Two studies presented at the EADV Congress 2026 find popular routines skip basic safety advice, and patients are turning up with irritated skin.
The promise of “glass skin,” a complexion so smooth and luminous it seems to reflect light, has turned Korean-inspired skincare routines into one of TikTok’s most popular genres. Two studies presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2026 in Vienna suggest that much of the advice in those videos is unreliable, and that some viewers are paying for it with their skin.
Popular, but rarely safe
In the first study, a team led by Maria Lúcia Paysano, a dermatology resident at the Instituto de Dermatologia Prof Rubem David Azulay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, examined top TikTok videos on Korean skincare and glass-skin routines in May 2026. To limit the influence of the platform’s recommendation algorithm, the researchers searched from a neutral account with no viewing history, screening the leading results across five related search terms. After exclusions, 38 videos were assessed using two standard tools for judging health information, the Global Quality Scale and a modified DISCERN instrument.
About 95 percent of the videos contained at least one potentially misleading claim. Eighty-four percent failed to account for differences in skin type, 45 percent promoted heavy combinations of active ingredients without safety guidance, and 32 percent promised instant results. Every video was rated unreliable or less reliable, and none cited a source.
“What surprised us most was how consistently basic safety information was absent,” Paysano said. “Only one of the 38 videos mentioned irritation risk, only two addressed sun protection,” she added, while “none mentioned contact dermatitis risk and none recommended consulting a dermatologist.”
The creators were overwhelmingly non-physician influencers, responsible for about 82 percent of the videos, followed by beauty brands and other beauty content creators. None were made by dermatologists.
“Our findings show a clear gap between the popularity of this content and the quality of the information provided,” Paysano said. Following these routines without individualised guidance, she warned, may contribute to irritation, “over-exfoliation, acne flares or skin barrier disruption, particularly when multiple active ingredients are combined.”
Patients in the clinic
A second study, led by Ouissal Hormi, a dermatology resident at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Oujda, Morocco, looked at the consequences. The team examined 94 patients who developed a new or worsened skin condition after using products promoted on social media.
The most common culprits were chemical exfoliants containing alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids (34 percent), over-the-counter retinoids (27 percent), vitamin C serums (14 percent) and niacinamide products (11 percent). Nearly half of the patients had adopted entire routines lifted directly from social media, and 63 percent were using more than three active ingredients at the same time. Irritant contact dermatitis was the most frequent reaction, at 42 percent, followed by new or markedly worse acne, rosacea flares, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and, in 7 percent of cases, superficial chemical burns.
“What was particularly striking was not simply the popularity of these products,” Hormi said, “but the way they were being used.” Many patients, she explained, were reproducing complex routines involving several active ingredients at once, “often based on advice from non-medical influencers.”
“Combining several active ingredients can place excessive stress on the skin barrier since some have overlapping irritant effects,” Hormi said. “Our message is simple: ‘Viral’ does not necessarily mean safe, validated or suitable for everyone.”
Joining the conversation
The researchers stress that Korean skincare itself is not the problem. The trouble arises when sound principles are flattened into one-size-fits-all routines stripped of safety caveats. “Consumers should be cautious of content promising instant or universal results,” Paysano said, urging anyone with an existing skin condition who develops irritation, or who is unsure whether a routine suits them, to seek advice from a dermatologist.
The authors also argue that the profession should engage rather than scold. Dermatologists, the presenters said, have an opportunity “to participate in these conversations and make evidence-based skincare information accurate, accessible and engaging.”
Both studies are conference presentations and have not yet appeared in peer-reviewed journals. The TikTok analysis is also a snapshot: 38 videos, five search terms, one month and one account. Still, the consistency of the gaps it found, alongside a clinic full of irritated skin, makes a pointed case.
Notes
- Paysano, M. L., Talah, B. A. D., Elias, M. C., & Kreuz, M. “Glass Skin or Barrier Breakdown? Evaluating the Quality and Safety of Viral Korean Skincare Routines on TikTok.” Presented at the EADV Congress 2026, Vienna, 30 September 2026.
- Hormi, O., El yamani, L., Moujahid, S., Denna, S., Zerrouki, N., & Zizi, N. “When skincare trends go wrong: Dermatologic complications of viral social media products.” Presented at the EADV Congress 2026, Vienna, 2026.
- European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. “Almost 95% of viral Korean skincare and ‘glass skin’ TikTok videos contain misleading claims, new study shows.” EurekAlert!, 29 September 2026. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1145581.
Featured image: Photo by Jhong Pascua on Pexels.com
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