We’ve witnessed many questionable viral TikTok trends within the past year. There was the diarrhea-inducing frozen honey and something called “scalp-popping,” a phenomenon that not only sounds gross but can lead to myriad issues including bleeding inside your scalp. Somehow, though, TikTok users have upped the weirdness a notch and are now slathering lube all over their faces. Yes, they’re applying personal lubricant that’s typically used to ease friction during sexual intercourse … on their face.
If you search the hashtag #lubeprimer — which currently has 10.4 million views — you’ll find a shocking number of users mixing Durex pleasure gel with their foundation makeup. The claim is that the lube acts as an exceptional primer (a makeup product that helps keep foundation, concealer and the rest of your cosmetics tacked to your face.) Not only does it grip product well, but users are boasting that the lube makes your foundation glide on smoother and creates an overall dewy, glossy look.
Per the Cut, the trend’s origin can be traced back to Lukáš Kohutek (@lukeketuhok) who’s been squirting his face with Durex since July. Kohutek told the Cut he began using lube as a skincare product after a friend’s mom suggested it as a remedy “for healing up scars after breakouts.”
“After a few weeks using it as the final step of my skin-care routine, I said to myself, this can be great as a primer. I tried it and loved it, and now use it almost every time I put on makeup,” he said.
Unfortunately, dermatologists aren’t convinced.
“Using personal lubricant as a makeup primer can lead to facial skin sensitivities and allergies to some of the ingredients often found in lube, like castor oil, chlorhexidine, and spermicide,” one board-certified dermatologist told the Cut, also warning that lube’s stickiness has the ability to clog up your pores, trapping bacteria and dirt, which can lead to acne, blackheads and other stuff we typically try to prevent.
As the Cut notes, however, “there are worse things you can do to your face,” and if lube is safe enough for more sensitive areas of your body, like your genitals, then it won’t totally wreck your face. Still, when you use sexual lubricant on your gentials, it hopefully isn’t sitting in or on them for too long. Using lube as a makeup primer, on the other hand, will have you wearing the gel for hours on end and your skin may hate you for that.
So like the frozen honey and scalp-popping of yonder, stay away from this TikTok trend and keep your lube where it belongs: in your pants.
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