The Silliest (and Most Dangerous) TikTok Beauty Hacks People Tried in 2021

The stuff of sexy time — aka lube — has no place on your face. I repeat: lube does not belong on your face! In October, TikTok creators thought otherwise and decided to use the liquid strictly designed for sexual intercourse as a makeup primer. 

One user on the app, Sean Anthony, documented his experience of mixing some foundation with a lubricant by Durex. The automated voice in Anthony’s video sang its praises for lube as a makeup primer, noting that “[lube] makes it glide extra smooth… makes your base flawless and fresh.” Using lube as a primer may help make you look sexy for the camera, but Connecticut-based board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, M.D., says the side effects aren’t sexy at all. 

“Unless the lube you are using is Vaseline, don’t mix your sex and makeup accessories,” Gohara told Allure in October of 2021. “Popular lube ingredients such as nonoxynol-9, propylene glycol, and fragrance will, sure enough, slide your face right into acne, redness, or full-blown irritation.” Therefore, it’s best to keep that bottle of lube in your bedside drawer rather than on your bathroom countertop. 

At-Home Hyaluron Pens

You should never be giving yourself lip service or any kind of aesthetic rejuvenation at home. Period. Hyaluron pens have gripped the attention of TikTok users around the country for their supposed potential to inject your lips, jawline, or nose with hyaluronic acid in the comfort of your own home. You can learn more about out why TikTokers have been enamored with the DIY filler pen by watching this video. At the advisory of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), no one should be purchasing a hyaluron pen due to the fact that they can cause “bleeding or bruising; infection with bacteria, fungus, or virus from the filler or needle-free device,” among several other side effects, including death. Don’t try at this home. Ever. 

Face Rollers For Blending Foundation

We appreciate the creativity with this foundation blending hack, but is it really necessary? Even though TikTok user @avonnasunshine said the face roller helped her to achieve fuller coverage, TikTok creators Rissa and Amanda Frisch both agreed that applying your foundation with a face roller takes a long time (like, too long) to blend. According to board-certified dermatologist Jeannette Graf, M.D., as long as you clean the roller before and after use with antibacterial soap, there’s no harm in giving this hack a try. Clever? Yes. Helpful for every day? Not so much. 

Sea Salt Acne Spray

We’ve got another too-good-to-be-true acne cure, y’all: sea salt spray. TikTok user @aubyrnjadeart‘s acne-clearing success story follows the classic plotline of any fairytale. First, we’ve got the problem: she “tried everything to cure [her acne].” Then, a knight in shining armor, a DIY spray consisting of sea salt and water, suddenly comes in and rids her face of all its acne.