Millions Turn to ChatGPT for Beauty Advice, Spending Thousands Based on AI Recommendations
Millions are now asking ChatGPT to judge their appearance—and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars based on its recommendations.
Across social media, users are uploading selfies to ChatGPT and other AI tools, asking them to rate their attractiveness and design personalized “glow-up” plans. The results range from skincare tips to suggestions for Botox, teeth whitening, and even cosmetic surgery—advice users are acting on with surprising frequency.
This trend isn’t just viral—it’s big business. Blake Anderson’s Umax app, which uses AI to suggest facial improvements, has generated $4.2 million on the Apple App Store and earns “$350K to $400K a month,” according to the 23-year-old founder. TikTok videos featuring AI glow-up transformations have gone viral, with some reaching over 400,000 views.
The global AI in beauty market has exploded—from $2.7B in 2023 to a projected $16.4B by 2033, growing at a 19.8% CAGR.
AI suggestions are hyper-specific: users receive color analyses, hair advice, and skincare routines. One user said the AI “rated their attractiveness on a 10-point scale” and told them they could go “from a five to a seven” with makeup and fillers. Others use ChatGPT for fitness plans and meal advice, asking up to 200 questions daily and paying $14/month.
Why trust AI? Users see it as more objective than friends or family. As beauty critic Jessica DeFino puts it: “Internet-era beauty standards turn the self into an object, and what better way to evaluate an object than by asking another (AI-powered) object?”
Still, there are concerns. “AI echoes what it’s seen online—often designed to make people feel bad and buy more,” warns Forrester’s Emily Pfeiffer. The models may also be trained on biased datasets, like forums where users rate each other’s looks (e.g., r/RateMe), adds Alex Hanna of the Distributed AI Research Institute.
Emily Bender, a linguist and AI researcher, sums it up: “We’re automating the male gaze.”
The mental health impact is serious. Among those pursuing cosmetic procedures, rates of body dysmorphic disorder are 16–23%, compared to 1–3% in the general population. And 40% of teens say social media content negatively impacts their self-image.
