A man recently went viral on TikTok after warning his followers against purchasing travel-sized toiletries. He gave a hack for what travelers should do instead—but not everyone was amazed by the content creator’s newest finding.
George Popovic (@georgepopovicrealtor), a realtor, posted a nearly 45-second video earlier this week. In it, he explains how to save money on travel products. As of Saturday afternoon, his clip had amassed more than 674,800 views.
What’s the hack?
“I’m just learning this right now,” Popovic said before sharing his so-called “travel tip.”
“Don’t buy these mini-sized shampoos because they’re way overpriced,” he said.
Popovic showed viewers a travel-sized bottle of a L’Oreal shampoo (which was $3.28) and a Pantene shampoo (which cost $4.37).
Instead, he recommended buying three-ounce silicone travel bottles, which only cost $1.
“Always get these little containers to transfer all your products in,” he said. Doing this, Popovic said, was more cost-effective.
To prove his point, Popovic went to the hair care aisle of the unnamed store to compare prices. A full-sized bottle of L’Oreal shampoo was $4.97. A full-sized Pantene shampoo, meanwhile, costs $3.92. Popovic said it made more sense to buy the larger bottles, so you’ll have “leftovers after you transfer it.”
To be clear, he said some items, like $2 hand cream, might be worth the splurge. But he ended his video by saying that viewers would be better off buying larger items.
“Was gonna buy some mini’s for Europe but not today soldier,” Popovic wrote in the accompanying video caption.
@georgepopovicrealtor was gonna buy some mini’s for europe but not today soldier #fyp #travel #travelling #traveltiktok ♬ original sound – George Popovic / REALTOR
How are viewers reacting?
For one, it’s unclear what store Popovic visited. On Walmart’s website, for instance, the three-ounce travel containers cost more than $3. Amazon, on the other hand, sells a four-pack of two-ounce bottles for almost $7.
Regardless of price, though, many users said they were aware of this so-called hack before Popovic’s video.
“This is common sense,” one user said.
“Respectfully, how are you just learning this?” another asked.
“Bro came to this realization when I was like 6,” a third viewer wrote.
Others, however, said they would continue to buy the pint-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Some said they liked the “aesthetic” of the travel-sized bottles, while others said the portable containers often leak.
“The portable container exploded in my bag,” one viewer complained.
“But the mini ones are cute,” another added.
“The refillables always leak on me,” a third user shared. “I buy minis mostly of what I already use and refill them. It’s taken a long time to find all my usual stuff but it was totally worth it.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Popovic via TikTok comment.
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