Project Pan is a viral beauty challenge aimed at combating overconsumption

Will 2026 be the year we finally hit the limit on our beauty purchases? Not really… but thanks to the Pan Project, our daily rituals are undergoing a more conscious change.

Microtrends and viral “aesthetic trends” have dominated the beauty industry for many years (are we really going back to “clean girl” or “mob wife” style makeup this month?), and so as not to to fall behind, brands are releasing new products at record speed, writes xrust. In 2026, it's safe to say that product fatigue has caught up with us. Looks like we're finally ready to ask: How many nearly identical lip products does one person need? And how many of them do I actually have?

Introducing Project Pan, a viral TikTok challenge that encourages users to show off empty jars of cosmetics and personal care products rather than new purchases. The concept is simple: use your existing beauty products before buying new ones. Sounds less like a challenge and more like something we should all be doing anyway, doesn't it? This is where social responsibility comes in handy.

How does the Pan project work?

At the beginning of the year, Project Pan members take inventory of all their cosmetics. This usually means removing products from medicine cabinets, organizers, and drawers and placing them on the floor or blanket. This exercise alone usually blows your mind: “This is just crazy… I won’t buy anything for the next 10 years,” one user wrote after putting together her collection. Participants then make a written list of all their products (e.g., 17 lip glosses, 5 eye shadow palettes, 12 moisturizers) to calculate the total.

The goal is to gradually reduce this number over the course of the year, using every last bit of product — that is, using it to the bottom of the package, that is, as many items as possible without adding unnecessary new products to the total. Most users report their progress on specific products monthly or weekly. At the end of the year, it has become a tradition to compare your “graveyard” (the pile of empty packaging) with the amount you started with.

While the challenge is still popular in 2026, it's not new: the r/ProjectPan channel on Reddit began in 2015 as a place for users to share their makeup stash, progress, and products used. Slowly but surely, the idea spread to a wider audience on social media (one Instagram user @myprojectpanjourney has amassed nearly 20,000 followers, documenting her progress for six straight years). This year, Project Pan is going viral on TikTok, where younger audiences—yes, even those Sephora teens stocking up on Drunk Elephant makeup—are pledging to use up all their makeup.

Will the Pan project really help me buy less?

Project Pan is a great incentive to organize your beauty purchases, appreciate what you have, and get more pleasure from using cosmetics. But can he really curb the urge to buy the latest liquid blush or seasonal body wash from his favorite brand?

Biopsychologists note an element of gamification in the Pan project, which can satisfy the same needs as impulse purchases. Neuroscience research consistently shows that setting a goal and then tracking progress activates the dopamine system, allowing even small signs of progress to trigger a dopamine release. Although, she notes, the degree of dopamine effect will vary from person to person.

Experts explain that Project Pan stimulates both internal and external reward signals in your brain, which can lead to longer-term satisfaction than an impulse purchase. After all, social networks provide an external stimulus in the form of social praise. Saving money is also an external incentive, and there is also an internal incentive — the feeling of satisfaction from wasting less.

Xrust Project Pan is a viral beauty challenge aimed at combating overconsumption