Should BeautyTok be influencing your skincare habits?
BeautyTok is a beacon of tutorials, tips and skincare hacks for beauty fans, but it can also spread misinformation. Here’s how to tell worthy advice from the bogus.
The latest season of Love Island UK unexpectedly triggered BeautyTok discourse after reality contestants adopted a unique approach to skin care that went viral for all the wrong reasons.
One of the islanders, Jess, insisted that blowing bubbles into a cotton pad saturated with micellar water was the correct method to clean your face, prompting her impressionable co-stars to follow suit.
For the average Gen Z TikTok consumer, it’s a skincare gimmick they’re all too familiar with, having seen the “hack” go viral on their For You Page months ago.
Despite being quickly debunked by dermatologists as an unhygienic way to cleanse your face, the cyclic nature of TikTok’s algorithm means misinformation continues to pop up long after it’s been disproved.
Sharing advice is the beauty and the curse of TikTok, so what can consumers do to not fall victim to misinformation?
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How to sift through BeautyTok content
Do your homework
According to skinfluencer and Boring Without You skin care co-founder Davey Rooney, the highs and lows of BeautyTok come with the territory of social media.
“BeautyTok is a mixed bag of uneducated fearmongering and genuinely good advice for people,” Davey says. “Like all information we consume, some (of it) is factual, and some (of it) is completely untrue.”
So how can we better scope the validity of the content we consume?
Davey says becoming more perceptive and self-accountable is a great starting point.
“It’s helpful to look for any bias and analyse the experience of the person giving you the information before taking it as fact.”
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Follow traditional experts
As BeautyTok continues to grow, traditional experts and professionals are also finding their feet and establishing a presence on the platform.
“You can find everyone from dermatologists, dermal clinicians, product developers, cosmetic scientists and skincare enthusiasts on BeautyTok, sharing their experience, knowledge and passion with the world,” Razia Moe, one of Australia’s most recognised and celebrated skinfluencers.
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Take online advice with a grain of salt
Razia says misinformation is bound to happen on an app where anyone can make content and go viral, but it’s not an issue exclusive to social media.
“We know the internet loves a sensationalist piece of content; while there are professionals on BeautyTok that can debunk misinformation as they see it, there’s no guarantee the debunking video will get seen by enough people either,” Razia says.
“I don’t know what the solution is, or if there even is one, which is why I encourage users … to keep in mind that all information online should be taken with a grain of salt, especially if you see outlandish claims made by people with zero qualifications.
“BeautyTok advice should never be seen as an alternative to seeking medical or professional advice.”
How BeautyTok is also doing good
While it’s easy to demonise BeautyTok, the platform is also credited for positive things.
From encouraging people to embrace their greys, go make-up free, and apply the recommended amount of sunscreen (which is a whole lot more than you’d expect), it’s clear that there’s much to appreciate about the platform.
It has also helped launch the careers of some new and authoritative voices in the beauty space – such as Razia, who credits the platform for helping to establish her in the skincare community.
“It has definitely opened the doors for a lot of people, which has allowed the space to evolve into a refreshing, diverse online community for people to express themselves, start their own trends, share their tips and stories with the world and, overall, just have fun with beauty,” she says.
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Read more on TikTok:
- TikTok beauty hacks that actually work
- Dangerous TikTok dental trends you need to avoid
- TikTok: The good, the bad and the ugly
Written by Charlotte Brundrett.
