Fad or fix?: Experts split on health benefits of nasal strips

It’s skyrocketing in popularity but is nose and mouth tape the answer to your breathing problems. Experts are not convinced, ready why.

Melbourne Storm player Nelson Asofa-Solomona wears nose tape during a recent NRL match against the Penrith Panthers. Picture: Getty

It was a TikTok trend that has now become the hot wellness trend of 2025 – but experts and devotees are divided over whether taping is a fad that will stick.

Placed over the bridge of your nose, mouth or even both, either before bed or during exercise routines, taping regimens have flooded social media, with influencers and even professional athletes claiming it can help fix mouth breathing, stop snoring or improve skin elasticity.

And it’s certainly a sticking point for our wallets, with consumer spending data from Shopify during March revealing a 160 per cent spike in sales for nasal and mouth strips compared to February.

But health experts aren’t convinced it’s anything more than a social media craze.

“This is clearly something that has been marketed through influencers online, and of course, anything that is marketed online we take with a grain of salt,” The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Dr Toby Gardener said.

Constanza Tirado-Subiabre tries a nose strip while walking Bruno at Bondi. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Dr Gardener said the “TikTok craze” seemed to work for people with nasal congestion or hay fever, but provided only “symptomatic relief”, with the clinician arguing studies on the respiratory product were conducted in a “controlled environment.”

The practice of taping shot to online fame thanks to American fitness influencer Ashton Hall’s now-viral morning routine video, which shows his 3.30am morning routine including wearing face tape. The clip has gathered tens of millions of views on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and been parodied hundreds of times.

Storm player Nelson Asofa-Solomona with tape on his nose during a match. Picture: NRL Photos

US influencer Ashton Hall during one of his morning routine videos. Picture: Supplied

In Australia, rugby league star Nelson Asofa-Solomona raised eyebrows when taking the field this season with a piece of black tape over his nose.

But the Melbourne Storm enforcer, who has a friend suggest he try the trend, gave it a go, and claims it has helped him both on and off the field.

“I use them when I’m playing rugby league in matches so I can breathe better,” he said.

“I also use them for when I sleep, sometimes I lay in bed without it and I struggle to breathe out of my nose, I pop one on.”

A spokesman for nasal strip company Breatheeze, Vincent Wong, told The Sunday Telegraph that while his company respected doctors’ opinions, demand had soared.

“While our strips aren’t medical treatments, they are designed to support nasal breathing, and its benefits have been noticeable,” Mr Wong said.

The social media trend prompted Bondi Junction local Constanza Tirado-Subiabre, 34, to give taping a go.

“I go on heaps of runs and walks with my dog Bruno and definitely the longer ones are harder to breathe,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

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