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A self-confessed petrolhead who spends his days working with sports cars has become an unlikely skincare influencer with more than 1.5 million TikTok likes.
What started as a light-hearted experiment for Ben Szczypek, 37, has led to him now having 76,000 followers and 1.6 million likes on TikTok.
The motorbiking father of two said he began posting videos of himself secretly reviewing his wife’s skincare products earlier this year, and it quickly snowballed. Plus, he said the days of having “crusty” skin are now behind him.
Ben, who goes by the name @sinigang.na.hipon14 on social media, said it all started during a routine shower when he noticed his all-in-one shampoo/conditioner/bodywash fell very short of his wife’s curated collection of self-care products.
He told PA Real Life: “My wife had this two-tier, rotating stand of various products, and I looked at it and thought, ‘Surely, all of these do the same job. What is that? What are all these products?’
“I had a thought: What about if I reviewed these in secret and put it on TikTok?
“I mentioned it to one of the guys at work, and he said that’s a genius idea. It’s funny. I sat on the idea for about a year and thought, ‘OK, now I’m going to do it.’ Just make a video, upload it and see how it goes.
“The first video that I did has 92,000 views now… And it’s just grown from there.”
Ben said he had no idea his videos would prove so popular.
“I sort of say that becoming a skincare influencer wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card,” he joked.
It is clear from his videos that Ben does not take himself too seriously.
For his videos he dons a selection of colourful fluffy headbands to keep his hair out of his face while he lathers on his creams and potions, which range from a snail antenna headband, to a panda, to a bright yellow headband complete with smiling face.
And his deadpan commentaries and reviews of the products are highly amusing, with comments like: “Left my skin feeling so fresh it left a re-set button on my pores.”
But although there is plenty of welcome silliness, he does take the products seriously and gives them honest and thoughtful reviews.
Ben said that although he kept his videos a secret from his wife at first, she was excited when she found out as he had been sent so many free products to test.
He said: “She loves it. One of the things I said to her on our wedding day was: ‘Even if we’ve got no money, I’m going to find a way to get you things you want’ – so now I’m getting her skincare for free.
“It’s something that we bond over now. In the beginning I was reviewing something I had no idea about. Now I’m learning as I go and she’s guiding me, and we do videos together from time to time, so now she really likes it.”
Ben said he always gives reviews that reflect what he honestly thinks and would not feature a product that he did not agree with.
He explained: “I try to be honest, even if it’s ones that I’m being paid to promote.
“There’s a couple that I’ve been offered, I just thought, ‘No, it’s not what I’m interested in. It doesn’t align. I can’t be honest about it.’
“There’s some interesting ones. My most successful video, as of seven days ago – this will sound really odd – I said it’s like rubbing glass on your face. I don’t know what I can compare it to.
“It’s got, they call it spicules, that are supposed to help with absorption, that feels totally different to anything else I’ve tried. Whereas the creams, they’re all very similar. Sure, they all feel very nice, and my skin does feel way better.”
Ben said he does not have a particular favourite brand, but rates Korean and Malaysian products.
He said: “I haven’t really got a preference. If I feel my skin likes it or if it smells nice, I’ll use a lot of it. A lot of it feels nice compared to the non-existent routine that I was doing before.
“The iUNIK Beta Glucan Barrier Sunscreen is my favourite. It just seems to melt in much better than any other sun cream that I’ve used.
“And then there’s the Donkey Cream from Sabbatical Beauty, because one, I love the name, and two, it’s just a really thick, luxurious cream by a small company in Pennsylvania.
“It just feels really nice and smells lovely, and she’s a really nice lady as well. It’s a small company, and I think the small companies need a little bit of support. If I can do that for them with my medium-sized platform, I guess that’s good.”
Ben, who has two daughters aged four and one, lives in Brackley, Northamptonshire, in what he described as the “middle of what they call motorsport valley”.
He previously worked with Formula One cars, but explained that he now leads the design and engineering of composite body panels and is currently working on a supercar for a client in China.
Asked what the reaction to his new persona as a skincare expert had been at work, he said: “They find it very amusing. But the reception’s been positive.
“I mean, I’ve gone from actually having crusty skin to getting comments that my skin looks better.
“And I’ve got so many free products. They like the free gifts as well.”
Ben said he is as surprised as anyone about the reaction his videos have provoked.
He said: “It just started with me joking around reviewing skincare, and then I’ve had a lot of comments about me being comfortable in my masculinity, which I’ve never really considered.
“I’ve always been me. I’m happy with who I am, and if I can kind of spread some of that love, be who you are, be yourself, care for yourself first.
“If you’re happy in your own skin, it kind of radiates.”
He said his TikTok account shows “it’s OK to look after yourself, to do these kind of ‘non-masculine’ things. Because what is masculinity?
“It’s not shouting about yourself online, telling them how they should act. I want people to be comfortable and love themselves.”
Asked about his own skincare routine, Ben said he starts the day by splashing his face with cold water, then uses a toner which smooths, hydrates and brightens his skin.
“Then I moisturise with a thick luxurious moisturising cream, and I use an SPF in the morning.
“At night I double cleanse with an oil cleanser, then a foam cleanser. I use retinols in the evening. They’re good for ageing.”
Ben, who describes himself as fanatical about “anything with two wheels”, also loves cars and cooking. He is, however, “grateful” for his internet success in this unlikely field.
He said: “There’s so many spaces on social media where you look at the comments and there is so much divide and so much negativity.
“I’m very grateful that a lot of my feedback is very positive. I don’t take myself too seriously – maybe to my detriment – and I can laugh at myself.
“If people have got opinions on me, then so be it. I’m happy with myself.”
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