Gum brands are selling chiseled jawlines to teen boys on TikTok—and they’re biting

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For eons, women have been performing strange and funny-looking facial exercises that may (possibly, who knows?) help them get rid of a double chin, stave off wrinkles, or even reverse them. A quick Google search will lead to an array of eyebrow-raising (literally—the “brow lift” is a big one) exercises, and even “facial yoga.”

Now, there’s a new trend that has brands leaning into facial workouts. However, this one is directed at teen boys or young men searching for coveted chiseled jawlines. And according to some gum companies, these boys don’t even have to stick to a rigid facial workout schedule—all they have to do is chew gum. Very, very hard, tough-to-chew gum, that is.

Brands like Rockjaw, which emerged in 2020 and is the first mastic-based jawline gum, according to its website, claim that consistently using its products can reshape the chewer’s jaw—and not just the muscles, but the actual structure of the jaw. Rockjaw even offers a free starter guide and a money-back guarantee if the gum doesn’t deliver. Other brands that are frequently advertised on social media sites like TikTok, such as Jawz and Iron Bite, reiterate the same claims.

Likewise, Jawliner, a product that sells on Amazon for $31 for a 2-month supply, says that chewing its product will reshape the chewer’s jaw. “87% of women prefer men with a chiseled jawline,” the Amazon page reads. While some reviews claimed the gum helped with facial toning, others claimed it was extraordinarily hard to chew, left them with sore jaws, or that the taste was off-putting.

It’s worth noting that Dr. Mike Mew, the orthodontist who developed the Jawliner product, was accused of medical misconduct for his orthodontic techniques after a child had “seizure-like episodes” and post-traumatic stress disorder following his treatment. Mew was stripped of his dental license.

Still, the chiseled jawline is a desirable trait that preteen boys (and sometimes grown men) seem to be desperate to achieve. On TikTok, some videos advertising jaw-defining gum have millions of views. Male models, influencers, and gum brands themselves seem to be the ones making such videos and claims. “Male model secret 1/100. You can actually grow your jaw . . . chewing super-duper tough gum,” a user named BrettPlus says in a video with over 195K views.

The influencers are loving the trend, but the science is murky. In 2019, Harvard Health reported that there was little, if any, benefit to facial exercises in general. There have been some studies on gum-chewing for jaw definition. However, experts remain largely unconvinced that chewing gum has the power to change the structure of someone’s jaw. That’s especially because spot-reducing fat, or removing fat from a “problem area” of the body is not how fat loss works. That’s why a hundred or a thousand crunches a day won’t get rid of belly fat, though it will tone the abdominal muscles.

Dentists also worry about the impacts of all that extra chewing, even when it comes to regular gum use. “Chewing gum is different than chewing food during meals. Your mouth is moving more frequently and working harder because gum doesn’t break down and move out of your mouth, like food does,” the American Dental Association (ADA) tells Fast Company. “The intensity of chewing gum for extended periods of time on a regular basis—especially if it is dense or has a thick consistency—could lead to symptoms like jaw pain, headaches and put you at risk for temporomandibular disorders,” which include jaw-clicking or locking known as TMJ.

“If you have a temporomandibular disorder, avoid chewing gum of any kind in general. Less is best to decrease the stress on your mouth,” adds the ADA. That goes even for your standard stick of spearmint—not just the rock-hard gum being sold to help chisel jaws.

It’s also worth noting that growing boys’ jawlines will certainly look different from year to year. A gum-chewing 12-year-old may have a more chiseled jawline at 13, or 14, and certainly by 16, simply because of fat loss in the face. So while endless jaw exercises may strengthen facial muscles and give you a mean bite, reshaping your bone structure or magically reducing fat is a tough sell—unless, perhaps, you’re a 12-year-old boy cruising TikTok.