당시 가장 인기 있는 대화 주제를 표시한 트위터 트렌드 초창기부터 현재 인기 해시태그, 인기 사운드, 인기 동영상 등 소셜 미디어에서 인기 있는 주제가 무엇인지 알 수 있는 TikTok의 트렌드에 이르기까지, 누구나 소셜 미디어에서 인기 있는 주제가 무엇인지 알고 있습니다.

하지만 이러한 마이크로 트렌드가 큰 그림을 이해하는 데 어떻게 유용할 수 있을까요? 그리고 유행하는 주제와 성장하는 움직임의 차이를 어떻게 파악할 수 있을까요? 이 글에서 바로 이 점에 대해 논의해 보겠습니다.

이 글에서는 제가 파악하고 분석한 문화 트렌드인 '포근한 문화'를 예로 들어 제 요점을 설명하겠습니다.

Yes! Matcha has been popular outside of Japan with both the tea-drinking and wellness communities for some years now. When we look at Google search data around Matcha since 2023, we can see that searches have barely increased over the last three years. 

Google search typically shows us the audience who are over the age of 30, with younger users more usually opting for social media/Amazon to search for products.

People searching for Matcha on Google visit sites like ‘Love and Lemons’ and Ippodo Tea, suggesting they are tea aficionados and/or interested in wellness. 

So what’s changed?

Spoiler: It’s TikTok. 

TikTok currently boasts 2.9M uses of #matcha, which have generated a mind-blowing 36.1B views.

The chart below shows views on matcha and associated terms content on TikTok over the last three years. Mentions were consistent throughout 2023 and into mid-2024, but then things started to trend upward more dramatically. When we reached Spring 2025, things really took off on the platform, with a 376% year-on-year increase in views.

The story on Instagram is less pronounced, but we’ve still seen a 120% year-on-year increase over there. 

And this isn’t just happening in the US; matcha is everywhere. 

It’s doing what Pumpkin Spice did, but the difference is that Pumpkin Spice took over a decade to achieve its global dominance, whereas matcha has done so in less than three years.

Using Exolyt, I’ve looked at the overlap between matcha and other tags on TikTok during July and August this year.

This approach allows us to easily understand the key topics being used with matcha and see how the conversation naturally clusters.

I’ve compared data from the US audience, with the same time frame for a European audience, so we can see how the trend is manifesting in the different continents.

• Both territories are very interested in matcha as part of an ‘aesthetic’, suggesting that matcha is more than a drink and has become a lifestyle indicator.
• The other commonality is the prevalence of coffee in the conversation, which indicates that matcha has replaced coffee as the beverage of choice for this audience.

In the US, we’re seeing the tag used alongside skincare and more traditional TikTok trends like #asmr. The conversation in the US is formed of bigger cultural clusters, indicating that this is a more cohesive audience. 

Source: Exolyt - Related conversations around Matcha in the US

In Europe, the conversation is more disparate and intersects with all sorts of other lifestyle trends, including #matchagirly, where matcha becomes a defining part of the personality.

This isn’t the only trend that matcha is a part of. Over the last few weeks, matcha has become central to the performative male trend that we’ve seen emerge on TikTok. 

On TikTok, berry flavours are the most popular by far, with apple/pear and tropical taking the next two slots. 

Strawberry matcha is the fastest-growing flavour this year, with an 85% year-on-year increase in views. This is due in no small part to Starbucks, which is the most popular brand in the matcha conversation. They currently have over 20 matcha drinks available (including some off-menu classics).

But matcha isn’t just for drinking; we’ve seen matcha fragrances emerge as part of the gourmand scent trend driven by #fragrancetok. D'annam is the category leader, but we’re seeing matcha scents pop up everywhere this year.

Alongside this, matcha colours are appearing in the cosmetics space, with Laniege's matcha bubble lip mask becoming this season's must-have product. 

Here's a sneak peek into how we discovered matcha taking over the #BeautyTok community on TikTok, with Exolyt's AI Visual Analysis technology.

Find out more in the full presentation on Turning TikTok data into cultural insights ft. Video Social Listening with exclusive insights from BookTok, GameTok, and BeautyTok communities.

Who is behind the matcha trend?

As with almost all things culturally relevant, Gen Z women are driving the trend. 

They are likely to be moms, and they are interested in fashion, beauty, travel, and food. When we dig a little deeper into their interests, we see books, fitness, photography, health, entrepreneurship, and more. So, there is no typical matcha woman. Matcha is for every woman.

Where else is matcha manifesting on social?

Despite feeling like Matcha is everywhere, it’s contained mainly on two platforms. Our analysis shows that over the summer, 77% of matcha mentions took place on TikTok, 11% took place on Instagram, and just 9% happened on Twitter.

The Twitter conversation was driven in part not by posts about matcha, but by mentions of matcha as a cultural signifier of a particular moment in time. 

The viral tweet below, created in response to the Wuthering Heights trailer name checks matcha alongside Dubai chocolate and labubu. Matcha is so synonymous with a particular type of internet user that it’s being used as shorthand now.

But that was summer, this is autumn. Does matcha still dominate?

To conclude our analysis, we wanted to explore how matcha compares to Pumpkin Spice as we move from iced drinks to warm beverages for the winter months.

We ran analysis from the week before Starbucks released their Pumpkin Spice latte this year until September 15th, for the US and the UK across TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Threads.

Our data shows that despite a peak on #PSL day, pumpkin spice has actually lost SOV to matcha. Still, more interestingly, both beverages are trending down as we enter Fall, leaving a huge space wide open for the next beverage trend.

Our data shows that matcha is predicted to keep growing into 2026, but the social listening analysis indicates that the trend is heavily seasonal (during August, almost a third of the overall matcha conversation mentioned iced matcha).

In a very short space of time, matcha has come to dominate the TikTok landscape, and other platforms are following suit. It’s become a part of TikTok culture and is used as a short-hand signifier, becoming a core part of multiple trends this year. 

All of this highlights the need for brands to understand the world that their users inhabit and the language and codes they use to communicate. Social listening is the best way of doing this effectively, helping you to spot real-time and relevant opportunities.

In a very short space of time, matcha has come to dominate the TikTok landscape, and other platforms are following suit. It’s become a part of TikTok culture and is used as a short-hand signifier, becoming a core part of multiple trends this year. 

All of this highlights the need for brands to understand the world that their users inhabit and the language and codes they use to communicate. Social listening is the best way to do this effectively, helping you spot real-time and relevant opportunities.

This is a guest article compiled by Kim Townend, an award-winning social strategist and social listening consultant with 20 years of social-specific experience. She's worked with brands, broadcasters, and governments worldwide and is an expert in turning data into insights and insights into strategy. Find her at her website: https://kimtownend.com/ or LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimtownend/