K-beauty, Rihanna's Fenty Skin and Beef Tallow Balms Are Dominating on TikTok Shop

March 4, 2025

The TikTok "ban" that never quite was hasn't slowed sales on the platform's commerce arm.

In fact, data from Charm.io shows sales on TikTok Shop increased - both in general merchandise and in beauty specifically - on Jan. 19, the day the proposed ban was meant to take effect. While the app did go dark the evening of Jan. 18, access was restored a little more than 12 hours later - and users wasted little time getting back to perusing the virtual aisles.

For the month of January as a whole, the skin care brands that dominated on the platform were a varied bunch. Among them: K-beauty favorites like Medicube and Anua; The Ordinary; Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, which is a more recent riser, and notably, Terra Lotus, known for its beef tallow balm.

Medicube was the number-one brand for the month, logging $2.7 million in revenue.

While the brand first became popular in the U.S. in 2023 for its $240, celebrity-loved LED and microcurrent facial wand, its skin care products have recently risen to the fore as a more accessible entry point. Today, Medicube's "glass skin" bundle, which includes a foam cleanser, pore pads, an "exosome shot" serum and more, is the brand's most popular offering via TikTok.

Single-dose hyaluronic acid serums by WNP Skincare - a brand which emerged both on Amazon and TikTok Shop in December 2024 - have also been booming, costing just under $30 for a 30-day supply. Meanwhile, in tandem with the late-2024 beef tallow trend, Terra Lotus' Tallow Honey Balm, $20, has taken the number-five position.

Interest in the offering, as well as beef-fat-powered skin care in general, has surged as natural skin care enthusiasts have championed its purported moisturizing and acne-reducing benefits online.

On the prestige beauty front, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty has been having a moment on the platform, with its $37 Perfect Puck'r Hydrating Lip Care Duo emerging as the brand's top seller for January. This follows the longtime success of fellow LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned Benefit Cosmetics on TikTok Shop.

The top 10 skin care brands by sales on TikTok Shop in January, per Charm.io.

1. Medicube, $2.7 million