The internet’s newest sweetheart — the baby pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng from Thailand — is sparking a new makeup trend on social media.
Moo Deng has become a social media sensation in its short two-and-a-half months of existence. The hippo lives in Khao Kheow Open Zoo, about 70 miles from Bangkok.
The hippo’s antics — like play-biting its caregivers and screaming while being sprayed with water — have captured the hearts of millions online and become the subject of many memes.
But beauty content creators have zeroed in on Moo Deng’s glassy, seemingly poreless skin and dusty pink cheeks.
Some beauty content creators have been recreating the look with light pink blush, glossy skin, and gray-toned lips.
TikTok content creator Meicrosoft, who at press time had 3.9 million followers on the platform, showed how she achieved the look with liquid blush and gray eyeshadow.
The TikTok video has been viewed 7.9 million times as of press time.
Beauty TikToker Lucasrodgerss, who has 1.1 million TikTok followers, called the makeup “cutesy” and “demure,” referencing another viral TikTok trend.
Sephora’s Instagram account in Thailand jumped right on the Moo Deng hype train, promoting blushes people can buy to get that soft pink glow.
The blushes featured in Sephora’s post on September 11 include products from Makeup By Mario and Rare Beauty.
House of Hur, a South Korean skincare and makeup brand, also posted a promotional TikTok for a light pink blush shade. The brand included a photo comparing how close the tone looks to Moo Deng’s pink cheeks, for good measure.
“Hydrated, glowing, unbothered and thriving,” the brand wrote in the caption of its TikTok post.
The Moo Deng glow is all about looking young and fun, beauty experts say
Image and beauty experts that Business Insider spoke to said the Moo Deng blush trend is ultimately about having fun and looking youthful.
Mary Victor, a Singapore-based makeup artist and makeup coach, said that the blush used in this trend is “almost a dusty color” that’s “very unique.”
“I can see how fairer skin tones can pull this off,” Victor told BI.
Carol Davidson, a personal stylist and image consultant based in New York City, said the pop of pink in Moo Deng-inspired makeup is a young, fun approach to makeup. It also leans into the “glass skin” trend, where people try to achieve a flawless, smooth finish to their makeup without caking too much powder on.
“While at the surface it appears tongue-in-cheek, it amplifies what so many people want in makeup — skin that’s amazingly dewy, luminous, and youthful,” Davidson said.
“What’s more, this new supermodel gives us a gentle reminder that we are all beautiful beings who maybe should not take it all so seriously,” Davidson added.
