Pumpkin spice, cherry cola and a scooped bagel drama

The Moments Matrix is a guide to what’s trending on the world’s leading social media sites. Find out what’s going viral and what's here to stay across mainstream and niche topics.

This week's matrix has been compiled by ViralMoment.

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Photo: The Social Intelligence Lab

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Oreos

Oreos are emerging often across Thanksgiving-related FoodTok and RecipeTok content – so we decided to investigate to see how – and what kind of – UGC is impacting the rise. Collectively, out of all Thanksgiving video views, 23.7M of them have been attributed to content mentioning Oreos – with 2.59M likes and 62K shares. Last year, just a few days before Thanksgiving, a video by creator @chefwithsteph went viral – amassing 2.5M views alone. Her video featured a Thanksgiving dessert recipe for Oreo Fudge – which turned into a hashtag of its own. Today, #oreofudge is a top holiday recipe, with over 10M views.

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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BRATZ

Bratz is back with a social media series, "Always Bratz," reuniting and aging up its original Bratz dolls—Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade. Targeting women in their 20s and posted exclusively on social media platforms, the new digital series has collectively amassed more than 2 million views and 375,000 likes on TikTok alone. And you best bet Hollywood isn’t sleeping on this – rumor has it the series may actually be a pilot for a full-length animated Bratz TV series, which fans are eagerly anticipating. The Bratz digital community is here for it. User-generated content tied to Bratz dolls amassed 1.7 trillion views on social media, more than 12 times that of Barbie content, between 2018 and 2021.

Cherry Cola‍

As a successful nostalgia-fueled result, the 'Cherry Cola Lip' beauty trend experienced a resurgence in popularity for the first time since the 90’s – quickly morphing into an entire aesthetic – this season’s version of “Fruit Girl Summer”. “Cherry Cola” is officially fall’s IT color. Much like past food-inspired aesthetics had little to do with the foods themselves, this trend isn't about soda – it's about giving your look a caffeinated boost with cola-inspired colors. This season, the girlies are all about vampy lipstick and adding a dash of dark red to their go-to hair and nail colors. 

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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REJECT REALITY, ACCEPT DELULU 

When we first heard the term ~delulu~ (shorthand for delusional) start making its rounds last year, it became a near-instant addition to the Gen Z Slang Greatest Hits. What was somewhat niche a year ago has now blown up into full-fledged discourse and widespread adoption – to the point of publications like Morning Brew, Fortune and DailyMail writing literal case studies on how the “delulu” mindset has affected Gen Z work trends. Apparently, Gen Z-ers are delulu-ing themselves into better jobs and, in doing so, tackling impostor syndrome head-on. 

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Susi Secrets

The minute culinary blogger Susi Vidal said “call me crazy but I’ve never liked store-bought pesto” at the beginning of one of her recipe vlogs, “Susi Secrets” was born. Her video has turned into a platform for spilling the tea as users utilized the "stitch" feature to share a wide range of tales, from cryptic pregnancies to love triangles, murder investigations, and family secrets. Despite the unexpected storytelling twist, Susi has since returned to sharing her culinary recipes with her newfound following.

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Scooped Bagels

A TikTok user from Los Angeles found ordering a bagel in New York City quite the ordeal when he requested a "scooped" bagel, a practice where the bready interior is dug out, resulting in fewer carbs. While the Los Angeles deli was accommodating, the New York bagel shop was not, with the staff refusing to scoop the bagel, sparking a debate on social media about whether scooped bagels are a crime or a clever way to improve the cream cheese-to-bagel ratio. You know the controversy is real when Bon Appetit sounds off in an article on the subject.

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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The Bird Test

As evidenced by the popularity of last season’s ‘Roman Empire’ trend, TikTok has seen a surge in "test" trends aimed at partners, friends, and loved ones. The latest…is the "Bird Test." This trend involves pointing out something innocuous and seeing if the other person engages with your interest – with the goal of determining the relationship's viability. Apparently, if your subject of interest doesn’t immediately spin around and start looking for a bird, you mean nothing to them. Obviously.

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Aged Prada

After the acoustic version of “Prada” by casso dropped, the girls took to TikTok to preemptively reminisce on the good old days. Using the aged filter, creators are lip-syncing and looking off into the distance…as though their future granddaughter has sat them down and asked them about the good ol’ days. 

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Bunny Tongue

When worldwide fans noticed a bunny tongue popularized across Douyin-inspired makeup looks – they set out to find a lip gloss to match that perfect shade of pink. The trend blew up even more as glossy baby pink hues fit perfectly within the Western ‘Quiet Luxury Aesthetic.’ Many of the top creators are China-based, but the easily-achievable and totally translatable trend has quickly captured the hearts (and tails) of MUAs worldwide. Hottest voices include: @_alyssa_lorraine_, @valcalbear, and @pisceshabitsdaily.

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Hair Skintification

Fueled by TikTok, developed-during-pandemic DIYs, and a demand for diverse, ingredient-conscious, and professionally-guided routines – the 'skintification' of haircare has officially descended upon us. Coupled with an increasingly diverse Gen Z + the passing of The CROWN Act (a law against race-based hair discrimination) in 2022 – hair care is experiencing a wave of attention with a renewed approach. As unique hair types and textures call for custom care, a shift towards chemical-free and natural products has resulted in a demand surge for heat protectants, oils, and scalp massages for a healthy hair journey. We’re noticing a rise in DIY treatments like scalp scrubs, scalp cooling, and deep cleans. 

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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Demi Makeup

Relying on super-strategic color palette placement, the demi makeup method trend is a champ when it comes to acne coverage. It's been a long-standing practice to use green tones before concealing to reduce redness—this method's cornerstone. This subtle technique covers imperfections, providing a no-makeup look by strategically balancing and concealing with precise color placement instead of excessive layering. MUAs are stocking up on small brushes for precision and cream-based products for a perfect blend.  

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)

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PSL Makeup

We’ve all seen latte makeup – aka arguably just bronzer-no-blush??? – but it's back and bronzer than ever in honor of the girlies’ fave seasonal beveragino. Pumpkin Spice Latte Makeup warms up the OG Latte Makeup trend with rustic orange and cinnamon brown shades. What’s new: MUAs apply shimmery formulas as a base underneath their usual foundation. But PSL makeup came as fast as it went – it’s already seeing less traction as another super-trend makeup look emerges into the mainstream. 

Data Source: Short Form Social Video (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reddit)