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When it comes to TikTok beauty favorites, there’s viral and then there’s viral. Out of all the makeup and skincare “dupes” I’ve seen blow up on TikTok, I’ve never seen something as widespread as Peter Thomas Roth’s Instant FirmX Eye Tightener. It happened so quickly, you could have gone to bed early and missed the product that truly took over the platform, with makeup artists, influencers and even dermatologists weighing in. Allow me to explain.
54-year-old TikToker @trinidad1967 was getting ready for work on Wednesday and decided to pop outside into the light to show her followers her favorite skin-smoothing trick for her under-eye bags. “I’m very self-conscious of them,” she says. “And I found this and it works amazing.” She takes a tube of Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye Tightener ($38 at Peter Thomas Roth, but on sale at Dermstore for $30.40—just enter code REFRESH by March 10) and applies the clear gel under just one eye. After a few minutes, it dries and the results are incredible.
A whopping 43 million users have watched her video—including the brand, which contacted her and is “sending free supplies and a bunch of product,” per her latest video. (It better be a lifetime supply!)
Peter Thomas Roth.
OK, so what the heck is this stuff? Well, first it’s important to note that the effect is temporary. TikTok-fave derm Dr. Dustin Portela, or @208skindoc, jumped in to give his two cents. “The active ingredient that causes this result is a silicate,” he says. “There are many different types of silicates and they can be used in food and medicine and many other applications. When the product is exposed to air, the silicates start to form a lattice or a network, and they tighten and they do dramatically reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, but the effect is temporary.”
Dr. Portela goes on to say that there are other versions of this skin-tightening cream on the market but he does like the other ingredients in this one from Peter Thomas Roth. Ingredients such as peptides can have a more subtle — but long-term — benefit.
Facial plastic surgeon Dr. Prem Tripathi, who goes by @drpremtripathi on TikTok, also stitched the video to give his opinion. “This is by far one of the best results I’ve seen that actually mimics a surgical result,” he says. “She’s using it to treat these festoons, which are very very difficult to treat surgically.”
Now, you probably want to get your hands on the stuff. Well, it sold out pretty much everywhere overnight. Luckily, Dermstore has it on sale for 20 percent off when you enter the promo code.
