What is meltmaxxing (the TikTok trend)?
Meltmaxxing is a goofy trend where people go from 0% to 100% “melted.” Meltmaxxing TikToks start at 0% “melt,” where the poster’s face looks totally normal. Then, they start to increase the “melt” (by 10 to 25%, usually), leaning back their head to give themselves a double chin. The “melt” percentage keeps increasing, with the poster tilting their head more and more (creating more “chins”) until they reach 100% meltmaxxed. The idea is that at 100% melted, the person in the TikTok looks a little like their face is “melting.” Some TikTok users also try to make it look like their facial features (mouth, eyes) are melting, too.
Are meltmaxxing posts on TikTok serious?
Meltmaxxing is meant to be totally unserious and playful. Most TikTok users who post meltmaxxing videos do it to see how silly-looking they can get their faces to look, or to make people giggle. Sometimes, meltmaxxing is also used to poke fun at how comical or floppy people look when they’re totally relaxed. Either way, there’s not really a deep meaning to meltmaxxing; it’s just for laughs. For instance, one of the original meltmaxxing TikTok videos from May 2025 features user Cookie King making several different “meltmaxxing” faces. Another TikTok video from @_fleeb comes with the caption “POV *I start seeing cookieking meltmaxxing and I think it’s funny * So I try it.” In this video, the “meltmaxxing” increments are “Day 1,” “Day 2,” and “Day 67.”
Some meltmaxxing videos are about the “effect” it has over time. Of course, there’s no real effect of meltmaxxing; that’s the joke. So, some tongue-in-cheek videos will have captions about how regularly meltmaxxing is starting to change their look (as though they’re getting a glow-up, when the glow-up is really just a distorted facial expression). For example, TikTok user @millielovestomkaulitz posted a video with the caption “What meltmaxing does over time,” showing their face getting gradually more “melted.”
Meltmaxxing is sarcastically described as dangerous to continue the joke. Some people who don’t know what meltmaxxing is automatically think it’s something shifty or risky, just based on the name. So, of course, TikTok users enjoy leaning into the perception by commenting on videos and daring each other to meltmax in public, or saying they “got stuck” melting (implying that it really is a dangerous, edgy trend, when in reality, it’s just a goofy facial expression). For instance, TikTok user @jacobcrummy’s meltmaxxing video comes with the caption “Getting stuck in a melt max while talking to my aunt (almost fatal).”
How to Try Meltmaxxing
Move your head back, letting the skin under your chin stand out. The idea is basically to keep creating more and more double chins, pretending your head is melting. So, all it really involves is squishing your face into yourself, moving your head back without tilting your chin up. And, if you’re following the meltmaxxing trend, you should do it incrementally—going from 10% meltmaxxing to 35%, 50%, 75%, and so on. Also, keep in mind the numbers above are just an example; you can use any increments you want (there’s no rule with this trend).
Pull a slack-jawed, silly expression with your face. A lot of meltmaxxing videos you’ll see also involve the posters crossing their eyes and letting their facial features relax or droop as much as possible to add to the overall “melting” effect. If you want to go all in on the meltmaxxing trend, you can try pulling a funny, melted expression, too!
Where did the meltmaxxing trend come from?
Meltmaxxing was inspired by TikTok user Cookie King and “looksmaxxing.” Cookie King first posted meltmaxxing videos in May 2025, in which his chin was tucked to give the impression of having many double chins (or “melting”) as a mockery of looksmaxxing videos. Other users picked up on the concept, continuing the trend by posting themselves meltmaxxing too; by June and July 2025, meltmaxxing had really taken off. Many meltmaxxing videos use the same sound effects or visuals that looksmaxxing TikToks do, adding to the parody.
Looksmaxxing vs. Meltmaxxing
Meltmaxxing makes fun of “looksmaxxing” and overall maxxing culture. Looksmaxxing is a trend focused on “maxxing” one’s physical attractiveness as much as possible. People who do looksmaxxing often try things like new skincare or haircare routines, diets, or more extreme measures (like surgery). However, looksmaxxing—mainly a term and trend used by men—has been criticised by some for contributing to body dysphoria and toxic masculinity. The term “looksmaxxing” also originated on male incel message boards in the late 2010s, only becoming popular on TikTok in the 2020s. So, “meltmaxxing” came about as a joke on looksmaxxing—making the face look more and more funny and ridiculous, as opposed to trying to make it more attractive.
What does “maxxing” mean in slang?
“Maxxing” is a general term for enhancing something as much as possible. It’s rooted in gaming and internet jargon, with “max” being a shortened form of “maximize.” The term “maxxing” is simply tacked onto the end of other words to indicate maximizing something—whether it’s one’s appearance (“looksmaxxing”) or how melted one’s face looks (“meltmaxxing”). You can use “maxxing” with other words, too. For example, if you’re going to catch up on sleep over the weekend, you might tell a friend you’re “sleepmaxxing.”
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