The Beezin' on Tik Tok, what it is and why it's best to avoid it

We thought we had heard it all before. But apparently we have not had enough of the Kylie Jenner Challenge, vabbing mayhem and rather unusual skincare trends like slugging, which involves slathering copious amounts of Vaseline first on your face, then on your hair and finally on your nails. And you may not remember the milk crate challenge and the laundry box challenge (better!). The trend now doing the rounds on TikTok is called Beezin' and it has nothing to do with getting stung by bees - as Julia Roberts did in the movie Snow White starring Lily Collins - but with plumping up lips and cheekbones. Not only does this trend not have a wow effect, it is also harmful, very harmful, to the eyes. And that leads to a conclusion before we look at the phenomenon in detail: that it's a way for TikTok users to share these videos just to get views (which, by the way, have passed 40 million with the hashtag #beezed, with #burtsbees about to reach 500 million)? What they have not considered, however, is that there are people who copy it at home, convinced that it works, only to perhaps have to make an urgent run to the eye doctor.

What is beezin'?

A seemingly harmless and trivial trend that is otherwise making a comeback: It was born in 2010 and had happily been kept under wraps forever. Until now. It consists, unfortunately, of smearing lip balm, or more precisely the menthol lip balm of the lip care cult Burt Bee, on the eyelids. Why do that, you may ask: have not we had enough eye liner, foundation to mattify the moving eyelid, eyeshadow and setting sprays? For Tiktokers, the answer is apparently no. The phenomenon of Beezin' stems from the need to feel more awake or, in the twisted mind of many, to get a high instead of taking drugs. So applying the menthol balm would produce a tingling sensation that relaxes the eyelid and gives it puffiness. Kind of like the effect of volumising glosses in the mouth. With one difference: these are really tested. A product designed to care for the mucous membrane of the lips, on the other hand, should not be used on the eyes.

Why is Beezin' dangerous?

It starts with a euphoric feeling, which is certainly pleasant at first because it refreshes the eyelid, but with a great risk of irritation if the product gets into the eye. This is because the peppermint oil contained in the lip balm in question can cause excessive tearing, redness, dermatitis and swelling. And in the worst cases, it can cause a serious inflammatory reaction that requires weeks or even months of treatment. If we told you that some doctors claim they could also cause painful burns on the surface of the eye, scarring or loss of vision, would you still be so convinced to try this trend on your skin? Not to mention the viruses that could get into your eye if you spread it on your lips before applying it to your eyelid.

So we ask ourselves: does it make sense to hurt yourself unnecessarily just because a challenge has arisen on TikTok? In summary, Beezin' not only does not work, it's harmful. Therefore, we too would advise you not to try it, not even for fun or in the hope of getting a handful of extra views on TikTok. If you really feel the need to refresh your eyes, maybe even tired when you have to go out, there are eye sprays specifically designed to ease your eyes. Or masks infused with soothing, emollient serums, also specifically for the eyes. And keep applying Burt Bee's Chapstick, but exclusively for the lips. It's still one of the best on the market when it comes to nourishing lips and preventing them from chapping (lips!).