Since TikTok‘s inception in 2016, the app’s user population and general popularity have skyrocketed. Almost 58% of TikTok users say they use the platform for shopping inspiration, highlighting that the content on TikTok heavily influences the users and their shopping habits. Throughout the last eight years, products like the Grande Lash Serum and the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Mask have become extremely popular because of the app. But while TikTok is a great platform for shopping inspiration, it does not always promote the safest or healthiest products for viewers.
To help you navigate what products are worth purchasing, we’ve used the Yuka app to learn all about the ingredients behind some of TikTok’s most popular beauty products. Yuka allows users to scan skin, food, and beauty products to receive information on the item’s ingredients — the good and the bad. Yuka also gives each product a score out of 100 and a corresponding rating to match that score (excellent, good, poor, and bad). Yuka even categorizes each product’s ingredients as hazardous, moderate risk, limited risk, or risk-free. Using the Yuka app, we have researched six of TikTok’s most popular beauty products to see if they’re safe to use and worth a purchase. Here’s what we found.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
On the Sol de Janeiro website, the Brazillian Bum Bum Cream is $48 for 240 ml. On the Yuka app, the Sol de Janeiro Brazillian Bum Bum Cream has a score of 33/100 which falls under the “poor” category. The cream does not have any hazardous ingredients, but two ingredients are labeled as moderate risk. Phenoxyethanol is used as a preservative and is generally okay to use on the skin, but phenoxyethanol can cause irritation to the skin, could be a potential allergen, and its manufacturing process is highly polluting. Similarly, the use of benzyl salicylate as a fragrance substance poses a moderate risk in the Bum Bum Cream because it is an allergen — the International Fragrance Association has restricted the use of benzyl salicylate because it can potentially make the skin sensitive. Besides the two moderate-risk ingredients, five other ingredients in this product have a low risk–meaning they have little probability of causing harm. Instead of Sol de Janeiro’s Brazillian Bum Bum Cream, Yuka recommends Honest’s Sensitive Face and Body Lotion because of its perfect score of 100/100. The Sol de Janeiro Brazillian Bum Bum Cream is an okay product, but users (especially those with sensitive skin) should be cautious and alert to any skin irritation and reactions.
K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask
K18’s website sells the leave-in molecular repair hair mask for $75 for 50 ml. When we looked this K18 product up on Yuka, we were shocked to see a “poor” score of 31/100. Much like the Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream, Yuka shows that the use of phenoxyethanol as a preservative in the K18 hair mask brings a moderate risk for potential allergens and skin irritation to users. Besides the one ingredient that is a moderate risk, there are eight other ingredients with low risks. Yuka recommends using Luseta’s Tea Tree Oil Hair and Scalp Treatment instead of K18’s hair mask because Luseta’s hair oil and treatment has no moderate risk ingredients and has an “excellent” score of 93/100 on Yuka. While the K18 Molecular Repair Hair Mask ranks moderately on safety and is fine to use, K18 Molecular Repair Hair Mask users should be aware of possible skin allergies, irritations, and reactions.
Grande LASH-MD
Grande Cosmetics sells their lash enhancing serum for $68 for 2 ml. On the Yuka app, the GrandLASH-MD (lash-enhancing serum) has a “poor” score of 43/100 because of the same ingredient, phenoxyethanol, that’s in the K18 leave-in hair mask and Bum Bum Cream. The Grande Cosmetics brand recently settled a $6.25 million lawsuit for false advertising because users were reporting their products contain isopropyl cloprostenate (ICP) which is a drug used to treat glaucoma. Because Grande Cosmetics products contain ICP, the products are legally seen as misbranded and unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Users have reported several harmful side effects from using the lash-enhancing serum such as eye color darkening, eye irritation, dark circles, red eyes, swelling around the eyes, and dry/flakey skin. With that being said, Yuka labels the GrandeLASH-MD as a dangerous product that should be avoided. Instead, Yuka recommends using Sunny Isle’s eyelash and brow serum, which contains only “risk-free” ingredients.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
Summer Fridays is a newer trending cosmetic brand that has gone viral for their several lip butter balms. The Summer Fridays website sells these lip balms for $24 for 0.5 oz. Despite their popularity, Summer Friday’s lip butter balms are not the best option for lip care. For starters, the lip butter balms have a “bad” score of 4/100 on Yuka because of the hazardous and moderate-risk ingredients that this product contains. It might be easy to be sold on this item because of its aesthetic packaging and popularity, but this lip product uses a hazardous ingredient known as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Though the compound BHT is used in cosmetics for its antioxidant function, it is a potential allergen, an extreme pollutant to marine life and, in rare cases, BHT can potentially affect sex hormones regarding fertility and development. In a high-dose experiment on rats, researchers found that BHT can be toxic to the liver, kidneys, lungs, and blood (not tested on humans). Other than BHT being hazardous, three other ingredients are listed as moderate risks. The ingredients polybutene, cera microcristallina, and synthetic wax are all categorized as moderate risks because they are pollutants and potential carcinogens. Instead of using Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm, Yuka recommends trying Mineral Fusion’s lipstick butter, which has a Yuka safety score of 100/100.
Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Bronzing Drops with Peptides
These Drunk Elephant bronzing drops have become a staple in beauty since late 2022. The Drunk Elephant sells the D-Bronzi drops for $38 for 30 ml. Drunk Elephant bronzing drops lovers use this product as a facial tint or as a lightweight foundation, and most swear by this product. But Yuka rates the D-Bronzi drops as “poor,” with a score of 49/100 due to the use of phenoxyethanol in its formula. Phenoxyethanol is commonly added to cosmetic products like Sol de Janeiro’s Brazillian Bum Bum Cream and K18’s Molecular Repair Hair Mask, but is considered to be a moderate-risk ingredient since it is a potential allergen and its manufacturing is highly polluting. Other than the use of phenoxyethanol in this product, there are no other ingredient risks. Still, Yuka recommends an alternative for the D-Bronzi drops, suggesting users try InnBeauty Project’s face glaze bronze which contains zero harmful ingredients in its formula.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
This name-brand cosmetic product has gone viral for its ability to smooth the skin without creating a cakey or heavy makeup look. Charlotte Tilbury sells the Hollywood Flawless Filter for $49 for 30 ml. Luckily for the many users of Hollywood Flawless Filter, this product is a great option! With a Yuka “excellent” score of 90/100, the Hollywood flawless filter contains titanium dioxide, a coloring agent in cosmetics, as the only low-risk ingredient. Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood flawless filter has our support — and Yuka’s.
Is it Worth it?
Shopping is supposed to be fun, but as consumers, we should consider all the potential impacts of the products we purchase. While TikTok is a wonderful platform for finding inspiration for beauty, fashion, and skincare, it is important to do your own research on products before buying and using them — and take advantage of resources like Yuka that can help make that process easier. We hope this list helps make your beauty product shopping a safer and simpler experience!
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