What is the ‘uncanny valley’ makeup trend on TikTok?

TikTokers are creeping out viewers with the viral ‘uncanny valley’ makeup trend — here’s everything you need to know about it.

TikTok is known for its diverse and often rapidly evolving trends, and the platform has seen a variety of makeup challenges and styles take off over the years.

Some of this year’s biggest trends were beauty-related, with the most popular examples being the Halloween ‘vampire skin’ makeup, the ‘tomato girl summer’ aesthetic, and the ‘carrot tanning’ hack.

The latest makeup craze to go viral on the app is the spooky ‘uncanny valley’ trend, which sees TikTokers use makeup to create looks that are hyper-realistic yet off-putting. Here’s everything to know about it.

What is the creepy ‘uncanny makeup’ TikTok trend?

The term ‘uncanny valley’ refers to an unsettling feeling experienced when looking at an AI or a robot that closely resembles a human. To replicate this eerie sensation, TikTokers are now using makeup to transform themselves into a humanoid robot.

Women are putting layers of foundation on and using concealer and highlighter to create an unnatural light effect on their faces. They’re also redrawing their mouths and eyebrows with extreme precision, using eyeliner and mascara to enhance or distort their natural features.

The goal is to elicit the same uneasy feeling experienced when looking into the eyes of a robot. It’s a delicate balancing act — creating a look that is off-putting yet not immediately identifiable as artificial.

Content creator Zara (alkiiwii) helped popularize the trend as she posted a video of herself wearing ‘uncanny valley makeup’ while lip-syncing an audio from the video game ‘Detroit Become Human.’

“I only exist thanks to the intelligence of the humans who designed me,” she mouthed, while making facial expressions reminiscent of a robot. The unnerving post quickly went viral with 15.4 million views.

“This scared me,” one user commented under her video. “You’re not a real person,” another said. “Made me turn on all the lights in my room,” a third person shared.

So far, the hashtag for the trend has amassed over 639 million views on TikTok, as creators are recording themselves wearing ‘uncanny valley’ makeup while staring gravely at the camera to freak out viewers.