A new TikTok filter has 20-year-olds reaching for the retinol. “Aged,” an AI-assisted filter that shows a user’s current face alongside an age-progressed version, is generating strong reactions from Gen Z and Millennials horrified by the appearance of their older selves.
Used over 13 million times so far, the filter has some creators spiraling, pairing clips of their Aged selves with audio of a woman’s voice saying, “I need to buy a gun” (pulled from the Paramount+ show Why Women Kill). And then there are those getting down to business and restocking their anti-aging skincare arsenals with retinols, sunscreens, and antioxidant serums — and for the truly committed, calling in the professionals for Botox and lasers.
The reaction to the Aged filter is so outsized that it strikes as a stealthy marketing move by a cosmetics giant looking to push anti-aging products. There’s no evidence that’s the case, but the thought alone is enough to call the filter into question. And perhaps more convincingly, experts agree: The filter is by no means a crystal ball. It can’t accurately predict what we’ll look like, but it can show us the beauty in aging, a privilege we often take for granted.
“The Aged filter helps give people an idea of what they could possibly look like later in life,” says David Shafer, a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of New York City’s Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue. “Everyone ages differently, so it's hard to predict with accuracy what someone would like.”
According to board-certified dermatologist Rebecca Marcus, the filter accentuates several common characteristics of aging. “For example, existing lines, wrinkles, and folds are deepened,” she says. “Skin texture appears rougher, less even-toned, and hypopigmented in some areas. The filter adds gray hair and appears to make hair thinner as well.” The effect doesn’t, however, account for subtle changes in face shape that occur over time. Dr. Noreen Galaria, a board-certified dermatologist (she also owns Inner Glow, a vitamin brand), explains: “Although this filter shows us how the skin will sag as a result of volume loss, it isn’t able to demonstrate hollows and shadows on our face.”
Not to mention the many variables that influence the aging process. “People age differently and our lifestyle and habits can affect the outcome. Just look at 50-year-olds now compared to 50-year-olds in the 1980s — they looked much older,” Dr. Shafer says. Lifestyle factors including geographic location, sleep schedule, nutrition, and tobacco and alcohol use can all inform how we will look down the line. There’s also the question of skincare. Dr. Marcus, the founder of Maei MD, adds that regular sunscreen use can have a huge impact on our future face — after all, UV rays account for 80 percent of skin changes we associate with aging.
Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor of dermatology at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, points out another pertinent variable: race. “There are different common hallmarks of facial aging seen in different ethnicities,” she says. “For example, people with darker skin and more melanin may show more hyperpigmentation but less thinning of the skin, less sagging, and fewer fine lines. East Asian people are often prone to more eye bags and sagging of the cheeks due to the skeletal framework… The filter does not take all of these factors into account.”
Despite the panic Aged has created, there are some TikTok creators finding comfort in the filter, comparing the appearance of their older selves to beloved family members who have passed away. Others are using the trend to point out that aging is a privilege that, by illness, accident, or other tragedy, not everyone can experience.
“[Aging] is a natural part of life and can't be avoided, despite all of the products and procedures out there,” Dr. King says. “I would hope that we don't respond to these images with panic or sadness, but with kindness and curiosity.” Dr. Shafer agrees: “People have to chill out,” he says. “My daughter is beautiful. My mom is beautiful and my grandmother was beautiful. Just because we age doesn't mean that we lose beauty.”
