ET: March 14th 2023

[Exploding Topics Logo]( Presented by: [Exploding Topics Pro Logo]( Here’s this week’s list of rapidly trending topics, insights and analysis. Topic #1 Earned Wage Access [Chart]( Earned wage access is a financial service that allows employees to access accrued income before the end of their payroll schedule. For example, an employee paid at the end of the month can access some of their income a few days before that date. (Which is why this service is also sometimes referred to as “[early wage access]( This product category is trending because an increasing number of startups now offer it as a standalone service. Which is allowing businesses to offer earned wage access as an employee perk. For example, [Tapcheck]( is a startup offering earned wage access. The platform is currently used by over 1,000 organizations. [PayActiv]( is another trending startup in the space. What's Next Earned wage access is part of the Payroll Fintech meta trend. Fintech has the potential to disrupt the traditional payroll process. For example, payroll payment cycles can take up to 3 days. But FinTech solutions can reduce this to seconds. Examples of trending FinTech startups offering payroll solutions include [Oyster HR]( [Papaya Global]( and [Deel](. Topic #2 Barrier Cream [Chart]( Barrier cream is a skincare product designed to act as a barrier for the skin. Specifically, this beauty product protects the skin from irritants and dryness. Barrier cream has largely grown thanks to TikTok, with videos mentioning barrier creams amassing over 143 million views on the platform. One popular barrier cream is made by Soon Jung (searches for “[Soon Jung barrier cream]( have increased by 1900% over the last five years). TikTok videos featuring Soon Jung’s cream have over 264 million views. What's Next Barrier creams are part of the SkinTok meta trend. The #skintok hashtag has over 10 billion views on TikTok. [Lip oil]( is an example of a trending Skintok product. Searches for lip oil have increased by 469% over the last five years. Whereas videos mentioning the product have over 1.2 billion views on TikTok. [Glowing sunscreen]( is another example of a skincare product going viral on TikTok. Searches for this product have increased by 281% over the last five years. On TikTok, glowing sunscreen videos have amassed over 23.6 million views. [REFY]( [Glow Recipe]( and [Tower28]( are examples of SkinTok famous brands. Topic #3 ScaleNut [Chart]( ScaleNut is an AI-powered writing tool designed mainly for blog content. According to the startup, their tool is used by over 100,000 marketers. Focused on the US and the UK markets, ScaleNut generated an estimated $6.4M in revenue last year (Pitchbook). And they expect to hit $10M in ARR by 2024. The startup has raised $3.5M in funding to date. What's Next ScaleNut is part of the AI-powered Marketing Tools meta trend. Over the last 18 months the number of AI-powered marketing tools have exploded. Examples of trending AI marketing tool categories include [AI SEO optimization]( and [AI video generators](. While [Lumen5]( [Synthesia]( and [Captiv8]( are examples of fast-growing startups in this space. Topic #4 HHC Gummies [Chart]( HHC is a psychoactive cannabinoid processed from compounds found in legal hemp plants. HHC gummies, as the name suggests, are gummies infused with the compound. The main reason we’re seeing increased demand for HHC gummies is that they allow users to consume a precise dose of the compound. They’re also increasingly popular among first-time users who are reluctant to consume HHC in other forms. [Galaxy Treats]( [Binoid]( and [3Chi]( are examples of trending DTC brands that sell HHC gummies. What's Next HHC gummies are part of the HHC Products meta trend. Searches for “[HHC]( have increased by 464% over the last 24 months. The compound produces a less potent high than THC. The high is also believed to be relaxing and sedating instead of euphoric and energetic. (Notably, early studies have shown that HHC does not show up in drug tests.) Finally, HHC is more stable than THC as it is more resistant to oxidation, UV light and heat. This means that HHC can withstand degradation and keep its potency longer than THC. The accelerating interest has made HHC products one of the fastest-growing cannabinoid products for many retailers. Topic #5 Novel AI Field (Exploding Topics Pro Only) [Chart]( Topic #6 SaaS Startup Taking Off (Exploding Topics Pro Only) [Chart]( Topic #7 Exponential DTC Product (Exploding Topics Pro Only) [Chart]( Topic #8 Skyrocketing Marketplace Platform (Exploding Topics Pro Only) [Chart]( Topic #9 New Supplement Category (Exploding Topics Pro Only) [Chart]( Get access to 14k+ under-the-radar markets, products, and investment opportunities at least 6 months before anyone else. [Try Exploding Topics Pro]( Exploding Topics 548 Market St. Suite 95149 San Francisco CA 94104-5401 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](