Daniella Lopez-White gets her hair done in her Boston apartment on May 14. As a recent college graduate on a tight budget, Lopez-White said TikTok influencers have given her tips on finding affordable clothes and beauty products. Associated Press
NEW YORK — TikTok and its short-form video platform arrived in the U.S. as a global version of the Chinese app Douyin less than six years ago, and in the six years since, the social media platform has deeply ingrained itself in American consumer society, shortening the shelf life of trends and reshaping the way people interact with food and fashion.
TikTok’s popularity and its birthplace in Beijing led Congress to pass a bill citing national security concerns that would ban the video-sharing app unless its Chinese parent company divests its stake. The company, ByteDance and TikTok are all suing on First Amendment grounds.
But while the platform faces uncertain times, its influence remains unquestionable.
For example, interest in bright pink blush and brown lipstick soared last year after they were featured in TikTok videos under the guise of “cold girl” or “latte” makeup, as well as a host of other quirkily named fashion trends that have been popularized thanks to TikTok, from “cottagecore” to “coastal grandma.”
Many of the trends TikTok creates die out after a week or two, but it can be a challenge for businesses to know which even small trends are worth stocking.
Of the more than 170 million Americans who use TikTok, the majority are in the under-30 age group coveted by retailers, according to the Pew Research Center.
Shoppers, whether or not they’re fans of the platform, may still have a #tiktokmademebuyit moment without knowing the provenance behind the product that catches their eye.
What has made TikTok such a trendsetter compared to its predecessors? Researchers and marketing analysts often cite the platform’s personalized recommendation algorithm as the “secret sauce” of TikTok’s success. The company has revealed little about the technology it employs to inform its users’ “recommended” feed.
Jake Bjoerseth, founder of Gen Z-focused ad agency Trndsttrs, believes TikTok’s use of an algorithm based on interests, rather than personal connections, to connect like-minded people has given it an advantage.
TikTok has also changed the standards of what is considered desirable for social media content. The beginner-friendly platform features videos made without filters, lighting setups or production-level audio. TikTok creators appear more authentic, which allows them to build a more intimate connection with their followers, Bjoerses said.
The platform has been met with criticism: Some experts say that, like other social media sites, TikTok can be addictive and encourage unnecessary spending, while others accuse it of encouraging harmful behavior, such as girls adopting skin-care routines intended for older women.
But while some critics wouldn’t be sad if TikTok went away, some fans are vocal in their desire for the app to stay.
Fashion and Accessories
New York-based trend analyst Casey Lewis said TikTok’s influence in the fashion world first became apparent in 2022 when a video about Birkenstock’s Boston Clog topped her “For You” feed.
As the number of TikTok videos exploded, with creators advising followers on where to get their hands on the suddenly sold-out clogs, Lewis said he found it odd that his brother, a “frat boy” rather than a fashionista, had worn the cork-soled comfort shoes in college.
“I’m not a psychologist, but I’m sure there’s a psychology to it where your brain goes, ‘Is this weird? Is this fashion?’ and then all of a sudden you’re obsessed with it,” she said.
TikTok-inspired trends can come and go at a dizzying pace: last year, the hot-pink ensembles of “Barbiecore” co-existed with the purposefully unsexy “dadcore” look of chunky white sneakers, loose jeans, and polo shirts; the linen-clad “coastal grandma” look gave way to the “eclectic grandpa” look.
While replacing “core” members may not prompt fans to buy out their entire wardrobes, Lewis said it “impacts spending in small ways that add up to a big impact.”
Daniella Lopez White, 21, a recent college graduate on a tight budget, said TikTok influencers have not only given her tips on finding affordable clothes but also introduced her to plus-size creators who create fashion for larger women, which has helped her feel more confident.
“TikTok trends have really helped me embrace what parts of my body I want to highlight and look cute in, as well as my own sense of style,” she said.
food
With its easy-to-follow cooking videos and clever tricks, TikTok has become a go-to place for home cooks during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the platform has made common ingredients into stars and garnered endorsements from some of the culinary world’s biggest names.
“Honestly, I’m amazed every day by the creativity of the FoodTok community,” restaurateur and chef Gordon Ramsay said in a TikTok video late last year.
Like fashion styles from previous eras, foods that had gone out of fashion have also made a comeback on TikTok: U.S. sales of cottage cheese increased 34% between April 2022 and April 2024 after videos promoting cottage cheese ice cream, cottage cheese toast, and other recipes received millions of views.
Ben Sokolsky, general manager of sales and marketing for Dallas-based dairy company Daisy Brands, said cottage cheese is experiencing its biggest sustained growth in the past 50 years.
The TikTok trend has even spawned a vinyl equivalent: Last summer, TikTok user Olivia Maher posted a recipe for what she called a “girl dinner” featuring bread, cheese, pickles, and grapes. It became a hit, garnering more than 1.6 million views, and quickly spawned several “girl dinner” cookbooks.
beauty
TikTok has wreaked havoc on the cosmetics industry by categorizing ingredients as the next miracle cure or one to be avoided, and featuring videos of people gleefully slathering on their latest beauty purchases only to slam their contents.
Influencers on TikTok and elsewhere have weaponized freckles, showing how to create them with eyebrow pencil or florets of broccoli, and the “clean girl” aesthetic, another name for no-makeup makeup, has prompted both luxury and drugstore brands to rush to launch their own skin tints and lip oils.
