Instagram to Remove Beauty Filters Starting January 2025: Here’s Why

New Delhi: Meta has announced that third-party augmented reality (AR) filters will no longer be available on its platforms including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook starting in January 2025.

The decision follows growing concerns over the impact of these filters on mental health, particularly regarding body image issues, especially among young women.

More than two million user-generated filters across platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram will disappear.

Filters have long been a staple feature on Instagram, with many of the most popular ones typically used to enhance the user’s appearance—created by users via Meta’s Spark Studio.

Instagram has become popular for its various beautification filters, many of which were developed using the Meta Spark Studio.

According to reports, Meta claims it is shifting focus to “prioritize investments in other company priorities.”

Filters will not vanish entirely from the platform. Meta's first-party filters will still be available, but the removal of third-party filters will mark the end of many sophisticated and realistic beauty-enhancing filters. This could push users to explore alternative platforms or underground solutions.

The removal of watermarks, which help distinguish altered images, may further complicate the ability to differentiate between edited and unedited content. This raises concerns about media literacy, especially among young women and girls.

Research shows that 87% of beautifying Instagram filters shrink the user’s nose, while 90% enhance the lips. Removing these filters may not solve the core issue, as users could turn to other platforms and technologies for similar effects.

Newer filters, such as TikTok's “Bold Glamour,” leverage AI technology to blend users’ faces with beauty enhancements, creating hyper-realistic and unattainable beauty standards.

Experts say Meta’s decision to eliminate third-party AR filters may not fully resolve concerns surrounding mental health and body image issues, as users may simply find other ways to access similar technologies, making the problem even harder to control.