What’s causing celebrities like Kylie Jenner to get ‘stink face’?

Have you ever wondered why certain celebrities have a pursed lip look about them at all times – a ‘stink face,’ some might say?

US-based TikTok creator Chloe, 26, asked what procedure caused ‘stink face,’ describing it as celebrities who looked like they were ‘smelling something that stinks,’ and quickly went viral, with her commenters begging plastic surgeons to weigh in. 

Chloe brought up Kylie Jenner, 26, and Kim Kardashian, 43, as examples, with her followers debating if certain cosmetic procedures led to the now-signature face. 

‘Kylie Jenner just popped up on my feed, and I’m noticing this thing between her and Kim. I don’t know what facial thing it is that they’ve got done,’ Chloe mused.

‘I can’t do the face, but it’s their resting face,’ Chloe announced, before attempting the expression perfectly. 

‘What stinks?’ Chloe asked her followers in the caption, and they were quick to weigh in with opinions, citing Kylie and Nicola Peltz, 28, as two examples of the high cheekbone, pursed lip face.

‘I ALWAYS say it looks like Kylie is smelling cheese!!!’ a commenter admitted. 

‘It’s called pillow face,’ one person pointed out, referring to what happens when someone gets too much filler. 

‘YES it’s like their nostrils are always flared,’ a follower agreed. 

‘I think it’s from a lip lift,’ an analyst reflected as another guessed: ‘It’s from cheek filler and lip filler; both of them migrate and then the nasolabial lines get exaggerated.’ 

‘I need a plastic surgeon to duet this and explain PLEASE,’ a curious commenter begged. 

Chloe then responded to a TikTok user accusing her of having the dreaded ‘stink face.’

One commenter wrote: ‘Not trying to be rude just curious but have you had work done. And if so can you explain what you have done or do.’

Chloe responded on TikTok by saying that she’s only has a ‘ml (milliliter) of lip filler’ before explaining she only has Botox in her masseter muscle to treat TMJ, or inflammation in the jaw, which she claimed did not make an aesthetic difference.

New York City-based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Konstantin Vasyukevich said ‘stink face’ is ‘the result of a filler injection to naso-labial folds.’ 

‘People with naturally full cheeks will always have these folds on a deeper side,’ the double board-certified doctor said, comparing it to a hill next to a valley. When these celebrities smile on the red carpet, the folds look even deeper, but when filler is injected, the area looks shallow. 

‘If the naso-labial folds look too shallow for someone with full cheeks, it might make the smile look a bit unnatural,’ Dr. Konstantin continued. 

Aesthetics specialist Dr. Rahi Sarbaziha, from Beverly Hills, California, told DailyMail.com that ‘stink face’ was an ‘aesthetic trend that might be traced back to techniques like the lip flip, a delicate process involving meticulous Botox injections strategically placed above the lip,’ confirming what some had surmised. 

‘This method induces muscle relaxation, shortening the distance between the nose and the upper lip and creating the illusion of a subtly augmented upper lip,’ the double-board certified doctor explained.  

‘The repercussions of relaxed muscles might inadvertently prompt compensatory efforts in surrounding areas, potentially reshaping adjacent facial features, such as the nose,’ Dr. Rahi clarified.

Because these women are reshaping their lips, the rest of their face often looks different as well.

The Botox lip flip has been extremely popular with reality stars and celebrities, and even trickled down to TikTok, where influencers regularly show off their own. 

Dr. Rahi explained: ‘Whether it’s intentional or unintentional, aesthetic trends are often shaped by celebrities and may manifest as a reflection of a desire to break free from norms, allowing individuals to sculpt their appearance as an art form.’

However, Dr. Rahi explained that ‘achieving the “stink nose” look wasn’t typically the primary objective in the realm of mainstream aesthetic enhancements,’ and wasn’t being done on purpose. 

‘The approach generally leans towards refining natural beauty, focusing on nuanced adjustments that compliment someone’s distinctive features,’ Dr. Rahi said. 

Instead, some women end up with the flared-nostril aesthetic because their relaxed muscles are making their faces look entirely different – and in some cases, like they smelled something terrible.