Food Beauty Trends: How Latte Makeup and Strawberry Girl Changed the Way We Think About Beauty

The beauty industry has never been immune to hyped-up fads, but these days it feels like the biggest makeup trends belong on a menu instead of our faces. Food-inspired looks like latte makeup, tomato girl makeup, and strawberry girl makeup dominated our feeds this summer—in the thick of Barbiecore, no less—and the obsession has made it nearly impossible to find a beauty trend that doesn’t have a delicious moniker.

Like most viral trends, TikTok has been instrumental in the rise of food-inspired makeup. According to Nick Drewe, a trend expert at online e-commerce platform WeThrift, the hashtag #lattemakeup has accumulated 389.7 million views on TikTok, while searches on Pinterest are up by 2800%. Meanwhile, #tomatogirlmakeup has racked up 7.9 million views and searches have increased by a whopping 290% on Google over the last 12 months.

Just as quickly these trends have fallen victim to social media fatigue. One swipe through the comments section of a latte makeup or strawberry girl makeup tutorial and you’ll find users voicing their displeasure at the hype surrounding run-of-the-mill makeup looks.

Beauty trends have always been cyclical. The brown and neutral shades used in latte makeup are just another form of ’90s supermodel makeup, while strawberry makeup features temple-grazing blush reminiscent of the ’80s. For those complaining that these trends are regurgitations of the past—that’s kind of the point. These trends have been repackaged in a way that lends itself to the era’s dominant medium: social media.

According to Drewe, the viral success of food-inspired beauty makes sense. “The smell, look, and feel of food is often a source of inspiration for brands, as they look to replicate the characteristics of an item that many are familiar with,” he says. “These food-inspired trends follow a similar pattern—they focus on key traits within certain aesthetics, such as freckles or a flushed complexion, and make connections to everyday items that many already know and love, making the trend relatable and memorable.”

Social media has democratized beauty in a way that is unique to this decade. Before, tricks of the trade were reserved for pros, but now anyone can be their own artist. “I think food as beauty are fun trends that help non-makeup pros understand how to do their makeup,” says makeup artist Dani Parkes, whose clients include Lea Michele, Dylan Mulvaney, and Hannah Berner. “In the makeup world, we use more complex wording when it comes to doing different makeup looks. When you use the words like ‘latte makeup’ and ‘strawberry makeup,’ a look instantly comes to mind for the majority and they’re fairly simple to re-create.”

Makeup artists have also found these trends helpful when working with clients and brands. Hayley Kassel, who has worked on campaigns with Fenty Beauty and Colourpop Cosmetics, started using these references on jobs. “It’s an easier way to communicate what type of look you are going for,” she says. “Before, a brand would ask for very ‘blushy monochromatic makeup.’ Now they simply put it as, ‘We are going for that quintessential strawberry girl makeup look,’ and I know exactly what makeup they’re [going for].”