How Tiktok Has Impacted the Skincare Industry

by Elizabeth Roth

Skincare has always been really important to me. Growing up, my

brother had atrocious acne. My parents tried to help him the best that they

could. He went to a dermatologist and tried all the professional level skincare

brands. It never really got that much better. He’s 24 now, and his skin is still

acne-ridden, albeit not nearly as bad as it used to be. Looking back, knowing

my brother’s track history and attitude, he likely was never actually using the

skincare products or taking the advice given to him by the dermatologist.

Either way, it scared me. From a young age (admittedly probably too young), I

started using skincare products. I’d freak out anytime a pimple appeared,

thinking I was doomed to be like my brother. I do think I have good skin. I

only breakout from stress or hormones. Who's to say if I won the genetic

lottery over my brother, or if the skincare really worked. Fundamentally, it

shouts volumes about how my eleven year old self was so stressed about my

appearance. I don’t think my brother was ever mocked for having acne, but I

knew the standards were different as a girl. I thought it mattered. I knew it

mattered.

Tiktok Trendy Products

Tiktok and trends seem to be nearly synonymous with each other. In a

microscopic amount of time, what's trendy and cool has changed. It’s

happened countless times because of the power and speed of the Tiktok

algorithm. At one point, it’s sunscreen (which is incredibly important), the

next it’s hyaluronic acid, and then vitamin C, then collagen. In general, Tiktok

has contributed to the rise of Korean inspired skincare products. More

specifically, there is always a certain product that everyone is convinced is

going to fix everything. You need it. Right now it’s the Ordinary glycolic acid

toner; however, it's also been the Cosrx snail mucin, the Supergoop! unseen

sunscreen, the Laneige lip sleeping mask, the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian bum

bum body cream, and so many more. An undiscussed effect of this rampant

overconsumption is that skincare takes time. It can take months for your skin

to get used to a product and to see the desired results. Since Tiktok thrives off

of short form content and the trend cycle is incredibly fast, no one is properly

giving their skin time to adjust or truly feel the effects of the new product.

There can be products that give immediate results, but they also give off long

term effects that a person needs to experience. People are recommending

products after a short period of time of use without truly knowing what the

product will do to them personally in the long term. Not only can this have

negative effects on ones’ skin, it also feeds into the vicious cycle of

overconsumption which has impacts on one's personal finance, lifestyle, and climate change.

Sephora Kids

Early this year, a trend on Tiktok went viral of people discussing and

complaining about young kids going to cosmetic stores such as Sephora and

Ulta. The so-called “Sephora Kids” or “Sephora 10 Year Olds” are reported as

being rude to employees, other customers, and buying expensive skincare

products that they don’t need. The most common issue with these customers

is often they abuse the tester products. They mix up the products with each

other and leave the display messy and unusable. Seeing as my summer job

was working at my local Ulta, I was already very familiar with this brand of

customer. And yes, I have been berated by an eleven year old for not having

any Drunk Elephant Bronzing Drops. We had to start locking away all of the

Drunk Elephant products to prevent the children from stealing it. I learned to

clock it. Anytime I saw someone preteen or younger, I would mentally

prepare to tell them where either the Drunk Elephant of Bubble displays

were, or prepare my spiel that we sold out of whatever hot item of the week it

was.

Besides trying to stop theft, my coworkers and I tried to help these kids.

Drunk Elephant is expensive. One of their more popular products, Protini™

Polypeptide Cream, costs $69.00 for one 50 mL container. Beyond the

aftermath at the checkout counter, Drunk Elephant is meant for mature skin

and can otherwise damage a person's skin. The purpose of most of their

products is to aid with fine lines and wrinkles. These young kids aren’t even

close to needing these products, yet they're popular. It’s not hard to

understand why. For one, Drunk Elephant utilizes bright eye-catching

packaging, and so does Bubble, another skincare brand very popular with

kids (albeit their products will not harm their young skin like Drunk

Elephant’s will).

But let’s not blame these kids. Community is vital, especially for young

people who are still trying to figure out who they are. There is always a deep

seeded need to belong, to fit in, to seem cool. Every generation has dealt with

it. Growing up in my neighborhood, it was a Rainbow Loom bracelet maker,

and by the time I finally got my hands on one, it was out of style. Tiktok has

substantially enhanced the rate at which trends occur. These kids go online

every day, and so many edited videos and photos are poured down their

throat. The pressure for people to look attractive at all times is intense.

Anyone could be filming you out in public and post it online. Influencers,

models, and celebrities are all edited beyond recognition, and it's become so

much more accessible to the everyday person. Comparison is inevitable.

Especially at a young age where one has not yet solidified their sense of self.

There is also much to be said about the parenting style of these Sephora Kids’ parents. Not only are these parents willing to drop large sums of cash on a presumably weekly whim, but

they do not question the potentially harmful acids and creams their children wish for.

Instead, parents can have a conversation with their children and make it a learning

experience. They can discuss the implications of why they want these

skincare products. Is it just to fit in? Did they see a video of it online? Online

information can be misleading. Do they have self image issues surrounding

their appearance? These questions can guide their children into having a

better relationship with themselves, their appearance, social media, and

society as a whole.

Why Care About Skincare?

All this being said, skincare is also not the villain here. Skincare can

represent self care as a whole, a brief 5-20 minute break in the day to check in

with yourself, and give your skin a hug. Taking a few minutes daily to cleanse,

moisturize, and apply sunscreen can prevent skin cancer later in life. People

often feel better when they think they look good. While that may look

different for everyone, it’s important to listen to your body and take care of

yourself.

While I still take pride in taking care of my skin, I no longer let it dictate

my self worth. I have other merits and talents that go beyond my physical

appearance. It’s difficult to build that inner confidence when societal

pressures highlight the continued importance of beauty. Beauty can fade in

time and preferences in appearance are fundamentally subjective. Skincare

acts as a confidence booster for countless people, but no one needs every

Tiktok viral product that blows up in the algorithm and market every week.

It’s wasteful, can end up doing more harm than good, and that loyalty to

following trends can prevent someone from gaining their own independence

and self confidence. Besides, who really needs an 72 dollar moisturizer

anyways.