Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Nov 20, 2025

Full-face hot-wax TikTok videos prompt warnings

Full-face hot-wax TikTok videos prompt warnings

Viral videos of people having full-face "hot wax" treatments on TikTok have led to warnings from skin experts.

They show softened resin covering subjects' face, mouth and neck - and partially penetrating their ears and nose - before being removed.

A barber posting some of the most watched examples says it is beneficial.

But the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) said: "Attempting to wax inside your nose or ears is not recommended."

A UK-based skin specialist has also raised safety concerns about the risk of obstructed breathing.

And one expert has suggested TikTok should add a warning.

But it has indicated the videos are excluded from its community guidelines on dangerous behaviour because they show skilled professionals.

'World first'


They have gained barbershop Kapsalon Freedom, in the Netherlands, a following more than 800,000 TikTok users.

One of its first attempts, posted in November, attracted nearly 84 million views, after Dutch media reports.

It left the bottom portion of the customer's face exposed.

But a more recent example, with more than 19 million views, shows the wax resin coming down over a man's chin and on to his neck.

Sections pulled out of his ears and nose are held up to the camera to show dozens of hairs poking out of the now hardened substance.

In this case, the wax runs around but not over his mouth.

But other clips show fully covered faces, with cotton swabs used to create air passages.

One video with more than one million views shows this full-face mask being removed from a woman's face and neck
Strips of paper are also used to protect eyelashes and eyebrows.

Barber Renaz Ismael has said face-waxing is common in the Middle East, where he was born.

But he has taken it to a new level.

"I am the first person in the world who has done whole waxing," he told BBC News.

"It's not bad for your skin."

Smaller audiences


Mr Ismael is now using the hashtag #viral to promote the clips.

And some have been set to music.

He has also posted examples on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

But they have attracted much smaller audiences.

'Cause suffocation'


Alex Echeverri, who works at John and Ginger salon, in West Sussex, raised safety concerns about others attempting the process.

"Our first consideration would be that it could cause suffocation," the beautician, who has more than two decades of experience in the industry, said.

"There's no control element to smothering the face with wax.

"And wax hardens.

"So it could harden in the airways and have to be surgically removed."

'Pus-filled bumps'


London-based Turkish barbershop Adam Grooming Atelier said: "To wax such a large area of delicate skin is very irresponsible."

The BAD also raised concern the videos could lead to copycat incidents.

"Social-media platforms have the ability of quickly spreading health and beauty trends," Dr Anjali Mahto said.

"Waxing is a traumatic process for the skin, especially sensitive areas such as those found around the eyes.

"These areas can become inflamed and irritated.

"In some cases, tiny pimples or pus-filled bumps could develop as a result.

"This is known as folliculitis."

'Potentially harmful'


The British Skin Foundation also raised concern some of the clips showed the wax being used on what appear to be primary-school-age youngsters.

"Personally I would not recommend treating children," consultant dermatologist Dr Emma Wedgeworth said.

"It seems sensible to have a warning.

"There is a lot of misinformation and potentially harmful DIY beauty practices on TikTok and other social-media channels.

"And it would be good to see these more tightly regulated."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
×