On TikTok, in the middle of the makeup hauls and new products that parade every week, a trend takes the complete opposite direction: instead of buying more, we finally finish what we already have. Hollowed palettes, powders with holes, almost empty bottles become the new stars of the “For You” thread. Behind these very satisfying videos, a challenge from the makeup rehab communities has resurfaced: Project Pan.
THE Project Panpresented by Vogue France as a commitment to “get to the end of your products, until you see the famous bottom of the packaging”, is based on one rule: use skincare and makeup until the end, instead of abandoning them in a drawer. The English word bang designates the small metal container under the powders; when the bottom appears, we say we have “hit pan”. A simple symbol, but very telling.
Project Pan TikTok: the principle
In a Project Pan TikTokwe choose a few key products from our routine and decide to use them very often until we finish them or at least “hit pan”.
Users film their hollowed pallets, show their finished products and comment on the progress of the challenge. This collective dimension, inherited from the forums of makeup rehabtransforms a daily habit into a motivating challenge.
The Washington Post describes these videos as a counterpoint to the hauls that encourage you to accumulate more and more. The Good Housekeeping Institute sees it as a concrete way to declutter your bathroom without immediate repurchase. On TikTok, the star is no longer the novelty, but the lipstick that we wear to the end. Completing a product becomes a small victory, almost as satisfying as a purchase.
Project Pan and “no spend challenge”: same idea
Beyond storage, Project Pan echoes ecological and budgetary thinking. Vogue France reminds us that buying less and using more of what we have helps limit waste, packaging and waste linked to the constant renewal of beauty products. The Laboté brand survey cited by the magazine adds a shocking figure: “4 tonnes of cosmetics go straight into the trash every day in France”.
At the same time, other TikTok challenges focus on the same desire to regain control of your spending. The “no spend challenge” described by 20 Minutes suggests no longer buying anything non-essential for a few days, a week or a month, to save around 100 to 200 euros. According to the Plum application survey cited by the media, 9 out of 10 young French people aged 18 to 34 want to save, and 56% say they are ready to attempt this challenge in September 2026.
Start a Project Pan without putting pressure on yourself
The experts interviewed by the Washington Post and the Good Housekeeping Institute, however, remind us not to sacrifice our skin on the altar of challenge: we stop an irritating product, which changes odor or texture, and we avoid extending it beyond the expiration dates.