Skin cycling is the hottest beauty trend right now on TikTok, garnering 653 million views last month, according to an analysis by Lilac St. beauty experts. The top ten trends reach across a variety of beauty segments, including skin care, hair care and makeup, and focus on seasonal looks and skin care routines.
Related: Love it or Leave It: Professional Advice on TikTok Skin Care Trends
1. Skin Cycling
Skin cycling involves alternating nightly exfoliation with retinoid use, followed by two days of redness-calming and hydrating skin care. The trend had 653 million views from 18,000 posts on TikTok. Skin Cycling, along with a majority of these TikTok trends, is popular with Gen Z. Skin Cycling has gained significant popularity in Poland, Spain and Greece.
2. Bowl Method
The second most popular TikTok hashtag was the bowl method, a hair trend that involves applying curl cream and then turning the hair upside down to repeatedly immerse it in a bowl of water to increase hydration and reduce frizz. The trend had 489 million views from 2,000 posts and was especially popular in Norway, Germany and France.
3. Forehead Reduction
Two cosmetic procedure trends were in the top ten: forehead reduction, which was the third most popular with 297 million views from 2,000 posts, and permanent freckles, which was the ninth most popular with 3 million views from 194 posts.
Forehead reduction focuses on surgical methods to make the forehead appear smaller by lowering the hairline using microfeathering. It has a significant following in South Korea, Thailand and Canada, according to Lilac St.'s analysis.
4. Pumpkin Spice Makeup
The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh most popular beauty hashtags on TikTok were makeup trends: Pumpkin spice makeup, spider lashes, unapproachable makeup and cherry cola lips, respectively.
Pumpkin spice makeup, the fourth most popular with 22 million views from 1,000 posts, focuses on using warm shades of brown, bronze and orange to capture the essence of pumpkin and cinnamon. Deep red or bright orange is sometimes added to the eyes or lips for an extra pop. It's popular in Spain, Poland and the United States.
5. Spider Lashes
Ranking fifth was spider lashes with 97 million views from 2,000 posts. This trend involves applying mascara to create long, separated lashes reminiscent of spider legs. It's popular in Croatia, Finland and Iceland.
6. Unapproachable Makeup
Unapproachable makeup was in the sixth position with 95 million views from 3,000 posts. The popular trend showcases a woman's confidence and dominance through bold makeup choices, such as smudged, smoky cat eyes and well-defined, plump lips. These intense looks create a dark and powerful atmosphere. The trend is especially favored in Australia, Croatia and the Netherlands.
7. Cherry Cola Lips
Cherry Cola Lips attracted 84 million views from 3,000 posts on TikTok. Focused on bold lip tints, the trend comes from Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2023/24 runways, with fiery red lips being a staple with every fit. Its popularity is highest in Finland, Denmark and Norway, according to Lilac St.
8. Skin Care Minimalism
Another skin care routine trend, "#skinimalism," was the eighth most popular trend with 52 million views from 3,000 posts. The trend is all about minimalism in skin care by simplifying their routines without sacrificing results and has become especially popular in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia.
9. Permanent Freckles
The permanent freckles trend involves cosmetic procedures that create natural-looking freckles on the skin to give that sun-kissed look without the harmful effects of the sun. It is popular in the United States, Poland and Canada. Unlike the other trends on this list, the permanent freckles hashtag was most popular with the 25-34-year-old demographic instead of the 18-24-year-old demographic.
10. Angry Girl Makeup
Angry girl makeup, the final spot in the top 10, received 2 million views from 128 posts. According to Lilac St.'s report, the trend is about more than just looking angry or emulating the look of dark female characters. TikTok has become a platform for women to share their experiences and speak about their anger through Get Ready with Me (GRWM) videos, which involve a video or series of photos documenting the process of getting ready for an event or activity. The angry girl makeup trend is particularly popular in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
