Even with a potential ban on the horizon yet again, TikTok users are shopping. Americans spend roughly $32 million per day on TikTok Shop, according to 2025 data from Capital One. And 79.3% of those sales are going to health and beauty purchases, with U.S. health and beauty purchases on TikTok Shop reaching $1.34 billion in 2024.
But even with that appetite, convincing those consumers to make a purchase is not always an easy gambit, according to a new survey by Diffusion PR.
“Almost every American has health and wellness goals,” said Allie Tedone, svp at Diffusion PR, whose clients include wellness brands such as Thorne and Wysa. According to Diffusion’s 2025 report on health and wellness consumers on TikTok Shop, 23% of consumers actively distrust influencers who are paid to promote products, and 33% were skeptical of a product or service’s efficacy. Consumers were often unsatisfied, as well; 55% said that they disagreed that the wellness product or service they bought because of TikTok was worth it.
“The consumer is out there being a little bit more critical, honestly. If they’re going to make this purchase, they’re doing a little bit more research, looking for the credible science behind it and wanting to hear from the medical professionals,” said Tedone.
But when consumers do trust a health and wellness product, they are willing to purchase on platforms like TikTok Shop. According to social media management platform Dash Social, GuruNanda’s Coconut and Peppermint Pulling Oil was the No.1 selling product on TikTok Shop in the U.S. in January, with its products appearing in more than 173 million UGC videos. Online wellness purchases aren’t only limited to TikTok Shop; according to Front Row, Nutrafol supplements were the top-selling beauty product on Amazon as of March.
Despite skepticism for paid influencer videos, consumers are overwhelmingly willing to trust one group: 85% of respondents said they value recommendations from medical professionals. Consumers are also taking a more holistic approach to vetting products beyond one recommendation from an influencer; 62% said they turn to online reviews from credible sources before making a purchase. With that in mind, Tedone said she advises brands to think of TikTok as part of a bigger brand awareness strategy than just a conduit to direct sales.
“[Consumers] are taking the next step. They aren’t just clicking through for the health and wellness products on TikTok Shop, they’re also checking to make sure that there are credible online reviews and that there is some science behind it,” she said. “They’re checking the website. They want to hear the voices of the medical professionals behind it. I don’t think [influencers are] going away. I just think they will become a broader brand awareness play for a lot of folks.”
One of the key issues consumers are looking to address, according to Diffusion’s report, is sleep. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said improving sleep was among their top health and wellness goals, making it the most cited goal above concerns like drinking more water, working out more or improving gut health.
That desire is playing out in emerging brands. In March, Goli was the most-viewed wellness brand on TikTok. The gummy supplement brand is known for its Ashwagandha Gummies, which promise to improve sleep and relaxation and have been reviewed on the platform by medical practitioners like pharmacist Dr. Chris Jackson and Dr. Matthew Lungren, MD.
But TikTok’s status is still uncertain in the U.S. Unless the Chinese-owned social platform finds new buyers by April 5, the platform is slated to go dark across the country. While the platform is still influential in driving beauty and wellness sales, Tedone said diversification is key to reaching a more knowledgeable consumer base, particularly if the ban does go through.
“We see some strong collaborations with influencers on YouTube, with that longer-form content,” she said. “When you are looking for that kind of recommendation, as the consumer, you’re willing to put in the work and watch the longer video and see them use the product inside and out and really understand what you’re going after there. There’s a bit of a change in how the health and wellness industry can think about working with influencers or getting other voices out there alongside them.”
