Asian skincare on social media: Trends, financial bias, and dermatological implications

Summary: Abstract Body: Social media is a powerful tool for sharing health information, offering unique insights into patient perspectives. With over a billion users, TikTok helps popularize dermatology content, though most posts are not by medical professionals. The global popularity of Asian skincare has grown through social media, but influencer-driven content and in-app shopping raise concerns about financial bias and product credibility. As little is known about Asian skincare content on social media, this study analyzes TikTok videos on Asian skincare to assess trends and financial incentives. In December 2024, the top 4 Asian skincare-related hashtags on TikTok were identified, and the top 50 videos for each were analyzed. Financial incentives were identified via affiliate links, TikTok Shop tags, or sponsorship disclosures. The top 200 videos averaging 4.77 million views were mostly posted by influencers(83.5%), and only 2.5% by dermatologists. Most videos were promotional(63.5%). Korean products accounted for 70.1% of featured items, with cleansers being the most common item(23.8%). Brightening claims appeared in 26% of posts, alongside Korean beauty trends like “glass skin,” describing crystal-clear, luminous skin (17%). Additionally, 20.5% of posts highlighted products as “viral.” Financial incentives were present in 63% of posts, with 16.4% of affiliate links directing users to third-party sellers. TikTok Shop tags appeared on 10.5% of posts for purchase, with 19.1% linking to official brand stores. Only 31.8% of posts with financial incentives disclosed them. Promotional content on Asian skincare is prevalent in social media, emphasizing aesthetics and “viral” products with limited financial transparency that may mislead consumers and impact skin health. Understanding these trends and biases can help dermatologists improve patient counseling and support more informed patient decisions in an evolving digital world. Megan Hoang¹, Aakash Arora¹, Emma Danes¹, Surya Khatri¹, Victoria M. Hoffman¹, Eliz Arnavut¹, Angela R. Loczi-Storm¹, Nikitha Bhimireddy¹, Rebecca Van Dyke¹, Ariyaporn Haripottawekul¹, Quinn Schroeder¹, Alyssa Iurillo¹, Fatima N. Mirza¹, Oliver Wisco¹ 1. Dermatology, Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research