TikTok Shop Festival Make-up Can Contain Banned Chemicals
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Chartered Trading Standards Institute warns that some neon festival make-up products sold by third-party sellers on online marketplaces like TikTok Shop can contain toxic chemicals, including banned colourants Solvent Yellow 172, CI 45161 (Basic Red 1:1) and CI 45174 (Basic Violet 11:1) that can cause rashes and allergic reactions.
- Dominic Skinner, BBC Glow Up make-up artist, recommends layering a white eye pencil under bright eyeshadows for intense, all-night colour, and flags that some UV-reflective or glow-in-the-dark products are quietly labelled "non-cosmetic paint" to sidestep cosmetic safety rules.
- Dr Emma Wedgeworth of the British Skin Foundation warns that craft glitter can scratch the cornea, urging festival-goers to use biodegradable glitter with lash glue as adhesive and keep it well away from the eyes.
- Festival attendees should apply SPF 30+ sunscreen as a make-up base and reapply every two hours; spray SPFs work over make-up but are difficult to apply thickly enough, per Wedgeworth.
- Sharing lipstick or lip balm can spread cold sores and other infections, with Vogue and InStyle cited for competing 2026 lip trends — juicy, blurred stains versus dramatic dark vampy reds applied with long-wear liquid formulas.
- Patch tests for hair colour sprays or dyes should be done 24 to 48 hours behind the ear or on the arm to check for allergic reactions before full festival application, per Wedgeworth.
Why it matters: Festival season drives a surge in cheap cosmetic purchases through online marketplaces with limited vetting. Consumers using third-party neon products without checking labels risk rashes, allergic reactions and corneal scratches — making label literacy, biodegradable glitter choices, and 24–48-hour patch tests practical safety steps before applying anything to the skin.
