What does 'mascara' mean? TikTok's viral codeword explained

If you've scrolled through TikTok long enough, you would have come across several clips discussing mascara and it all feels very random.

That's because creators aren't speaking about the beauty product at all – in fact, TikTok's 'mascara trend' kind of has a NSFW meaning.

The hashtag alone has garnered millions of views on the platform – and the blissfully unaware are desperate to crack the codeword.

In short, 'mascara' is the word to describe past and present sexual experiences – and it's safe to say mascara won't be looked at the same, thanks to TikTok.

The videos tend to use the audio 'Constellations by duster' as seen in Em's (@emmthevirgo) clip below, where she writes: "I've had my mascara since I was 14. I'm now 24. Only mascara I've ever tried but I know there's nothing like this one anywhere else."

She added: "I even made a smaller version because I like it so much."

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Emm's viral clip racked up 2.8 million views and was inundated with hundreds of comments, which gave mascara a whole other meaning.

"My mascara keeps going clumpy and doesn't do as good of a job as it did before," one wrote. "Only one I've ever tried, scared to swap over..."

"I brought my mascara 1 year ago and I love it," a second penned.

Others have used the codeword as a metaphor to speak about their sexuality:

Meanwhile, the penny dropped for one guy who discovered "I don't think they're talking about mascara."

On a more serious note across the platform, the mascara trend has also been used to start a conversation around sexual abuse.

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