The ice-water face plunge at wake-up (from Ashton Hall's viral routine) gives a real short-term alertness bump — the rest of the ritual, especially rubbing a banana peel on the face, is more theater than skincare.

noli's read

The cold-plunge mechanism is real: cold exposure triggers an acute rise in noradrenaline and dopamine, with reported effects on alertness and mood — but that comes from small, short studies, not robust trials on this specific morning ritual. A dermatologist quoted by Today confirms a plausible skin mechanism too: cold constricts blood vessels and can temporarily reduce puffiness, a real but short-lived effect. Rubbing a banana peel on the face, though, has zero research behind it according to a Cornell dermatologist in the same piece — the peel's nutrients don't meaningfully cross the skin barrier. The specific water brand obviously has no demonstrated skin benefit over tap water. The bones of the ritual — waking early, moving your body, cold on the face — hold up a little; the viral packaging (banana, branded bottles, performed productivity) has nothing scientific behind it.

the sources

1. 1Buijze GA et al. 2016
2. 2Sramek P, Simeckova M, Jansky L, et al. 2000
3. 3Kelly JS, Bird E. 2021