A woman says that after buying a viral snail mucin skincare product from TikTok Shop, she was sent a dupe instead of the real thing.
In a TikTok posted on Aug. 7, Blake Healey (@blakehealey1) says that she purchased what she thought was CosRX’s snail mucin serum from a TikTok Shop link attached to a video on the app.
But she instead received Carvenchi snail mucin in nearly identical packaging to CosRX’s.
“I kind of got scammed by TikTok Shop,” Healey says in her video. “I didn’t do my due diligence of looking at the shop too closely.”
Healey says that she is very familiar with the CosRX product and could tell immediately when she received it that the Cervenchi serum was different. She also says the Carvenchi product doesn’t have the same consistency as the CosRX one.
“Just a little PSA to like be weary of some scams out there,” Healey says. She adds she won’t, however, stop buying things using TikTok shop.
On Monday, Healey’s video had almost 4.5 million views.
@blakehealey1 Be careful where you order you skincare products from! Linking a reputible shop!! #cosrx #snailmucin #skincare ♬ original sound – Blake Healey
On Amazon, Carvenchi’s Snail Mucin serum is listed under the brand “generic”; CosRX’s can be found on the brand’s Amazon storefront.
Many commenters on Healey’s video said that they won’t be taking their chances with TikTok Shop, the platform’s e-commerce portal.
“IDK I’ve never bought anything from TikTok shop,” @shmanskey commented. “And I don’t think I ever will.”
“Am I the only one who refuses to buy anything from TikTok shop?” @sarahjviens wrote. “Can’t trust the retailers yet.”
“I knew I shouldn’t trust TikTok [shop],” @shilps802 commented.
Others advised Healey to always purchase skincare products from authorized retailers—especially as unknown brands could cause her to have a physical reaction.
“Buy cosmetics and skin at Ulta or Sephora always,” @___lucky10 wrote.
“I don’t buy anything on TT Shop that will touch my skin, hair, or that I’ll have to consume,” @traveldesvu commented. “You just don’t know where any of that comes from.”
And some said they have also had adverse experiences with TikTok Shop.
“The same thing [just] happened to me.,” @heluvmandaa wrote. “I realized it and tried to cancel the order before it shipped and they denied my cancellation request.”
“I tried TikTok shop once and my stuff never shipped and I got an auto refund and have never used it again,” @camartinson commented. “Just got what I wanted off Amazon.”
“The same thing happened to me but when I ordered it says CosRX but when I looked at it again it says Carvenchi,” @aliya_ali101 wrote. “That was really weird.”
