Politically, culturally, spiritually, let’s face it: 2025 has been a pretty weird year.
Did you attach a Labubu to your bag? Hire an Etsy witch? Shout “6-7” after hearing it from a tween, without knowing what it means? Same. And judging from the Vogue Business TikTok Trend Tracker, along with our coverage of the platform throughout the year, users around the world have leaned into a similar level of absurdity and surrealism on TikTok in 2025, as they sought connection and shared meaning via nostalgia, childlike products and esoteric, IYKYK ideas.
Brands are tapping in, chiming in in the comments section, or repurposing funny AI-generated images to be in on the joke and to drive increasingly important conversions on TikTok Shop, which has boomed this year, according to the platform. But it’s not all been plain sailing. TikTok was almost banned in the US this year, after months of back and forth with the Trump administration, the platform shut off for 24 hours in January, before being reinstated. Now, after several deadline extensions, the acquisition of TikTok from US investors has been stalled for months. Meanwhile, TikTok’s influence is only growing.
Where 2023 and 2024 were defined by micro-trends and vibes, from girl math to Brat, 2025 on TikTok is a little harder to define. Here, we look at what broke through on TikTok this year, using data from the Vogue Business TikTok Trend Tracker.
The year of the Labubu
2025 was the year of the Labubu. In April, the toothy, fluffy monsters from Hong Kong toy company Pop Mart exploded onto our feeds, across unboxing videos, collection reveals and style videos. There are currently 3.3 million posts referencing #Labubu on TikTok, garnering 1.1 billion views. While at the time, I asked “WTF is going on”, the phenomenon makes sense when you look at other TikTok trends this year.
Nostalgia, and with it childish, fun accessories have become a comfort to consumers in times of rising geopolitical tension and economic struggle. Plus, an offshoot from the bag charm trend of 2024, Labubus allowed increasingly price-sensitive shoppers to spice up their existing luxury pieces with fun and affordable additions.
While the Labubu trend has died down since its spring peak, we can expect more toy trends on TikTok in 2026. “Toys are basically the new sneakers, and people are buying up pieces to resell,” said journalist and strategist Tora Northman. “Smiski, Sonny Angel, Pop Mart have all become massive, and I think the blind-box concept is the reason that they’re all so exciting — it’s not just buying a toy, it’s taking part in the unboxing experience, and those videos also perform amazingly on TikTok.”
TikTok content
6-7 and brain rot
Last year, we were introduced to a new lexicon of internet speak, from “aura” to “very demure, very mindful”. This year, it ventured into the absurd. Enter “6-7”, a familiar refrain for teachers and parents across the world, after it was adopted by Gen Alphas over the last three months. Originally lyrics from “Doot Doot” by rap artist Skrilla, the phrase was copied by YouTube creator Cam Wilder, who exclaimed “6-7” (emphasis on the 7) during a basketball game before his teammate made a shot, in a now-viral video. The soundbyte was quickly transferred to TikTok and became a global phenomenon, with Gen Alpha shouting the numbers and gesturing up and down with their hands, without explanation. Dictionary.com made 6-7 its word of the year for 2025, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer even joined in a chorus of it during a recent primary school visit (much to the headmaster’s chagrin).
6-7 speaks to a broader trend we’re seeing on TikTok. The platform has witnessed a surge in surreal, meaningless content, as well as AI-generated imagery and animation this year, as adoption of generative AI software like Midjourney grows. The content, increasingly known as brain rot, drives high engagement, because whether it holds meaning or not, if you’ve seen the content, you’re in on the joke. TikTok savvy airline Ryanair creates brain rot videos of its own, while Rhode recently shared an AI-generated image of founder Hailey Bieber as a man, with the addition of the brand’s under-eye patches.
The comments section became prime real estate
If 2024 was all about the search bar, TikTok users commented more than ever in 2025.
The number of comments on luxury brand videos was up 113% year-on-year, according to the platform. Part of Gen Z’s draw to the comments section is its participatory and generative nature. According to Vogue Business and Archrival’s Gen Z Broke the Marketing Funnel, What Now? report, 41% of Gen Zs typically comment on a brand’s post after purchasing a product they absolutely love. Another 41% said that when they buy a product they love, they will comment on a post from a creator that features the same brand or product. Likewise, 55% of Gen Zs look at the comments section when researching a product or brand on social media, compared to only 37% who say they visit brand profiles and posts.
