By: Sophie Yang
A new trend is going viral all over TikTok: calamine lotion. Whether or not it is fact or fiction, beauty vloggers around the world are eating up this “beauty hack” that supposedly helps dry out oily skin, repair acne scars, and preserve makeup for hours on end. However, TikTok’s new obsession may be dangerous, doctors say.
Instead of using usual makeup primers, many people are directly pouring the simple over-the-counter pink lotion over their faces before putting makeup over the thin crust. Some of the 3.5 million users who watched videos under the hashtag #calamine primer have hailed calamine as the king of all primers. One TikToker even commented, “I cannot see my pores anywhere,” and that the lotion made her skin look “super matte”.
Despite the praise this product received, many dermatologists and doctors oppose the rising popularity of calamine lotion because of long-term damage and worsening skin conditions.
“It just doesn’t make sense to use calamine lotion and risk drying out the skin and damaging the skin barrier,” Azadeh Shirazi, a dermatologist from San Diego, says.
Shirazi has taken initiative on the TikTok platform to “debunk beauty myths and trends” and warn others against the dangers of using calamine lotion excessively as a primer. The product’s nature causes the skin’s surface to dry up and create a hard shell around it, making it easier for fine lines and wrinkles to form on the face in the long run.
“Calamine lotion is made up of zinc oxide, ferric oxide and phenol. Zinc oxide is n astringent that can help absorb excess oil and have a mattifying effect,” Shirazi tells her 1.8 million followers.
“The product is generally recommended to treat oozing wounds from infections such as chickenpox and monkeypox. The lotion is also used to soothe insect bites, pimples, rashes and poison ivy. … Combining phenol with an astringent as in calamine lotion can be very drying and irritating, leading to a damaged skin barrier. It can worsen skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and dermatitis,” she says.
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