By Amara Osei

Researchers at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2026 in Vienna found that 94.7 percent of viral TikTok videos about Korean skin care and "glass skin" contained at least one potentially misleading claim. The team analyzed 38 top-performing videos in May 2026, using a brand-new account so the algorithm would not skew results. Dermatology Times reported the findings.

The breakdown is blunt:

• 84 percent of videos ignored different skin types.
• 45 percent pushed excessive combinations of active ingredients without safety guidance.
• 32 percent promised immediate results.
• Only 1 of 38 videos mentioned irritation.
• Just 2 addressed sun protection.
• None recommended seeing a dermatologist, none cited a source, and none were made by dermatologists — about 82 percent came from nonphysician influencers.

"What surprised us most was how consistently basic safety information was absent," lead author Maria Lúcia Paysano, MD, said in a statement.

What happens when viewers copy these routines?

A second study presented at the same congress documented the fallout. Researchers examined 94 patients who developed a new or worsening skin condition after using products promoted on social media.

Chemical exfoliants with AHAs or BHAs were the most common culprits, at 34 percent. Over-the-counter retinoids, vitamin C serums and niacinamide products followed. Nearly half of the patients had copied full routines directly from social media, and 63 percent layered more than three actives at once.

Irritant contact dermatitis led the complications at 42 percent. Acne appeared or significantly worsened in 28 percent of patients.

"Many patients were reproducing complex skincare routines involving several active ingredients simultaneously, often based on advice from non-medical influencers," lead author Ouissal Hormi, MD, said.

Is Korean skin care itself the problem?

No — and the researchers say so explicitly. The concern is how social media converts principles such as gentle cleansing, hydration and barrier care into one-size-fits-all, product-heavy routines.

A 38-video sample with near-total absence of safety information, paired with 94 documented injury cases, gives the category its first hard quantification of what dermatologists have long observed anecdotally.

What comes next?

Both studies were presented at EADV 2026, which ran September 30 to October 3. The authors want more dermatologists to enter the conversation rather than criticize from outside it.

"Rather than dismissing social media trends, we have the opportunity to participate in these conversations and make evidence-based skincare information accurate, accessible and engaging," Paysano said.

For beauty brands and retailers banking on glass skin's momentum, the signal is clear: dermatologist-backed, skin-type-specific guidance is now the differentiator as regulators and clinicians turn attention to influencer-led ingredient stacking.