“Being present in the comments section is something that we’re starting to really see brands get more involved in,” Kristina Karassoulis, head of luxury and auto brand partnerships at TikTok UK, said. She referenced a TikTok video posted in June 2024, in which creator Dr. Kayla Ellis shared a screenshot asking her husband, “How many likes for you to buy me this Prada bag?” — to which he replied, “50k and Prada has to comment.” The video has over 10.2 million likes and 95,000-plus comments. Prada commented and eventually sent her a bag. But before the luxury label got on board, brands including Sephora, Benefit, Kiehl’s and Burt’s Bees chimed in, too, placing themselves in the narrative and driving brand resonance.
Elf Cosmetics even co-creates product based on TikTok comments, allowing consumers to discuss the new shades or products they desire and feel part of the brand, before closing the loop and documenting the making of the SKU on TikTok.
Spirituality and spells
WitchTok, spirituality and astrology has boomed this year. There are currently 6.9 million videos using the #WitchTok hashtag, from psychics and tarot readers on TikTok Live, to advice videos and video compilations based on your astrological sign. Over the last few months, TikTok users have joked about hiring an Etsy witch to improve their career prospects or love lives.
Users have also looked to moons and planets to explain life events. According to the Vogue Business TikTok Trend Tracker, audiences were fascinated with the #BloodMoon in September, while #FullMoonVibes was one of the fastest-growing hashtags in November. Both are tagged in 65,000 and 153,000 posts, respectively, as users consult and create videos to make sense of the times we are in.
TikTok Shop
TikTok’s social commerce platform TikTok Shop, launched in 2021, had a record year in the US and the UK, as adoption of social commerce and live shopping surges in the West.
It’s evidenced by Black Friday and Cyber Monday data. TikTok Shop recorded its biggest sales day in both regions this year on November 28, according to the platform, with Black Friday 2025 surpassing last year’s performance by 50% across the full Black Friday and Cyber Monday period.
While in the US, over the four-day shopping period alone, TikTok Shop US witnessed extraordinary growth, with sales exceeding $500 million. This year, TikTok creators posted nearly 10 million shoppable videos during the Black Friday campaign.
As TikTok’s community grows, so does the opportunity for brands of all sizes to connect with their unique audiences on the platform and inspire their next purchases. In fact, brands with more than $10 million annual revenue grew their TikTok Shop sales by 76% year-on-year, compared to the 2024 Black Friday Cyber Monday period.
While high street retailers are being drawn to the brands that hit TikTok virality, the brands themselves are seeing growth in their existing sales channels as a result of launching on TikTok Shop, including P.Louise, Nature Spell, Wonderskin and The Beauty Crop.
Viral products and categories
If you’ve been on TikTok this year, you’ve likely seen a creator or a celebrity peeling off their clear K-beauty mask to reveal glowing “glass skin”. There are now 2.5 million posts using the #KBeauty hashtag, with viral products including the Biodance Collagen Real Deep Mask and Medicube’s Zero Pore Pads or Age-R device and COSRX Snail Mucin Essence. Largely influenced by TikTok, K beauty is the fastest-growing category on Amazon US, according to former general manager of Amazon Beauty US stores Melis Del Rey. With brands like Medicube investing more than ever in Western influencers, we’re likely to see even more trending items in 2026.
As undetectable “no-makeup makeup” continues to thrive, hard wearing lip stains that enhance natural lips have become extremely popular among young consumers. From Sacheu’s Stay-N to Wonderskin’s Wonder Blading, lip stains have arguably been the It-beauty item of 2025 on TikTok. There are almost 380,000 posts using #LipStain on the platform.
Fashion and beauty has been thriving on TikTok for some years, but jewelry is now one of the leading segments. #Jewelry was one of the most popular hashtags on the platform in June, per the TikTok Trend Tracker. Since, the number of posts using #Jewelry has grown 18% to 12.7 million.
Many demi-fine brands have built real resonance on the platform. One video from label Mejuri, featuring a creator using a phone screen to digitally try different earrings on her ears, reached 53 million views.
Bracelets were trending in March, while high-end label #VanCleefArpels saw a surge in mentions on the platform in September, as its signature Alhambra bracelet went viral. #MensBracelets were trending in October, with menswear customers sharing their favorite styles.
TikTok content
TikTok’s future may not be fully secured in the US, but it’s clear from this year that there’s much to play for on the platform for brands, with a growing commerce arm and a new wave of trending content and creators.
