I can change in my life by just thinking positive thoughts. Namely, I'm looking in the mirror at the hormonal acne I've spent thousands of dollars and years of my life trying to heal since I was 11. Tretinoin, over-the-counter topicals, birth control pills (and rings, and patches, and implants), facials, lasers, injectables—I've genuinely put everything imaginable on my face and body in search of a clear, smooth complexion. Could manifestation really be the thing that'd give me good skin?
At first, this concept sounded preposterous. If I spent all that time and money when all I had to do was finally talk nicer to myself, I was gonna be annoyed. As an editor, I'm a skeptic when it comes to beauty products, let alone a metaphysical concept. Could visualizing my face without breakouts, redness, and acne scars actually make it a reality? Could making Hailey Bieber's flawless face my phone background will my own pores to suddenly shrink? Truly: Could I think my way to clear skin?
After whispering sweet nothings to my face (with questionable results, keep reading), I connected with a handful of experts—both doctors and manifestation pros—to figure out if there's actually any merit to the phenomenon. Visualization, meditation, and thought reframing could possibly have a positive impact on your skin. I'll explain...
What is manifestation exactly?
Manifestation is the idea that your thoughts create your reality. For example, If you ask the universe for a higher salary, a partner, a new house, or clear skin and then you genuinely believe it’s on its way, it’ll eventually come to you. Also sometimes called the Law of Attraction or the Law of Assumption (basically a fancy idea for faking it till you make it), manifesting rose in popularity in the early 2000s thanks to Oprah, but has grown legs on TikTok and Instagram in 2024 with tons of self-help gurus and thought leaders offering up different manifesting methods to inspire mindset shifts.
Among those thought leaders is Mimi Bouchard, founder of Superhuman, an app full of manifestation-based audios. Bouchard says that in the context of skin, manifestation is one of the fastest ways to make a physical change thanks to the mind-body connection. “Our bodies listen to our thoughts, and if you use mental rehearsal and visualize yourself in a state that’s different from where you are, with practice, you will get there,” Bouchard says.
Astrologer and writer Meghan Rose used manifestation to help clear her own skin (along with getting her dream job and meeting her ideal partner, now fiancé). “I believe that when you perceive yourself in certain ways, and live in a positive and optimistic mindset, your skin—the largest organ in your body—will be undeniably changed,” Rose says.
But does science support this?
Kinda, sorta. While the evidence to support positive thinking impacting skin is primarily anecdotal, science does tell us that there is a strong connection between the skin, the nervous system, and the endocrine system, which controls your hormones, explains dermatologist and psychiatrist Evan Rieder, MD. When there is an uptick in stress, your hormones (including androgens and cortisol) go into overdrive, spiking oil production and inflammation levels, which is essentially a perfect recipe for breakouts, says aesthetician Jenn Mills. (Hence why stress acne is such a thing.)
It's not only acne, though. This cortisol increase can also reduce collagen and elastin in your skin, two key factors for keeping your face smooth and firm. As those deplete over time, your face can look saggy and dull, as well as produce more fine lines and wrinkles. Ongoing stress also increases inflammation and oxidative stress in your body, both of which can accelerate fine lines.
To that end, Dr. Rieder suggests that anything we can do to manage our stress levels—including using manifestation techniques like meditation and reciting affirmations—could potentially help alleviate stress-related skin conditions. When you’re reframing negative thoughts, acting as if you already have clear skin, and visualizing your life with clear skin, you’re reducing the stress you have about your skin, potentially reducing those hormone levels over time.
This point was largely echoed by nutritionist and Clearstem cofounder Kayleigh Christina. The brand offers an Acne Lab Test, which involves getting a blood test to analyze your personal acne triggers (i.e., hormones, stress, digestion, etc.) and explore the best way to treat them. “For so many people who have tried all the traditional ways to heal their skin, the emotional component is the final piece they need to figure out,” she says. “It’s the difference between someone getting into therapy and finally getting to talk things out or moving their body in a yoga class or doing somatic work—whatever it is to release those emotions,” she adds.
It’s also worth noting that manifesters and positive thinkers are more likely to prioritize and practice better self-care, like doing a complex skincare routine even when they’re exhausted or changing their pillowcase regularly. Habits like these can ultimately lead to better skin, Dr. Rieder says. Brand designer and long-time acne sufferer Isabel Bagsik saw this play out with her own skin. “Once I shifted my mindset and intention in how I navigated the world, I began making more intentional choices about my habits and what products I was using, ultimately leading to clearer skin,” she says.
So if manifestation has the potential to work, how do you do it?
According to Bouchard, there’s a two-step process for manifesting: Get specific on what you want, then become it. “First, design that future-self version of you that has what you want,” she says. Then you have to “become that person in everyday moments,” she adds. She recommends journaling every morning to remind yourself of who you want to be and/or listening to activations or meditations.
Mills tasks her clients with acne to do daily affirmations related to their skin as a way to manifest. “I have found that most of my clients who stick to their affirmations get results quicker,” she says. When I’m doing my skincare in the morning and at night, I’ll look in the mirror and recite, “I have clear, glowy skin” or “My skin is acne-free.” Since I’ve implemented this, I’ve noticed that I’m not as hard on myself when I do get breakouts, which has drastically reduced how often I pick at my skin.
Christina recommends saying affirmations during intentional moments throughout your day, like before a big meeting or a date. These are times when you would think about your acne and get self-conscious, leading to a shame spiral. But if you can stop them before they happen, you’ll not only emotionally settle down but also bring down some inflammation-causing cortisol.
“I tell myself I’m hot, gorgeous, pretty, etc., and eventually, I just end up feeling that way,” says publicist Erica G., 26. When her skin starts to respond, she suddenly feels better in basically every area—almost like the antithesis of the acne/stress cycle. “It also serves as a motivator to do more beauty treatments, workouts that make me feel good, and additional self-care treatments,” she says.
The takeaway:
You can’t necessarily just believe that your skin will be clear, and your oil glands will immediately dry up and give you glowing, baby skin. It just doesn’t work that way, no matter how many Etsy witches you consult. However, there is an undeniable association between positive self-talk and better mental health, which could very well reduce breakouts and prevent wrinkles. Flirting with your face over time might be exactly what your skin's needed all along, not a shelf full of expensive creams and masks.
For me, manifestation looks like consistent therapy and medication for my anxiety, which have definitely made a massive difference in my hormonal acne. Improving my mental health at a base level was key to getting to a place where I could do all the other self-soothing mechanisms, like journaling about my gorgeous, glowing skin, to bring down day-to-day stress that led to zits.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
