PARIS, July 26 — Pink Sauce is the viral food of the moment on social networks, becoming an obsession among internet users on TikTok and Twitter.

Online, everyone is talking about this pink-coloured condiment with mystery ingredients. So why all the hype? TikTokers are thinking pink. On the Chinese social network, users are going crazy for Pink Sauce.

This concoction, which is used as a condiment, lands in the hottest shade of the moment, channelling the "Barbie” trend on social networks.

And it has piqued the curiosity of users of the platform, turning videos posted by the sauce’s creator, user Chef Pii, into viral hits.

A first video from June 2022 shows Chef Pii eating chicken with her famous Pink Sauce.

A series of videos then followed, promoting the sauce by having people, young and old, try it out.

And it grew from there, with social media users fueling the hype around the product — a product that nevertheless comes with a significant price tag, at US$20 (RM89.12) per 444 gram bottle.

All this excitement around Pink Sauce is due to the mysterious taste of the condiment, whose ingredients were not immediately revealed.

For many customers, the taste of the sauce supposedly has a sweet and sour side.

Faced with incessant requests, the creator eventually revealed the composition in a video, again on TikTok.

The list of ingredients includes garlic, honey, a little pepper, sunflower oil and finally dragon fruit, which gives the sauce its signature hue.

However, criticism started to come in as quickly as the orders.

Bottles arrived damaged, there were labelling errors, and even the consistency of the sauce was questioned. Some customers received a very runny, very pink product, while others got a lumpier looking mixture with a faded pink hue.

Others, meanwhile, have pointed to the fact that there is no mention of refrigerating the product despite the presence of milk in its composition. In addition, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not given its green light for the marketing of this product.

It’s a step that the creator is working on, and she has addressed the criticisms about the labeling, but not those about the quality of her product.

Still, the businesswoman thanked her customers for spending US$20 to help a fledgling company get started.

Twitter memes

On TikTok, video reviews multiplied at pace showing users testing the dipping sauce, in a more or less serious way, while on Twitter, users preferred to take a humorous tone with memes.

The Netflix account even got onboard the trend using a picture of Ashley O, the main character of Season 5, Episode 3 of Black Mirror, played by the singer and actress Miley Cyrus.

The vast majority of internet users call for vigilance regarding the consumption of this sauce that they believe is still too mysterious and, especially, which is not yet fully regulated.

It remains to be seen if the success of Pink Sauce will continue beyond the realm of social media to become a real-world hit for its creator, who is yet to say how much money she has made from sales of her product.

— ETX Studio