Why Are Tweens Buying a ‘Visibly Firming’ ‘Bum Bum’ Cream?

One of the most coveted beauty products among teenagers is a creamy, fragrant lotion that comes in a tangerine-colored plastic tub.

Called Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, it is sold for $48 by the beauty brand Sol de Janeiro. According to the company’s website, the lotion smells like pistachios and “helps visibly smooth and tighten the appearance of your skin.”

Many of its fans fall well outside the typical market for firming.

“All of my friends have it,” said Leyton Smith, a 15-year-old in Scottsdale, Ariz. He took his mother’s jug of the cream, which she had bought for cellulite. “I didn’t really realize it was for that purpose,” he said.

Despite the “Bum Bum” name, Leyton thinks most people his age are using the product as a scented hand cream. He and his 10-year-old sister now have several different lotions and sprays from the company, all of which come in a rainbow of candy-colored packaging.

“It’s just one of those products that, like, all these people were getting them, so you feel like you have to have it too,” Leyton said.

The product has been finding young customers on TikTok, where influencers show it off in videos with millions of views, and at stores like Sephora, whose website lists it among recommended gifts for teenagers. According to Sol de Janeiro, a jar of Brazilian Bum Bum Cream is sold every six seconds.