Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 21, 2026

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

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
Modern Slavery Decisions Broaden the Al Fayed Inquiry’s Frame
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Arrest Warrant Issued in Lebanon for Tycoon Spotted Meeting Netanyahu in Washington
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Pentagon Discloses Nearly 100 US Troop Injuries During Renewed Iran Fighting
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Turkey Explores S-400 Transfer to UAE in Bid to Rejoin F-35 Program
US Retaliates Against Iran After Two American Troops Killed in Jordan
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
Gold and Cash Seizure Puts Indonesia’s Senior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Under Investigation
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
×