While TikTok was our go-to for all the latest viral makeup must-haves, the ‘disinfluencer’ trend reminds us that beauty is subjective and not all ‘influencers’ have our best money at heart…
It’s safe to say that by now we’ve all been convinced by an influencer, a celebrity makeup routine, or a product review online that made us splurge straight into a Sephora sale. Whether it was for one of the best non-comedogenic foundations or a dupe for a higher-end product like the glowing elf halo filter that went viral in 2022.
We’ll admit that half the contents of our makeup bag come from TikTok recommendations. But it also means that, more often than not, we’ve all experienced the disappointment of one of these game-changing products either not working as well as promised or costing more than it might be worth.
But now it seems that enough of these “Stop scrolling and buy this product” videos are enough, as many users are starting to get frustrated with this whole influencer game and instead jump to de-influence trend. So if you’re confused, here’s an explanation for TikTok’s new movement — where transparency about which products are actually worth the money is the only goal.
What is the “deinfluencer” trend on TikTok?
To explain the “deinfluencer” trend, we first need to take you back in time, to a pre-TikTok world.
Circa 2012, OG beauty YouTubers walked so Beauty-tokers could run. YouTube was THE PLACE for makeup tutorials and it was where the term “influencer” was really coined. It was where a few names who would try out all the latest beauty launches and collections first made it big.
These days, it seems like a new product is going viral every minute – all TikTokers are sharing the new must-haves from all the big brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Dior, Hourglass, etc. And it’s not just about makeup, it’s everything from clothes to home decor – and because of TikTok’s massive reach, it’s now so easy to be swayed into buying something. Especially when the review has millions of views and likes/or the product itself has thousands of videos all singing its praises.
But popularity doesn’t always equal quality, and sometimes a brand deal or beauty filter (especially in the case of TikTok) can be behind a raving product review… enter the new “de-influencer” trend!
@themelaninmorgan (opens in new tab)
♬ Beautiful Girls Walk – Big Boss Vette (opens in new tab)
The “defluency” trend is seeing users post videos entirely dedicated to which products on TikTok’s list of cult favorites are actually worth the hype, and which ones definitely aren’t and have been sitting gathering dust on their shelves.
The hashtag now has over 55.9 million views, with videos covering everything from the best perfumes for women to hair tools.
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Yes, instead of telling us to “run, don’t walk” to buy the next must-have eyeshadow palette, they’re instead sharing which items—skincare, makeup, hair, etc. – we have all been completely deceived into loving. And let’s just say that even the most popular brands didn’t escape unscathed…
@cakedbybabyk (opens in new tab)
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It doesn’t stop with beauty – it is everything— all the things influencers can’t influence to spend our salaries already.
@valeriafride (opens in new tab)
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So the next time you see a dreamy new product trending, maybe search the decluttering hashtag to see if there’s a less-than-complimentary review before you buy!