Fashion and beauty influencer Paris Wang recently went viral on the Chinese photo and video-sharing app Weibo—the country’s own version of Instagram mixed with Twitter—on Thursday 3 August 2023 after she posted a video praising the effects of an ointment made from cockroaches.

“Ladies, I still can’t believe it. There was a day when my life was saved by a cockroach,” Wang said while explaining that the miraculous treatment cured her acne breakouts in only two days.

The blogger, who currently has over 4.1 million followers on Weibo, stated that she’d been experiencing acne breakouts after travelling a lot, and had been struggling to keep it under control despite the fact that she tried a variety of skincare products. Her skin eventually tore and began bleeding and swelling, she added.

“The doctor gave me this liquid medicine and said I should use a wet cotton gauze to apply it once in the morning and once at night for ten to 15 minutes,” Wang then revealed in her video. She was also prescribed a paste to be applied on her skin three times a day.

Two days later, Wang’s skin returned to normal, “as if nothing had ever happened.” Showing before and after pictures of her cheek, the influencer said that she couldn’t believe the results, and decided to check the medicine’s ingredients.

“The Periplaneta America,” she said. “Isn’t this the legendary cockroach? Save me!”

Upon further research into the magic ointment, Wang found out that some people go as far as to drink cockroach juice to deal with oral ulcers. “The reputation of cockroaches has risen in my heart instantly,” she told her followers. “For sisters with acne and bad skin, I strongly recommend you try this.”

Currently, Wang’s video has been viewed over five million times on Weibo, with people claiming that they’ve also seen positive results after using cockroach-related medicines. Who knew?

That being said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that not everyone was convinced. As reported by Business Insider, Doctor Chen, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with two million followers on Weibo replied to Wang’s clip, stating: “If it were me, I wouldn’t choose cockroach juice to cure my skin.”

Instead, Chen recommends modern ointments or antibiotics to treat acne, as well as avoiding milk, fried food, and sweets. “Get plenty of sleep and reduce stress. You’ll definitely have a significant result,” she wrote.

It’s important to note that dried cockroaches and cockroach extract are regular ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, and are often included in treatments for tissue-related injuries, skin inflammation, and gastric and oral ulcers.

Though most of its treatments are unproven by the scientific method, traditional Chinese medicine, which is heavily supported by China’s President Xi Jinping, was in fact included in the World Health Organization’s global compendium back in 2019.

Will you be trying Wang’s anti-acne cockroach treatment?