Impact of social media on the use of skincare products among female college students in Western Tamil Nadu

• Author Details:   
• Vijayamathy Arunnair ^*
• Bhuvaneshwari S
• Sowmiha BM
• Jeevithan Shanmugam
• Umamageswari MS
• Sathiyavinotha AT

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Background: Currently, 83% of the younger population uses social media to access medical information, most of which is related to skincare issues. Although these platforms provide education on skincare products, the potential risk of using irrational products has shown terrible outcomes, including psychological problems. This study was conducted to analyze the impact of social media on the use of skincare products among female college students in Western Tamil Nadu.

Materials and Methods: A two-month online cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 850 female college students in Western Tamil Nadu using the volunteer opt-in method. The anonymized data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Instagram (59.3%) and YouTube (40.1%) were the most common social media platforms for skin care advice. The majority of students felt social media posts about skincare were unregulated (92.7%), influenced their choice of skincare products (92.2%), skincare routines (92.3%), made them compare their skin with others (91.2%), and impacted their behaviour (91.6%). Acne treatment products (38%), brightening agents (26.2%), and sunscreens (21.6%) were the most commonly used skincare products influenced by social media. Most of them used skin care products daily (87.5%) and spent a moderate amount (89.52%). Quality of the product (62.6%) was found to be the most important selection criterion. Almost 87.5% experienced side effects because of using skin care products influenced by social media; however, only 4.1% sought a doctors’ consultation.

Conclusion: This study highlights the need for general public, healthcare professionals, and regulatory authorities to understand the inadvertent use of social media on the usage of skincare products.