Doctors warn against beezin trend

Publish date: 2024-05-07

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A party trick from the 2010s called “beezin'” is taking flight thanks to TikTok, spurring doctors to try to kill the renewed buzz.

Devotees say they apply Burt’s Bees Beeswax lip balm onto their eyelids to enhance the feeling of being drunk or high on a night out. Some college-aged users claim it helps them stay up all night to study.

TikToker Lily Knott applied the balm to her eyelids “without knowing what it does” in a December TikTok that has attracted over 38.2 million views. The 11-second clip ends with the young woman mouthing “dumb decisions” as lights flicker around her, seemingly simulating intoxication.

Another popular video shows a man “beezin'” after his roommate reportedly told him it makes the eyelids “feel all funky.” The video ends before he draws his own conclusions, but plenty of commenters agreed the “sensation” is “crazy.”

Doctors, meanwhile, argue this trend should be squashed as it’s extremely dangerous, especially if the product gets into the eyes.

“Anytime someone talks about putting any product that’s not specifically made for the eyes or the eyelid near the eye, you’re asking for trouble because the eyes and the eyelid are very sensitive parts of the body,” Dr. Patrick Harkins, an ophthalmologist in Waco, Texas, told Fox News Digital.

“They react very differently than a lot of other places. So anything that is not specifically formulated for eyelid or eyeball use is probably not a good idea,” he added.

The University of Michigan Hospital even released a public warning earlier this month titled “Beezin’: The dangerous TikTok trend involving Burt’s Bees.”

The practice is risky and ineffective, noted Dr. Olivia J. Killeen, a clinical lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Michigan Medicine. 

“The peppermint oil or menthol in the balm can cause a tingling sensation, but it is not actually getting people high or causing the same type of chemical reaction in the body that’s produced by drugs or alcohol,” Killeen said in a statement.

The Post contacted Burt’s Bees for comment. The company told Fox News Digital that its beeswax lip balm product has been around for more than 30 years.

“It’s crafted with ingredients from nature like beeswax, coconut oil, and of course peppermint oil — all selected to care for lips,” the representative continued.

“It may be 100% natural origin, but that doesn’t mean it can go on eyes. Burt’s Bees tests all of its products, including the Beeswax Lip Balm to ensure they are safe for their intended use. We recommend that people use our products as directed.”

The warnings don’t seem to be dissuading some TikTokers.

“Omg beezing is huge at my college no joke,” one person wrote on the platform.

“Lmao I did this in elementary school to stay awake,” another stated. 

“Burt’s Bees was my gateway drug,” one even declared.

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