Perusing TikTok pretty much always guarantees that you’re going to stumble across some new acronym that has you scratching your head and feeling elderly—no, just me? Okay, have I made it clear that I am very old?
Anyway, if you’ve scrolled through any sort of product recommendation on the platform, you’ve likely come across the acronym “HG,” whether it be among the comments or in the video itself.
So, what does HG mean?
While there are a few meanings for “HG” found online (including “Hot Girl” and “Highly-Gifted”) in the context we’re discussing, “HG” stands for “holy grail.”
Definitely a reference to that cup Indiana Jones hunts down during his last crusade—and, you know, the whole biblical thing—the term “holy grail” dates back to medieval times and Arthurian legend, and is a phrase used when referring to the chalice Jesus Christ drank from during the last supper. However, in the time since, the phrase has come to instead refer to any deeply beloved and highly sought after consumer item.
Use of HG on TikTok
The most typical use for the phrasing is on the make-up and skincare side of TikTok, with fans of specific products christening them their “HG” products. Even the ever-trustworthy Urban Dictionary describes the acronym by saying, “HG can be used as a term in the makeup world, and stands for ‘holy grail.’ It basically means that the product being discussed is someone’s absolute favorite, something they swear by, and a perfect find.”
As stated, this term is easily the most used in the cosmetics and skincare community, with many posting about their “HG mascara” or “HG moisturizer”:
Though, it’s not exclusively a phrase used for make-up and skincare products, as it can be used about almost anything that people have strong feelings about, including books:
And special recipes:
So, there you have it! We all have our “HG” items, and don’t need to be Indiana Jones to find a cup that gives us eternal life—we just need someone on TikTok’s HG moisturizer for that.
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