Anyone who preaches 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all' hasn't been on TikTok recently.
In an age where our every moment is shared online, whether influencer or amateur — it’s understood that if you like a beauty product, you share it. But, whilst once only gushingly positive reviews were shared, now the unimpressive has become just as intriguing. Entire accounts are dedicated to the beauty anti-fan, where an engaged audience awaits a brand's latest misstep with bated breath and comments at the ready. Fast becoming a beauty genre in itself, #badmakeup boasts 131.5 million views on TikTok, whilst #worstskincare racks up a cool 26.4 million. If you haven’t scrolled past a video of a beauty product with the text-to-voice feature chirpily exclaiming, 'I hate it!' or paired with the trending audio, 'This is a work of art, this is bullsh*t', then it's merely a matter of time.
Post-pandemic, social media audiences are craving access to every aspect of creators' lives — the good, the bad and, most enticingly, the ugly. Goodbye glossy highlight reels and flawless flatlays, authenticity and brutal honesty are now king. When sharing his take on popular beauty products with his 928.1K followers, @mualesandro doesn’t hold back. His video 'Foundations That Look Like Shit' garnered 5.5 million views while ‘Viral Makeup That Actually Sucks’ boasts 3.9 million. @morganturnermakeup regularly posts the ‘worst make-up’ finds on her much-loved account with her TikTok video ‘Worst cream blushes ever’ garnering 188k likes.
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No beauty category is safe from the anti-fan call out: @stephanievavron shares her worst false tan find, while @alicegabrii posts about the body care she dislikes (complete with a red flag and skull emoji). Stitched reactions to these, often viral, posts have become the norm, proving the phrase 'Everyone’s a critic' applies whatever platform you care to share your unsolicited opinion on. Think call-out culture, but make it beauty.
As mega-influencer Mikayla Nogueria demonstrates a concealer fail, a comment reads, 'We have the same skin tone, your reviews are saving me so much money.' Not all Nogueria's reviews are negative, but the ones that are often serve to further validate her other, more positive recommendations. By posting a balanced mix of unbiased opinions aimed to educate their following, the anti-fans gain our trust - a commodity that's hard to secure on platforms often swarming with #sponcon. @tabbyabby ‘s video dedicated to haircare she wouldn’t recommend states, 'No hate to these brands, this is for educational purposes only.' Currently 106,000 people appreciate her honesty.
But, when everyone has access to a public platform to share their opinion, who has the authority to determine if a beauty product is actually any 'good'? Earlier this year the No7 Beauty Company and British Beauty Council partnered on a skincare education programme backed by beauty experts, in a bid to upskill social media creators to share correct information surrounding skincare. Dermatologists and aesthetic doctors are now gaining large social media followings, and may be key to educational shares and debunking misinformation. Not that some experts aren’t open to anti-fan videos themselves — in ‘Worst skincare brands from an aesthetician’ @kendrathemom, a medical aesthetician, shares her dislike for Kylie Skin and Biore.
When Gigi Hadid revealed she enjoys using St Ives' now infamous Apricot Scrub, Skinfluencers including Skin by Hyram’s Hyram Yarbro — loved for his stance on ethics and high quality ingredients — were quick to share their disdain. Dr. Muneeb Shah a.k.a. @dermdoctor posted a video of the walnut shell scrub under a microscope, showing its ‘harsh’ rough edges. In the video Shah goes on to explain that these can cause uneven exfoliation and implores St Ives to 'do better.' St Ives responded by explaining that their scrubs are dermatologist tested, developed by skincare experts, and reiterated the three levels of exfoliation on offer. BeautyTok remained unconvinced, with hordes of videos dedicated to a St Ives diss. It's true that the anti-fan community can act as a sort of screening service, dedicated to taking down dubious marketing - a useful tool for beauty newbies.
Earlier this year, when Bobbi Brown debuted her new make-up line Jones Road, the brand’s What The Foundation went viral for all the wrong reasons. After @meredithduxbury applied an ahem, generous amount of the skin tint (something she repeats in many of her viral videos) the product gained a love-to-hate-it following, with 765K views of unfavourable reaction videos. Instead of shying away from the criticism, Bobbi Brown herself posted a response, playfully applying handfuls of foundation saying, 'I love learning new techniques!' Needless to say the conversation immediately flip flopped, with positive reviews of the 'correct' way to apply Brown's product popping up all over TikTok.
It's not all a game of one-upmanship, however, in some cases anti-fans can be credited with pushing beauty brands to do better. When college student J.C Dombrowski called Mario Badescu Rose Facial Spray 'horrible for your skin' many videos ‘cancelling’ the brand and its ingredients followed. In response, Mario Badescu released a statement explaining that they’d seen the feedback, they understand the skincare market is changing and are busy creating new products.
The anti-hype video has even infiltrated the world of celebrity. RHONY’s Bethenny Frankel now treats her 2.8 million followers to her unbiased beauty reviews, often slamming her fellow A-listers' own beauty lines. Speaking on Kim Kardashian’s SKKN by Kim, in one video Frankel says, 'Is it worth the money they’re charging…unlikely.' In another post titled 'not at the level' Frankel shares products she simply didn’t enjoy, explaining, 'I give love where I can, but I can’t give love if it’s not authentic.'
On Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid Frankel offers, 'it has ingredients included in other serums, it’s simple and not that rich.' When asked what prompted her to start sharing, Frankel tells ELLE UK, 'I was simply curious and playing around. Women want it straight, no chaser - what do and don’t I buy? Mums in particular don’t have time for foreplay.' Does she ever worry about backlash from brands? 'I can’t collaborate with luxury brands that are overcharging consumers. That’s just not on brand for me. If you try to please everyone, you will please no one.'
When one ten second video clip determines whether products are praised or slated by your favourite follow, using anti-fans as a tried and tested guide to your next payday purchase isn't necessarily a recommended route. What works for you won't work for everyone else (hey, Gigi?) but for a second or third opinion that won't hold back and indulges our slightly evil side? Just call us anti-fans.
