TikTok fuels Gen Z appetite for miracle beauty products

ARE you using miracle products? These concoctions have nothing to do with magic potions and witches' cauldrons, but are must-have beauty products that promise to zap wrinkles and blemishes in an instant. While makeup has waned for many during the pandemic, miracle products have been buzzing on TikTok, stirring up a real appetite for these seemingly "revolutionary" formulations.

In just a few months, TikTok, the social network popular with Gen Z, has become a major incubator for trends in the beauty world. Whether it's makeup, fragrance or skincare, sources of inspiration are many and varied. But which trends stood out the most in 2020? According to Stylight, the global online search platform for fashion, beauty and design, the trend for miracle beauty products grew on the famous social network -- so much so that Gen Zers can't get enough of them.

The Cicapair skincare line from Dr.Jart+ proved a particular hit this year. For anyone who's not already using it, certain products in the line promise to even out skin tone and immediately reduce inflammation and redness. These products, in particular, have been popular with Gen Z, with videos on the subject flourishing this year. Stylight confirms that clicks for the Dr.Jart+ brand grew over 1,000% in November on the platform, while Google searches for the terms "Dr.Jart+ Cicapair" were up 809% over the last two weeks of October.

Other miracle products proving a hit with young people include the "Revlon Pro Collection Salon One-Step" hairdryer and volumizer, with Google search interest up 170% over the course of November 2020, and Gisou Hair Oil (+300% Google search interest over November 2020).

High-end fragrance and cut-price dupes

Why buy a US$300 fragrance when you can pick up a dupe for a fraction of the price? That's another key trend on Tiktok, where users share tips and tricks for finding low-cost scents that smell just like big-name fragrances. The "Baccarat Rouge 540" fragrance from Maison Francis Kurkdjian has been a hit on the web, with Google Trends reporting a 100% increase in searches over the course of November. But, according to Stylight, TikTok users discovered that the "Cloud by Ariana Grande" scent smells very similar, driving keen interest in the American singer's considerably cheaper fragrance, with Google search interest growing 213% over the course of November.

In terms of skincare, TikTok users looked to natural ingredients, simplicity and cruelty-free formulations with enthusiasm for the brands CeraVe (1,000% more clicks for CeraVe products on Stylight in November 2020 vs 2019), The Ordinary (+407%) and Paula's Choice (+100%).

The Stylight report is based on the platform's internal data collected from the 12 million monthly users across its international platforms. Clicks on different brands & product categories, over the period from November 1 to November 30, 2020, were analyzed and compared the results to the same period in 2019. Whenever the selected timeframe of analysis may refer to another period, or the data may originate from an external source, it was duly referenced in the body of the report.