By: Allison Xu
Recently, tiktokers around the world have been using calamine lotion as a makeup primer because it’s a new beauty trend. The hashtag #calamineprimer has about 3.5 million views on Tik Tok.
Some people are using a sponge or a makeup brush to dab over the lotion, which is commonly used to soothe rashes and other skin conditions. Others poured the pink lotion directly onto their face, and rubbed it in with their bare hands. After, they applied foundation and other makeup right on top of the product.
Women on Tik Tok claim that the lotion helps dry out oily skin, repair acne scars and keep their makeup in place for hours.
“I cannot see my pores anywhere,” one TikToker said in approval. Other beauty-obsessed people claim that it helps their makeup stay put in the summer sun and throughout 12-hour workdays.
However, dermatologists and makeup experts warn that those who are following the trend may worsen their skin conditions.
“It just doesn’t make sense to use calamine lotion and risk drying out the skin and damaging the skin barrier,” says Azadeh Shirazi, a dermatologist practicing in the San Diego area.
Calamine lotion is made up of zinc oxide, ferric oxide and phenol. The lotion is used to treat wounds from infections such as chickenpox and monkeypox.
“Zinc oxide is an astringent that can help absorb excess oil and have a mattifying effect,” Shirazi said.
It is also used to soothe insect bites, pimples, rashes, and poison ivy. The product causes the skin surface to dry up and harden, protecting it while it repairs.
“Ferric oxide helps with itching and the phenol is also a powerful exfoliant,” she said. “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.”
The problem with the new beauty trend is that calamine lotion is becoming harder to find. Families in the United Kingdom reported that it’s been harder to buy the lotion for children who have chicken pox. So, people who have the lotion are spending it on beauty, are actually reducing the population for those who actually need it.