You’re ruining your face if you let any of these popular beauty products touch your skin. That seems to be the message behind Isabella’s ( @elevenesthetician ) viral TikTok, where she walks through a TJ Maxx and tells people which specific items and brands to avoid.
While many thought she was right on the money with her professional opinions, others said they really enjoyed using some of the products she referenced in her video.
1. Retinol wipes
“An esthetician’s nightmare,” Isabella writes in a video text overlay before showing off a pink package of Precision Beauty’s Retinol-infused Cleansing Pads.
She questions the ingredient, writing, “Why why does your makeup remover need retinol?”
SeoulCeuticals writes that retinol is a fantastic inclusion as part of a skin care routine, as it “earns the title of honor in the skin care class,” while going on to explain that it is “a derivative of vitamin A” and “reigns supreme in anti- aging efforts.
However, the same company noted that things aren’t really effective when it comes to removing makeup from the face. In fact, the article reads, “Let’s drop the ball into this ocean of questions with the $64,000 question: Does retinol remove makeup? Well, folks, it’s about as good at it as a goldfish cycling the Tour de France. In other words, it’s, um… checks notes… not very good at it. Retinol is basically a beauty miracle, but certainly not a makeup remover.”
2. KylieSkin
Retinol in makeup wipes wasn’t the only beauty product Isabella tackled in her video. She went on to criticize Kylie Skin: “Not immediately,” she wrote of the brand’s clarifying toner.
One Redditor posted on the site’s r/KUWTK subpage to give their take on Kylie’s skin and stated that they felt the brand was being unfairly dragged online by “skinfluencers,” writing that they loved the product. But some people in the comments section disagreed.
One wrote, “I’ve been using Kylie skin and I haven’t had any really bad breakouts, just a few bumps and they’ve made me break out worse since I started using dove soap and have and it’s worked wonders for me.”
Many have been embroiled in Kylie’s skincare line controversy, with some claiming that the ingredients in the reality TV personality’s products weren’t exactly of the highest quality or that they were too harsh. This included an honest review from a dermatologist who apparently only had one positive thing to say about a Kylie product: “the bottle was cute.”
3. Mario Badescu
As for the products of Mario Badescu, who was the next victim in Isabella’s video, the aesthetic criticism seemed even more blunt: “Trash skincare,” she said.
In 2023, Green Issues reported that a “class action lawsuit” was filed against the brand for including steroids in its products “without disclosing this on the label” adding that “steroids can be harmful to your skin when not prescribed by a doctor,” which means that customers were applying potentially harmful substances and they had no idea they were doing so.
Another Isabella maligns product is Conair’s Real Glow Microdermabrasion Beauty Tool.
“I just know that whoever buys it is going to break their skin barrier and bruise their face,” she said of the $9.99 TJ Maxx find before the video ends.
@elevenesthetician can’t wait for the hate comments on this #esthetician ♬ use this if you’re gay – alex ♱
Many users in the comments section seemed to agree with most of her sentiments, with one user writing, “Retinol in makeup wipes is actually wild,” said one.
While another said: “Nothing like retinol on the lids when removing mascara.”
However, it seems that skincare is really in the… epidermis of the beholder, as several people said that they loved using Mario Badescu’s products and that they did wonders for their face.
“I like Mario badescu stuff,” said one.
Another replied: “Same tbh really helped with my acne.”
“Nahh, those Mario sprays definitely cleared my skin, I always have to top up,” said another.
Others thought it was strange that there were so many skin care products at TJ Maxx that include retinol in its ingredient list: “I swear every product at tjmaxx has retinol in it which is untrue.”
But others cited specific ingredients in skin care products as the main problem with these items: “As a consumer we question this too!! Everything has hyaluronic acid and niacinamide and for what!!!?”
And there was someone else who disagreed with Isabella’s review of Kylie Jenner’s brand of cosmetics: “Disliked Kylie Skin Moisturizer is actually one of the best I’ve used.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kylie Cosmetics, Mario Badescu, Conair, Precision Beauty, TJ Maxx and Isabella via email for further information.
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Jack Alban
Jack Alban is a freelance reporter for the Daily Dot covering human interest/social media stories and the reactions real people have to them. He always looks to include evidence-based studies, current events and facts related to these stories to create your not-so-average viral post.