About

Frozen Honey Challenge or Honey Jelly refers to a viral TikTok food trend that began in July 2021 in which you freeze honey overnight in a bottle and then film yourself squeezing it out and eating it, often directly into your mouth. The trend has been criticized for its potential to cause damage to the teeth, as frozen honey is largely sugar.

Origin

It's unknown who started the trend, but one of the earliest viral videos showing someone eating frozen honey was an ASMR video uploaded to YouTube^[1] on July 6th, 2021, by Abbey ASMR, gaining over 7.4 million views in a month (seen below). The video also features a tutorial on how to make frozen honey.

Spread

In early July TikTokers began sharing videos freezing and eating frozen honey in a similar style to Abbey ASMR's video, putting it in a squeezable bottle first. Some people add corn syrup to the honey, and some try freezing maple syrup as well. The trend proved popular throughout the entire month leading into August. For example, on July 12th, 2021, TikToker^[2] @daveyrz posted a video eating frozen honey, gaining over 24 million views in under a month (shown below, left). On July 25th, TikToker^[3] @gracemarywilliams posted a video eating a few variations of frozen honey, gaining over 24.7 million views in a week (shown below, right).

On July 29th, Delish^[4] published an article making and taste-testing a more "gourmet" version of the treat, giving it a positive review.

Criticism

In August, a number of news outlets began reporting on the negative health aspects of the Frozen Honey Challenge. On August 2nd, NBC News^[5] published a piece on the trend in which a registered dietitian warns that the trend could cause diarrhea and that eating so much honey at a time is bad for you. On the same day, YouTuber^[7] The Bentist, an orthodontist, posted a video saying the trend is bad for people with braces, as it gets stuck in them, gaining over a million views in four days (shown below).

On August 3rd, Forbes^[6] published a piece outlining the risks of the challenge, again highlighting how bad it is to eat large quantities of honey.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References