Whether its DIY fixes for a crooked smile or skin-care ingredients you can find in your pantry, TikTok is known for giving us all the obscure beauty hacks. Last week, 46-year-old beauty influencer, @naturalfacebible, went viral after posting a video proclaiming that her secret to youthful looking skin is actually a sushi restaurant staple: sake.
In her viral video, the TikTok creator told viewers that they could be missing out on the “superpower skin benefits” of sake if you only use it to sip on after some sashimi. The influencer shared that she mixes sake with powder and water to create a face mask that is said to fade dark spots and prevent visible signs of aging.
The video amassed over 200,000 views in less than a week and had viewers questioning everything they thought they knew about the beloved Japanese alcohol. One of the most popular questions in the comment section of the video was, of course, “Is this safe”? The beauty guru assured the public that sake is safe to use as a face mask since it is made from natural ingredients like fermented rice, koji and yeast and that “[The] nutrients left from the [sake] yeast remains, including carbohydrates, protein, fibers [and] vitamin B.”
With her glowing complexion and glowing recommendation for the product—“[I’m] obsessed with Japanese beauty secrets and this brightening, spot fading, moisturizing, pure Sake mask”—it is hard not to take the influencer’s advice. But, dermatologists and doctors alike continue to warn the public about the dangers of misinformation on the internet. New York dermatologist Hadley King, MD recently told The New York Post that “there are lots of board-certified dermatologists providing great educational posts on TikTok, so there’s plenty of good information out there, but there’s misinformation too”, so she recommends that viewers “consider the source and their qualifications, and look for expert advice from qualified professionals.” Alas, it might be better to avoid switching your sake from a shot to a face mask so soon.
