TikTok Beauty Trends – May 2025

In March 2025, Canadian makeup artist Anna Murphy posted a TikTok tutorial in which she glued a white spiral thread onto her face before applying makeup. The video reached 52 million views and 5.8 million likes: #yarnmakeup quickly went from “weird little thing” to the breakout beauty trend of the moment.

@annamurphyyy I can’t move my mouth 😭#makeup #makeupartist #creativemakeup #mua #sfxmakeupartist ♬ Love Me Not – Ravyn Lenae

The method looks simple but requires real patience: an even white base, prosthetic glue, and then the thread is applied centimeter by centimeter from the nose up to the hairline. Once the wool web is in place, eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick are applied directly onto the fibers. The result is striking—comfort, much less so. Those who’ve tried it describe a suffocating sensation and a long, sometimes painful removal process.

The trend quickly diversified. Eleanor Barnes (@snitchery) released a “sleep-paralysis demon” version. Zaynna (@itszaybaybay) took it even further with a total look — face, hair, nails, and outfit all crocheted — garnering over 13 million views. At just 18, Nettie Lombardi spent over six hours recreating Coraline’s blue-purple portal, showing that here, precision matters more than comfort.

@itszaybaybay One of my fave things about this trend is seeing how so many creatives interpret this trend. It’s times like these that I love seeing the makeup community come together and create looks together 🥹🩷 #makeup #makeuptutorial #makeuptransformation #yarnmakeup ♬ original sound – ZAYBAY

So why the hype? After the “clean girl” aesthetic and express routines, this makeup emphasizes craftsmanship: manual work, thick texture, and extended time. It echoes the rise of craftcore and the post-pandemic boom in creative hobbies. Visually, the wool creates a slight unease: the face looks like a doll or an animated character — a far cry from the smoothing AI filters. This contrast intrigues viewers and encourages them to try their own takes, whether inspired by horror films or cartoons.

The trend is already shifting expectations. Enthusiasts are searching for ultra-white bases that grip the thread, gentler glues, and pigments that cover fibrous surfaces yet come off painlessly. For beauty brands, the message is clear: offering ready-to-use kits — adhesive, matching skein, suitable palette — or formulas designed to stick to unconventional textures could turn a viral buzz into a new avenue for creative expression. The value no longer lies solely in the final look, but also in the process, the materials used, and the time devoted to crafting a one-night-only masterpiece.

On TikTok, the most talked-about skincare trend isn’t a futuristic serum but… the exact opposite. The “Caveman Method” involves stopping everything: no cleansers, no moisturizers, sometimes not even water. Influencer Tia Zakher claims six weeks without touching her face; her video hit 9.7 million views and sparked a wave of skepticism. Many see it as rage-bait: drawing clicks by promising “brand new skin” through total inaction.

@tiazakherit’s SO tempting to not pick at it but so far so good 💪♬ I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) – Icona Pop

The approach varies: some go “water-only” (just rinsing), others go full “no-contact.” Reactions are far from unanimous. After thirty days without a routine, some users report clogged pores, whiteheads, cystic breakouts, and waxy complexions. Others, particularly those with eczema or allergies, say they feel more comfortable — though most admit they still apply sunscreen. With contradictory stories and questionable before/afters, it’s hard to separate placebo from real improvement.

Dermatologists are far more critical: no study supports the idea that fully halting skincare regenerates the skin barrier. Without cleansing, sweat, pollutants, and microbes build up, encouraging fungal infections or “neglect dermatitis” — a thick layer of dead skin seen in people who never wash their faces. Most concerning is the absence of SPF, which increases long-term risks of spots, premature aging, and skin cancer. In short: while cutting back on actives may help, complete withdrawal is neither hygienic nor sustainable.

@seitanism__No hate obv but seeing it made me need the most instantly gratifying exfoliation possible♬ What Was That – Lorde

Why does the idea still appeal? Fatigue from 15-step routines, rising product costs, a desire for anti-consumerist gestures… and curiosity from users who want to test how far they can go. It becomes a crash-test experiment: if my skin survives with nothing, which products actually deserve a spot on the shelf?

Brands are already picking up on this shift. Short ingredient lists focused on “barrier repair,” simplified skin diagnostics, and cleanser-moisturizer-SPF trios are gaining traction. The promise is no longer to multiply steps but to prove that even a single product brings measurable benefit — and to reinforce that “minimalist” doesn’t mean “no care at all.” Ultimately, between overload and total zero, the value lies in usage.

A new beauty trend is splitting the TikTok beauty community: the face-off between “Messy Girl vs Clean Girl.” Two aesthetics that couldn’t be more different, yet both reflect a reinvented take on minimalism — somewhere between tight control and intentional chaos.

The Clean Girl? We know her well. Dewy skin, perfectly brushed brows, green smoothie, and a neatly made bed. She’s the Pinterest girl personified, the ideal of a flawless, curated lifestyle. But now, a new wave is shaking up this glossy perfection: the Messy Girl.

@herstoryofficiel La Clean Girl ? Merci, mais on a fait le tour. Teint glowy, vie millimétrée et smoothie vert, ça va deux minutes. 2025 signe l’entrée fracassante de la Messy Girl : un peu bordélique, résolument imparfaite, mais 100 % vraie. #cleangirl #messygirl #trendingvideo ♬ son original – Herstory

Disheveled hair, smudged eyeliner, chipped nails? Yes — and on purpose. The Messy Girl embraces a disorderly beauty, more raw than refined. She doesn’t aim to “look good,” but to be real. Inspired by figures like Charli XCX, she represents a new form of freedom — more rebellious, more visceral, more alive. It’s a direct response to wellness routine pressure, productivity obsession, and the polished images of social media.

Which one are you? A test is available to find out:

@julialrnAlors vous êtes plutôt clean girl ou messy girl ? 😂🩷🩷♬ son original – Julia Lorino

But the real question isn’t about choosing sides — it’s about understanding what these aesthetics reveal about our relationship to beauty. Messy Girl is a soft rebellion: she celebrates blur, imperfection, and raw truth. It’s an aesthetic of letting go, almost therapeutic, claiming the right to feel beautiful without needing to please. In contrast, Clean Girl is all about precision and clarity — each detail expressing calm, discipline, and intent. Her polished look isn’t conformist; it’s a conscious choice for clarity in a chaotic world.

For brands, this marks a strategic turning point: it’s no longer about promising the perfect glow or flawless finish, but supporting real-life use, moods, and rhythms. Fragmented routines give way to targeted, flexible rituals at the crossroads of care, expression, and emotion.

Because in the end, what consumers seek today isn’t perfection — it’s permission.