A New Study Links TikTok beauty Routines to These Inflammatory Skin Conditions

07.10.2026, 22:04 allure.com

TikTok is a hotbed of beauty recommendations, but building a skin-care routine around products promoted on social media comes with risk, a small new observational study suggests.

The research, which was presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2026, followed 94 dermatology patients for 12 months who were experiencing new or aggravated skin conditions after using a makeup or skin-care product that was promoted on social media.

The most common issue was irritant contact dermatitis, or non-allergic skin inflammation—this surfaced in 42% of patients. Nearly 30% of patients developed acne or experienced acne exacerbations, while 12% had rosacea flares or rosacea-like dermatitis. More than 10% of patients experienced hyperpigmentation after their skin inflammation, but 7% experienced superficial chemical burns.

Nearly 35% of the patients had “adverse” skin reactions from chemical exfoliants containing alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) or beta-hydroxy acids (BHA). Over-the-counter retinoid-based products were linked to skin inflammation in 27% of patients, while high-concentration vitamin C serums were associated with 14% of skin inflammation issues. Products that contained niacinamide were responsible for 11% of cases.

The majority of patients (63%) used more than three active ingredients in their skincare regimens, while 14% said they used complex multi-step skin-care routines that combined multiple active ingredients with the potential to irritate the skin—and they often used these at the same time.

While 36% of patients had acne-prone skin and 18% had a history of rosacea, 35% of patients had no known past skin issues.

Nearly half of patients said their skin-care routine was created entirely with the inspiration of social media. Again, the study was small. But dermatologists say this points to a growing trend they’re seeing among their own patients and, naturally, they have concerns.

Product savviness doesn’t require a medical degree. But dermatologists are unsurprisingly concerned about some of the advice being offered on social media. “These people do not have the scientific knowledge to give medical advice, which is what they're often doing,” says Ife J. Rodney, MD, founding director of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics in Columbia, Maryland.

Other research supports those trepidations. A 2025 study published in the journal Pediatrics analyzed 100 videos from beauty content creators who were 18 or younger. Each regimen featured an average of six products, with the top 25 most-viewed videos containing an average of 11 and a maximum of 21 potentially irritating active ingredients. This particular study focused on kids, but Dr. Rodney says the findings reflect what you’ll see in adult skin-care videos, too. “A lot of the products recommended on social media are trendy, but they can irritate the skin, especially when combined,” she says.

One of her concerns is layering products, which can easily lead to overdoing it on the actives. “If you’re not looking at the active ingredients, you may be using 5% strength of an ingredient twice, which can expose you to 10% strength—and that may be irritating,” she says.

Cindy Wassef, MD, a dermatologist at Premier Health Associates in Randolph, New Jersey, recommends double checking who is disseminating the recommendations, and why, in social media posts. “Much of it is paid ads and scripted, and those presenting it may not even fully understand all the risks and benefits of what they are suggesting,” Dr. Wassef says. These suggestions also tend to be general and may not apply to everyone, she points out. They often omit potential side effects and interactions with other skin-care products, too.

That’s a concern echoed by Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, who points out that many posts are geared towards shock value and not medically sound advice. “Posts are often designed for engagement, sharing shocking or exaggerated content that pulls the viewer in and allows it to go viral,” he says. “A complicated, multi-step regimen that contains several potentially irritating active ingredients may make for good content, but may not actually be right for a viewer’s skin.”

While a specific ingredient may be helpful for some, it could be “completely wrong for your needs,” Dr. Zeichner points out.

Dermatologists don’t advise avoiding skin-care content altogether, but rather to approach it with some critical thought. “I personally learn a lot from social media,” Dr. Zeichner says. “I encourage patients to learn from social media, but then it’s important to vet that information with your dermatologist.”

Dr. Rodney agrees. “This content is useful to expose the public to all of the different products that are available,” she says. Instead, it’s what you do next that matters most.

If any products on your feed pique your interest, Dr. Rodney suggests running them by a dermatologist—a crucial step if you have a history of acne or skin sensitivities, or you’re looking to overhaul your existing routine. “[Dermatologists] can give you guidance on what’s best for your skin type, along with which ingredients are repetitive or interact and shouldn’t go together,” Dr. Rodney says.

If that’s not an option, Dr. Zeichner suggests using caution with ingredients like exfoliating acids, retinoids, vitamin C, and niacinamide. “They are known to cause irritation,” he says. “Moreover, those ingredients don’t even necessarily play nicely together, and in some cases can inactivate each other.”

Even if it’s time for a routine overhaul, Dr. Wassef advises not to start a bunch of new products all at once. “Start with one product at a time, preferably no more than one new product every one to two weeks,” she says. “Watch for signs of irritation.” She also recommends trying to avoid using multiple products and ingredients to try to resolve the one single issue. “They are likely duplicates or overused,” she says.

Dermatologists say discussing new product additions with them can help avoid or minimize future skin issues that may take a lot of time and effort to correct. “It’s best to have someone walk you through this,” Dr. Rodney says.

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