Influencers are popularizing the use of food dye as DIY lip stains — but is it really SAFE?
Numerous beauty hacks and advice can be found on TikTok, but the most recent one has some people questioning how safe it is to use. Influencers on TikTok are using cotton pads to apply food coloring directly to their lips to create their own lip stains. They are even blending different colors to create their own hues.
TikTokers claim that the food coloring, which is typically used to glam up baked products, is equivalent to typical store-bought lip color and are even praising its endurance. A popular TikToker named Sarah Wolak is currently making waves for staining her lips with food coloring as her experiments with various tints earned more than 200K views. This trend of homemade lip stains was initiated by her experiments, which she executed with various shades.
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Early in July, Wolak attempted the method for the first time after getting a recommendation for it in the comments section of one of her videos. Since then, she has been combining and matching drops of food coloring on a regular basis to create stains of various tones and hues and is even taking requests from viewers.
In February, Tracy Hawchar astounded her viewers by using food dye to create a vibrant cherry red tint. She wrote, "I kid you not, this stays on all day," in her post. Kirsty Belle further demonstrated the durability of the coloring with her cherry Popsicle stain used as both a blush and a lip stain on her account earlier in February. "This literally just feels like a normal lip stain. I'm not even kidding," Belle, a well-known TikTok influencer, told her 1.1million viewers while applying food dye on her face.
Food coloring is definitely safe to consume, but that does not necessarily mean that it is also safe to apply to your skin. In rare instances, the dye may briefly discolor the area of the body where it is applied for a few days. Alternatively, one should always consult a dermatologist before attempting any trend they find online.
In 2021, TikTokers would generously coat their lips in lip gloss after adding a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to it. Dazed reported that a large number of TikTok users have used the platform to demonstrate how adding cinnamon oil to their preferred lip glosses results in fuller lips.
This works because cinnamon tends to irritate the skin where it is applied. As a result, blood rushes to the surface, producing the appearance of puffy or swollen lips. It is quite safe to use when compared to earlier hacks like the 2015 Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, which had usually left people trying out the trend with bruises, soreness, and shredded tissue. Anyone who has a cinnamon oil allergy should avoid doing this, and a patch test should always be performed first to ensure safety.