By: Dana Hathaway

Editorial Editor

In this era of social media, a singular TikTok can reach millions of people. While direct advertising through corporate social media accounts is an effective way to market, an even more successful strategy is paid collaborations with influencers. According to Statista, there are over 100,000 influencers on TikTok. With many of these social media personalities promoting a variety of products, it’s difficult to know when a recommendation is genuine. Recently, different accounts on TikTok are “deinfluencing” products, proving that they aren’t worth the hype. Here are some recently “deinfluenced” products that you may have considered buying, but shouldn’t.

First up is Bloom Nutrition’s Greens. Everyone from fitness enthusiasts to beloved “it” girl Alix Earle uses these “health supplements.” The Bloom Nutrition website claims the powder is, “made with 30+ nutrients, including organic fruits and vegetables, probiotics, antioxidants, and more to balance gut health, boost energy, and soothe uncomfortable bloat.” However, these claims are not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and those who depend on Bloom for their greens are “automatically losing out on the fiber, antioxidants, water and key mineral benefits,” according to registered dietitian and nutritionist Jaclyn London. 

Next — body butters. While the “filling videos” are quite popular among ASMR fans, the reality is that many body butters are aesthetic lotions for quite a large amount of money. Most body butters sell for an average of 30 dollars. Influencers claim that their skin has never felt so soft … that’s lotion. You’re paying for the packaging and satisfying texture, but that doesn’t justify the price.

Another unjustifiable purchase is the Dyson Airwrap. It is six hundred dollars for a hair product; it works well for many people, but doesn’t for others. Influencers who promote this product are ridiculous and out of touch, as the majority of the time the company has gifted them the product. Insider recommends the Shark FlexStyle (150 dollars) and Revlon One-Step Volumizer (45 dollars) as high quality alternatives to the overpriced Dyson Airwrap.

Overall, any product seen on TikTok is worth some extra research. Some good rules to follow: do a quick internet search, wait a couple of days to buy the product, and limit the amount of products you’re “influenced” into buying.

(Sources: Forbes, Statista, Insider)