Key Takeaways:
The final panel at BeautyMatter NEXT50 2025 unpacked one of beauty’s most coveted and misunderstood concepts: virality. Moderated by BeautyMatter Editor Christina Montemayor, "From TikTok to Top Seller," brought together three power players who have built, scaled, and sustained success in a landscape where a single scroll can make or break a brand. On stage were Ajay Salpekar, General Manager of Beauty at TikTok Shop US; Erin Potempa-Wall, co-founder and COO of The Beachwaver Co.; and Michael Malinsky, founder and CEO of Wonderskin.
As Montemayor put it, “Virality can launch a brand—but it can’t sustain it.” The panel explored what happens after the viral spike, how brands can leverage social-driven success to build lasting equity, and how TikTok Shop has become one of the most influential forces in modern beauty retail.
The Engine of Discovery
Two years after TikTok Shop’s US debut at BeautyMatter NEXT in LA, the platform has become the fastest-growing retailer in the country, according to NielsenIQ. Its beauty business is up 120% year over year, fueled by a rapidly expanding ecosystem of creators, brands, and shoppers.
“TikTok is fantastic for discovery,” said Salpekar. “Most e-commerce is linear … you know what you want, you search, you buy. TikTok flips that on its head. It’s about discovery commerce, where compelling, shoppable content finds you.”
Beauty, he noted, thrives in this format because it’s a “highly contentable” category, one that naturally lends itself to visual storytelling and transformation. TikTok’s 170 million US users aren’t just watching; they’re searching, shopping, and sharing. Three in four use TikTok’s search function, and one in four do so within 30 seconds of opening the app. “That makes it not just an entertainment platform,” Salpekar explained, “but one of the most powerful product discovery engines ever created.”
From QVC to Community Commerce
For Erin Potempa-Wall, The Beachwaver Co.’s success on TikTok was a natural evolution of skills honed on QVC where the brand first gained traction in 2012. “QVC was a masterclass in live selling,” she said. “You have eight minutes to hit your talking points, educate, entertain, and drive sales. Every second matters.”
That foundation in performance, storytelling, and metrics made the leap to TikTok intuitive for Potempa-Wall. “On QVC, we analyzed everything: when the audience spiked, when sales jumped, when people dropped off. We brought that same data obsession to TikTok,” she shared.
But the most significant shift came from community building. “QVC was transactional, phone calls, and one-way communication. TikTok is personal,” Potempa-Wall said. “We’ve created this positive little corner of the internet. We know our followers, their pets, and their kids. It’s interactive, authentic, and fun.”
That intimacy has translated directly into loyalty and retail momentum. After several years focused on DTC, Beachwaver reentered Target and Walmart in 2024, bringing its TikTok-born audience into brick-and-mortar. “Now that we’ve built a strong community and expanded into haircare, it was time to meet our customers where they shop,” she said. “TikTok has become the bridge between online discovery and in-store connection.”
The Wonderskin Blueprint
If Beachwaver represents the power of personality-driven storytelling, Wonderskin demonstrates the art of engineering virality through product design. The brand’s blue peel-off lip stain mask became one of TikTok’s most viral beauty products and is a spectacle of color, transformation, and satisfaction.
“The groundwork was laid long before the first viral post,” said Malinsky. “We started with a product that had real visual appeal and substance, something people loved to use and share. From there, we leaned into creator content instead of polished ads, and let the algorithm decide what worked.”
Malinsky emphasized that virality is not the goal but the byproduct of intention. “You can’t engineer virality. If you could, everyone would be viral. But you can engineer for virality by creating the right conditions: a distinctive product, authentic storytelling, and operational readiness to scale.”
That formula not only sustained the buzz but also helped Wonderskin expand into Sephora, Selfridges, Boots, and, soon, Sephora UK. “We waited until the timing was right,” Malinsky said. “When we launched in retail, the sell-through exceeded expectations. That was the power of digital momentum meeting physical retail.”
He also highlighted TikTok’s halo effect across other channels. “Even as TikTok sales grew, Amazon sales didn’t drop; they rose. You’re not cannibalizing; you’re compounding. TikTok drives awareness that lifts every platform.”
Prepared for the Spike
Both founders agreed that operational readiness is what separates momentary hype from sustainable growth. “We’ve gone viral and broken our website before,” Potempa-Wall admitted. “Now we make sure our systems, inventory, and customer service are ready. It’s better to be overprepared and not go viral than go viral and damage your brand.”
Malinsky echoed the sentiment. “Execution and logistics are non-negotiable. When something hits, it happens fast. Founders need to stay close to the source; you can’t outsource the heart of your business.”
Salpekar added that TikTok Shop supports emerging brands through incubation programs that connect them with creators and teach content strategy, sampling, and ad amplification. “Success on TikTok has more to do with mindset and creativity than budget,” he said. “Small, agile brands that listen, iterate, and engage directly with their audience tend to win.”
The Broader Impact of TikTok Shop
Salpekar sees TikTok Shop’s role as both commercial and cultural. “It’s the fastest way to build a brand while building sales,” he said. “Every viral moment creates earned media value and sales momentum. What happens on TikTok Shop doesn’t stay there; it drives traffic to DTC, Amazon, and retail.”
He also highlighted the platform’s role in expanding categories and democratizing access. “Two years ago, fragrance barely existed on TikTok. Now it’s booming; in September, 60% of fragrance content viewers were men. Live and short video storytelling are pulling new audiences into beauty.”
The Dupe Dilemma
The conversation turned emotional when an audience member asked about dupe culture, the flood of imitators that follows viral success.
Malinsky shared that Wonderskin faces both dupes and counterfeits daily. “We file about 20 takedown complaints a day across platforms,” he said. “You can’t stop inspiration, but you must fight imitation that deceives consumers or violates design rights.”
Potempa-Wall called it a heartbreaker. “Consumers don’t always see the innovation and effort behind independent brands,” she said. “Dupes destroy the incentive to create. Paying a bit more for originality supports real makers, not imitators.”
Sustaining the Spark
In closing, the panelists agreed that virality is just the beginning. It can ignite awareness, but only strategy, storytelling, and operational excellence can sustain growth.
Salpekar summed it up best: “TikTok Shop’s beauty isn’t just in how fast it moves products; it’s how it builds brands. It’s where creators, customers, and commerce converge to create something that feels organic, entertaining, and endless.”
As the session transitioned into cocktail hour, Montemayor left the audience with one final reflection: “In beauty today, discovery drives desire, but community builds longevity. Virality may light the fire, but it’s the ongoing relationship between brand, creator, and consumer that keeps it burning.”
