# 'X years as a derm, nobody believes me' picks

A beauty format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/beauty/x-years-as-a-derm-nobody-believes-me-picks

Pair a years-of-experience credential with the claim that nobody believes the recommendation, then show cheap or in-store products with a verdict or score on each slide. It worked for 7 accounts, with a median of 6x their usual reach. Type: Angle. Seen as: Slideshow, Video.

## Why it works

The credential is combined with disbelief, and the picks are drugstore or store-shelf items anyone can buy. Short verdicts and extreme scores (including negative ones) make the slides easy to save.

## How to make it

1. Slide 1: credential plus 'still no one believes me'
2. One product photo per slide, held in hand or on the shelf
3. Give price or active ingredient plus a one-line verdict or X/10

## Hook formula

[X] years as a [credential] and STILL no one believes me about these [category] ➡️

## Examples

- @prettyinpressons101 (68K followers, TikTok slideshow): 38x their usual views. Hook: “After wearing press ons for 16 years, here are my top tips...” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@prettyinpressons101/photo/7688050277554851085)
- @ohmynaturalnails (34K followers, Instagram video): 10x their usual views. Hook: “160 soak-offs in 6 years and here's what's happened ...” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/De7nkkMx2Su/)
- @dermarkologist (1M followers, Instagram slideshow): 6.3x their usual likes. Hook: “8 years as a dermatologist and STILL no one believes me about these Korean Beauty Products 👉 (At Ulta)” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd7Y2gYEb79/)
- @derm.talk (1M followers, Instagram slideshow): 5.2x their usual likes. Hook: “10 years as a dermatologist these are the things I do that make me feel 10x prettier” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd8_3HuG4hi/)
- @dr.david.kim (1.2M followers, Instagram slideshow): 4.1x their usual likes. Hook: “11 years as a dermatologist and still no one believes me when I tell them ➡️ Haircare Edition” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdtyFm3kW2G/)
- @svglamour (86K followers, Instagram video): 6.3x their usual views. Hook: “I retired from bridal hairstyling after 12 years... and here's what I would NEVER put up with again.” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DehMO8thBO3/)
- @kareemelhagemd (27K followers, TikTok slideshow): 2.9x their usual views. Hook: “I’M A DERMATOLOGY RESIDENT AND PEOPLE STILL DON’T BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL THEM ➡️:” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@kareemelhagemd/photo/7696665090526891295)

More beauty formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/beauty.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in beauty, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Beauty")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Beauty")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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