Can Bay Leaves Really Reduce Wrinkles? What This Popular Beauty Remedy Can—and Cannot—Do

Bay leaves are usually associated with soups, sauces, and slow-cooked meals. But recently, they have found a completely different audience online: people looking for simple, natural ways to care for aging skin.

One viral claim goes much further, suggesting that bay leaves are “100,000 times more powerful than Botox” and can erase wrinkles, even in people over 70.

It sounds incredible—but is there any scientific evidence behind it?

The Viral Bay Leaf Beauty Claim

Recipes using bay leaves as a homemade skin treatment have circulated widely online. Some versions involve boiling bay leaves in water and combining the resulting liquid with ingredients such as aloe vera, honey, oils, starch, or vitamin E.

The idea is appealing because the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find.

However, the dramatic comparison with Botox is not supported by good clinical evidence.

Botulinum toxin treatments have been studied in randomized clinical trials and have been shown to reduce certain facial wrinkles, particularly lines between the eyebrows and around the eyes.

There is no comparable evidence showing that bay leaves can produce the same effect—or that they are remotely “100,000 times” more effective.