Are viral products on TikTok Shop worth it? How can you tell if something is a trend or an effective product? While many products go viral, not all of them are good. Some are helpful, but they’re often expensive and not cruelty-free.
Fortunately, we do have some K-beauty dupes for these viral products. In this blog, we’ll list some viral products that truly work, and we’ll also share some affordable K-beauty dupes with nourishing, vegan, and cruelty-free ingredients.
Viral Biossance Rose Oil - $74
This is a basic occlusive product with squalane and rose oil. It has moisturizing caprylic triglycerides and some rose ingredients for fragrance. This oil is a gorgeous pink color and has a beautiful aroma. It also firms and makes the skin glow. So, yes, this is a good oil, but it’s also $78.
And even though Cassandra loves Biossance and their eco-friendly values, many of their products are very expensive. Fortunately, K- Beauty has another option similar to this viral oil. So, if you don’t want to spend the money on this, the Pure’Am Super Glow Dew is a wonderful dupe that’s very inexpensive.
This is from PURE’AM, which stands for “Pure I Am.” This is very good, and Cassandra says it has a few better ingredients than the Biossance one, too. It has squalane, jojoba, and bergamot. The oil also contains a few flower waxes like rose wax, giving the product a lovely scent.
When it comes to the bergamot, Cassandra was amazed that it didn’t irritate her skin. Normally, Cassandra’s skin can’t tolerate citrus (i.e. bergamot) because it causes her skin to flare up, but this oil does not sensitize Cassandra’s skin at all, and she still wonders how they do this.
Cassandra does know that PURE’AM does a ton of sensitivity testing. So, even when they have potent, botanical ingredients like rosemary or bergamot, it doesn’t irritate Cassandra’s skin. Cassandra loves the work PURE’AM goes through to create gentle products. In fact, she loves everything they stand for.
The PURE’AM Super Glow Dew is a great alternative to the Biossance oil. While the fragrance and firming effects are not as strong, this oil is half the price compared to the Biossance oil. Plus, it's still aesthetically beautiful. And over time, you will notice that it adds a new and dewy glow to your skin.
Vegan and Cruelty-free dupe for SkinCeuticals
COSRX Vitamin C 23 Serum - $25
This is the budget version of the viral SkinCeuticals Ferulic Acid and L ascorbic ($182), a non-cruelty-free product. This COSRX serum is probably the closest thing you could get for the price. This COSRX serum is 133% vitamin C. Cassandra uses it, and the ingredients are very potent.
Medicube 13% Vitamin C - $34.99
The Medicube vitamin C serum contains ascorbic acid at 23%, squalane, glutathione, adenosine, and licorice. Licorice is amazing because it helps to even the skin. But in general, all of these ingredients support the skin and boost the product's vitamin C component. They also help the vitamin C to penetrate the skin more effectively.
Cassandra says this formula is like the K-beauty version of SkinCeuticals. This is such a good K-beauty dupe to try. It’s also an oil-soluble vitamin C whereas the one from SkinCeuticals is simply water-soluble (water-based). So, if you’re looking for a product with better value, this is a phenomenal alternative.
In addition, Cassandra especially loves COSRX one, because it belongs to a K beauty brand that focuses on actives. Although a lot of K-beauty is very soothing and brightening, many K-beauty products do not contain actives or powerful ingredients medically proven to treat skin concerns. So, this is very good, and it even rivals SkinCeuticals. Plus, it’s cruelty-free and under $20!
Viral La Roche Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Corrector - $44.99
Cassandra has used LaRoche Posay in the past, but she doesn’t anymore because it’s not cruelty-free. LaRoche Posay has a Mela vitamin B (niacinamide) serum. However, there are better dupes.
La Roche Posay Vegan and Cruelty-free Dupe
Chicho Blue Cornflower Serum - $18.99
Similar to the La Roche Posay Product that has gone viral, the Chicho Blue Serum has antioxidants in the form of Cornflower. This has cornflower, licorice, ceramides, and B vitamins.
This also contains ceramides in a nice, liquidy serum that soothes the skin. You can layer this underneath an oil like the Biossance or the PURE’AM one as well. This is not overly fragranced nor does it have strong floral notes.
But, the lack of fragrance could actually be a positive. Did you know brands will spend so much on paying fragrance chemists, that they’ll cut corners when it comes to effective ingredients?
Cassandra is not totally against fragrance, but it can irritate the skin, and brands often raise the price of heavily fragranced products. However, this is not a habit among K-beauty products, and this is one of the things Cassandra loves about these K-beauty dupes. They’re much more gentle than Western beauty brands. Plus, they often have more skin-focused ingredients.