Influencers on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have a significant impact on what their audience buys with just short videos and posts. With just an inkling of high praise for a certain product, soon enough it sells out everywhere.
Recently, affordable drugstore makeup products such as the Revlon Glass Shine Lipstick in the shade Rum Raisin and the Milani Fruit Fetish Lip Oil are nowhere to be found in stores such as CVS and Target.
TikToker Mireya Rios, who has more than 4.5 million followers, bought the Glass Shine Lipstick after hearing positive reviews. Though she liked how affordable it was, she also commented about the lack of availability. Her critique of the lipstick gained a total of 2.5 million likes and 19 million views.
But this boom in popularity doesn’t simply lie with one individual creator­. Like all other trends, it rapidly spreads across platforms. The hashtag “rumraisinlipstick” is prevalent across TikTok with currently more than 74.6 million views.
The constant selling out of these products has led to overpriced reselling.
For example, the NYX Butter Lip Gloss in the shade Rocky Road is normally sold for $4.97 in stores, but on Amazon, it’s being resold for $14.99 because of how rare it is now.
Drugstore makeup is designed to be easy to obtain and afford, but the fast-paced environment of TikTok and similar platforms is transforming everyday makeup into high-demand treasures.
Even worse, this constant over-hyping of products isn’t specific to drugstore makeup, but to high-end makeup as well.
Dior’s Lip Glow Oil and Rare Beauty Blush are both instances of more costly makeup being praised all over TikTok.
This can lead to problems with consumer satisfaction from influencers who ignore and overlook the downsides of such products in their promotional videos.
Recently, as Charlotte Tilbury products such as the blush, contour, and highlighter wands have gained more traction in the beauty industry, consumers who were influenced by big creators have shared their disappointment with how the tube is barely even half filled.
Katie Raymond, a TikToker with almost 945,000 followers, posted a short video of her cutting open an unopened $40 Charlotte Tilbury wand to test theories of it being half full. When confirming it, she stated that she wasn’t surprised and compared it to a bag of chips, which are known for being half filled with air.
Likewise, Jennifer Ngo, another TikToker with more than 6.3 million followers, commented on Raymond’s video saying that her own wand “ran out after a couple [of] uses.”
The reaction to these attempts to pull the wool over people’s eyes is divided.
Some people argue the amount of product is very clearly stated on the bottle, like it is for all products. But some consumers refute that the package size is misleading, and not many check the quantity before purchase.
Others say the amount doesn’t matter at all, since only a minimum amount is needed and the wands are of high quality.
With its high price making consumers reluctant to purchase the item, the fact that the wand does not contain as much product as believed shows that the over-hyping of these products can prove to be detrimental to their perceived worth and consumers’ wallets.
The Charlotte Tilbury wand isn’t the only over-hyped product though. Some buyers have regretted buying the Dior Lip Glow Oil as well after influencers promoted it.
As pretty as the packaging is, people have claimed there is once again very little product. Others also have complained about how it’s too sticky to justify its $48 price point.
While certain products big influencers advertise can be worth the hype, their reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt. Every small purchase on their viewers’ part results in a big heap of paid promotion and bias on the influencers’.