EADV Study Finds Nearly 95% of Viral Korean Skincare TikToks Included Potentially Misleading Claims

September 30, 2026 · 5:19 p.m. ET

By Regina Bonham Bordeaux

New research presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress found that nearly 95% of 38 highly visible TikTok videos about Korean skincare and “glass skin” included at least one potentially misleading claim.^[1]

If you use TikTok to build your skincare routine, the useful takeaway is not that Korean skincare is the problem. It is that a polished viral routine may leave out the safety context you need before layering several active products on your skin.

What the researchers found

The researchers analyzed 38 videos in May 2026 after screening top results across five Korean-skincare-related search terms with a neutral TikTok account. They assessed the videos for dermatologic claims, safety information, quality, and reliability using the Global Quality Scale and a modified DISCERN tool.^[1]

According to the EADV release, nearly 95% contained at least one potentially misleading claim. Eighty-four percent did not account for different skin types, 45% promoted combinations of multiple active ingredients without appropriate safety guidance, and 32% promised instant results.^[1]

Basic risk information was uncommon. Only one video mentioned irritation risk, two addressed sun protection, none mentioned contact dermatitis risk, and none cited an external source or reference.^[1]

A second EADV study looked at real-world skin problems

The same EADV release also described a separate observational study of 94 people who developed a new or worsened skin problem after using cosmetic or dermatologic products promoted on social media.^[1]

Among those cases, AHA or BHA exfoliants were involved most often, followed by over-the-counter retinoids, vitamin C serums, and niacinamide products. Nearly half had copied a complete routine from social media, and 63% were using more than three active ingredients at the same time.^[1]

This does not show how often problems occur among everyone who follows skincare content, and it does not prove that one specific ingredient caused every reaction. What it adds is real-world context for the first study: when several active products are copied as a routine, the way you combine and use them matters.

What the 95% number does not mean

This does not show that 95% of all Korean skincare content on TikTok is misleading. The study looked at 38 highly visible videos tied to five search terms at one point in time. That is enough to identify a meaningful pattern, but not enough to describe every creator, every routine, or every Korean skincare product on the platform.

The research is also being presented at a scientific congress. The public release provides the broad methods and headline results, but BB has not found full peer-reviewed papers with complete methods for either study. Those limits matter when you interpret the numbers.

Why this matters before you copy a routine

Many skincare mistakes happen at the routine level rather than because one ingredient is inherently bad.

If a video tells you to combine exfoliating acids, a retinoid, vitamin C, or several other treatment products, you need more than a list of benefits. You also need to know whether the products duplicate each other, how often to use them, what irritation signs to watch for, whether sunscreen becomes more important, and whether the routine makes sense for your skin type.

A viral “glass skin” routine can therefore look convincing while still leaving out the information that determines whether the routine is practical for you.

How to use TikTok skincare advice more safely

Before you copy a routine, check the individual products instead of treating the video as one finished prescription for your skin.

• Identify the active ingredients in each treatment step.
• Check whether several products are doing the same job.
• Follow the product directions rather than increasing frequency because a creator uses it more often.
• Be cautious with instant-result claims for concerns that normally change over weeks or months.
• Use daily sunscreen when your routine includes ingredients or treatments that make sun protection especially important.
• Stop adding products when your skin is persistently stinging, peeling, burning, or becoming more inflamed.

What this means for you

You do not need to distrust Korean skincare or ignore social media entirely. You do need to separate product information from routine theater.

A useful video can show texture, packaging, application, and how a product fits into someone else’s routine. It becomes less reliable when it turns one person’s experience into a universal formula, stacks multiple actives without safety context, or treats instant visible change as proof of long-term efficacy.

BB will watch for publication of the full studies so the sampling, scoring, patient-selection, and outcome methods can be evaluated in more detail.