Beauty fads are as old as the industry itself, but the explosion of TikTok has made it easier than ever for trends to go mega-viral. Unfortunately, not all of these beauty trends are backed by evidence, and many of them are ineffective or even downright dangerous. Here are 10 over-hyped beauty trends that went viral in 2022, plus suggestions for what you can do instead:
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Slugging
Slugging has become really popular the last couple years. It involves slathering your face in petroleum jelly (typically Vaseline) overnight to lock in moisture. While this can be a useful treatment for extremely dry and cracked skin, repeated use can clog pores and lead to breakouts. If you apply other serums and eye care products beneath the Vaseline, slugging will also force them deeper into the skin, which can result in irritation and other side effects. In short, slugging isn’t that dangerous, but it should still be used in moderation when necessary.
Toothpaste Blemish Treatments
Another trend that keeps popping up is using toothpaste as an overnight spot treatment for pimples to dry them out. Unfortunately, toothpaste contains a lot of ingredients like dyes and flavors that can irritate your skin, not to mention that it can overly dry out your skin and cause irritation. You’re better off using a dedicated blemish treatment that is specifically designed to be used on acne-prone skin and uses evidence-based ingredients like sulfur and salicylic acid.
Sunscreen Contouring
You’ve no doubt heard of contouring, which involves using multiple shades of foundation to highlight certain areas of your face while minimizing others. Sunscreen contouring purports to achieve the same effect by applying sunscreen to only certain areas of your face so that parts of it tan and others do not. Needless to say, this leads to sun damage and you should be applying sunscreen to the entirety of your face! The safest way to achieve a contoured look is by using makeup the traditional way.
DIY Microneedling
Professional microneedling (sometimes also called dermarolling) is safe when done at a dermatologist’s office, but it’s a dangerous trend to try at home. Incorrect at-home microneedling can cause microtears in the skin, leading to wounds, infection, scarring, and more unpleasant side effects. This is one trend that you shouldn’t try at home. Instead, only seek out assistance from a trained professional only.
Homemade Coffee Scrubs
Another common beauty trend is using coffee grounds to create a homemade face scrub to exfoliate dead skin cells. Unfortunately, the uneven edges of coffee grounds can cause microtears in the skin, and they result in irritation and infection. For a safer, more effective skincare experience, use a chemical exfoliator that harnesses the power of AHA and BHA acids as part of your 3-step skincare routine.
Henna Freckles
Henna freckles emerged as a way to give yourself pseudo-permanent freckles that last longer than makeup. While henna freckles can be done safely, it’s important to pick the right kind of henna from a reputable dealer and patch test it before putting it on your face to ensure that you don’t have a contact allergen. When in doubt, consider getting henna freckles done by a professional henna artist or doing them yourself with a super fine light brown eyebrow pencil.
At-Home Hyaluron Pens
Hyaluron pens promised the ability to give yourself quick DIY lip fillers at home for a fraction of the cost. However, they carry the possibility for many dangerous side effects, including inflammation, infection, and even necrosis of tissue. If you need more convincing, the FDA even issued a statement about the hazards of needle-free DIY fillers. If you feel like you must get fillers, then going to a professional board-certified dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon is the safest and most effective way to do that — and there are plenty of ways you can make your lips look bigger with the use of cosmetic products.
Face Taping
Face taping allegedly helps to limit wrinkles by restricting movement of facial muscles overnight. Therefore, face taping has been around for more than 100 years, but it experienced a resurgence on TikTok earlier this year. Alas, face taping falls short of its claims: The benefits are typically not visible and, if you leave the face tape on, it’s incredibly hard to disguise. Furthermore, the materials in the adhesive often lead to irritation, allergic reactions, breakouts, and more, causing far more problems than the face taping solves.
Salt Water Acne Treatments
Many people have touted the benefits of salt water for acne, whether that’s rinsing with salt water after using a facial cleanser or using salt water as a leave-on toner. While salt water does limit oil production and help limit the shine, it can also over-dry the skin and cause an uptick in sebum production as it tries to overcompensate. If you’re looking for these sorts of benefits, we recommend using specific skincare products that are designed to go on your face rather than relying on DIY salt water blend.
Chlorophyll Drinks
If you think chlorophyll is just for plants, think again: Another big beauty trend of 2022 was mixing chlorophyll into water and drinking it to improve skin, help weight loss, detox the body, and more. Currently, there isn’t a lot of strong evidence showing the benefits of chlorophyll consumption in humans, but as long as you stay within recommended amounts, consuming chlorophyll has limited side effects and can’t hurt. And if it encourages you to drink more water, that’s definitely not a bad thing either!
Did you try any of these trends? If so, what was your experience? What other viral beauty trends did you notice in 2022? Let us know in the comments below!