Aruzhan Kuanysh | 19.10.2026
FOMO effect: How Did Dubai Chocolate Take an Entire Internet and People’s Money?
You have definitely seen those TikTok or Instagram videos: someone snaps open a thick chocolate bar, revealing a bright green filling that oozes out. After watching, you probably feel tempted to try it yourself.
In 2024 and 2025, Dubai chocolate became a global sensation, inspiring
confectioners around the world to recreate its success. But have you ever
wondered how an ordinary sweet treat became a viral phenomenon that people were eager to get their hands on? Spoiler: it was not just about good taste but also about brilliant marketing.
How it all started: A million-dollar crunch.
The original Dubai chocolate was created by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, who founded FIX Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. The brand’s name, FIX, stands for “Freaking Incredible Experience.”
The main appeal of this chocolate lies in its unusual combination of textures: a smooth milk chocolate shell and a filling made of pistachio cream and crispy kataifi pastry, a shredded filo dough commonly used in Middle Eastern desserts. The chocolate would have remained a local selling point of Dubai if it had not been for visual and audio marketing. Each bar features colorful designs, while the crispy filling produces a distinctive crunch that sounds especially satisfying
in videos.
When a popular food influencer, Maria Vehera, posted an ASMR-style video about this chocolate, it went viral, attracting tens of millions of views. People began buying the chocolate not only to enjoy its taste but also to share their own experiences online. Customers effectively became brand promoters, generating enormous amounts of organic publicity.
The main secret: Scarcity marketing and FOMO.
Why did the whole world go obsessed with it? The FIX creators used a powerful psychological tool—deficit marketing.
The original FIX chocolate has traditionally been sold through selected local retailers in Dubai rather than being widely available in ordinary stores worldwide. Its limited availability and high demand made it difficult for many consumers to obtain. Orders are opened on the local marketplace only twice a day—at 11:00 and at 17:00. At the same time, the entire batch is sold out within minutes.
This includes the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect—loss of profit syndrome. Seeing others enjoy a product that is difficult to obtain can intensify this desire, making the product seem even more desirable. Limited availability, combined with viral social media exposure, helped turn Dubai chocolate into more than a dessert: it became something people wanted to experience before the hype faded.
Economical effect: How one trend made a market.
Since the original chocolate is delivered only inside Dubai, there was a huge demand in the world that no one could satisfy. This is where the basic law of economics works: if there is demand, there will be supply.
Pastry chefs, cafés, and entrepreneurs around the world recognized this
opportunity and began developing their own versions of Dubai chocolate. Today, social media is full of Dubai chocolate motti, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, and even ice cream with pistachio kataifi. The trend from one Dubai cuisine has turned into a huge microeconomics that feeds thousands of local brands. For smaller businesses, the trend created an opportunity to attract customers through recognisable product that already had significant online visibility.
Recommendations for future business owners.
The Dubai chocolate case proves that in the 21th century, your product does not necessarily have to have a secret formula to be successful. FIX offered consumers more than a sweet treat: it combined distinctive flavours, an appealing visual presentation, exclusivity, and a memorable sensory experience.
This is a perfect example of how leveraging customer psychology (FOMO) and betting on viral content can turn a local startup into a global business empire.
Sources
BBC News. (2024). Inside the TikTok viral chocolate craze. BBC News. bbc.com
CNN Travel. (2024). How a Dubai chocolate bar took over the world. CNN Travel. cnn.com
Cullen Communications. (2024). TikTok food trends: Lessons for modern marketers. Cullen Communications Insights. cullencommunications.ie
LinkedIn. (2024). The Dubai chocolate: A teaching case on brand dilution and virality. LinkedIn Business Insights. linkedin.com
Mad About Marketing Consulting. (2024). The Dubai chocolate phenomenon: Lessons in branding and differentiation. Mad About Marketing Thoughts. madaboutmarketingconsulting.com
TikTok. (2023). Maria Vehera: Can’t Get Knafeh of It review. TikTok Video.
tiktok.com
Vogue Arabia. (2024). The story behind the viral Dubai FIX chocolate. Vogue Arabia Culture. voguearabia.com
In 2024 and 2025, Dubai chocolate became a global sensation, inspiring
confectioners around the world to recreate its success. But have you ever
wondered how an ordinary sweet treat became a viral phenomenon that people were eager to get their hands on? Spoiler: it was not just about good taste but also about brilliant marketing.
How it all started: A million-dollar crunch.
The original Dubai chocolate was created by British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda, who founded FIX Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. The brand’s name, FIX, stands for “Freaking Incredible Experience.”
The main appeal of this chocolate lies in its unusual combination of textures: a smooth milk chocolate shell and a filling made of pistachio cream and crispy kataifi pastry, a shredded filo dough commonly used in Middle Eastern desserts. The chocolate would have remained a local selling point of Dubai if it had not been for visual and audio marketing. Each bar features colorful designs, while the crispy filling produces a distinctive crunch that sounds especially satisfying
in videos.
When a popular food influencer, Maria Vehera, posted an ASMR-style video about this chocolate, it went viral, attracting tens of millions of views. People began buying the chocolate not only to enjoy its taste but also to share their own experiences online. Customers effectively became brand promoters, generating enormous amounts of organic publicity.
The main secret: Scarcity marketing and FOMO.
Why did the whole world go obsessed with it? The FIX creators used a powerful psychological tool—deficit marketing.
The original FIX chocolate has traditionally been sold through selected local retailers in Dubai rather than being widely available in ordinary stores worldwide. Its limited availability and high demand made it difficult for many consumers to obtain. Orders are opened on the local marketplace only twice a day—at 11:00 and at 17:00. At the same time, the entire batch is sold out within minutes.
This includes the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect—loss of profit syndrome. Seeing others enjoy a product that is difficult to obtain can intensify this desire, making the product seem even more desirable. Limited availability, combined with viral social media exposure, helped turn Dubai chocolate into more than a dessert: it became something people wanted to experience before the hype faded.
Economical effect: How one trend made a market.
Since the original chocolate is delivered only inside Dubai, there was a huge demand in the world that no one could satisfy. This is where the basic law of economics works: if there is demand, there will be supply.
Pastry chefs, cafés, and entrepreneurs around the world recognized this
opportunity and began developing their own versions of Dubai chocolate. Today, social media is full of Dubai chocolate motti, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, and even ice cream with pistachio kataifi. The trend from one Dubai cuisine has turned into a huge microeconomics that feeds thousands of local brands. For smaller businesses, the trend created an opportunity to attract customers through recognisable product that already had significant online visibility.
Recommendations for future business owners.
The Dubai chocolate case proves that in the 21th century, your product does not necessarily have to have a secret formula to be successful. FIX offered consumers more than a sweet treat: it combined distinctive flavours, an appealing visual presentation, exclusivity, and a memorable sensory experience.
This is a perfect example of how leveraging customer psychology (FOMO) and betting on viral content can turn a local startup into a global business empire.
Sources
BBC News. (2024). Inside the TikTok viral chocolate craze. BBC News. bbc.com
CNN Travel. (2024). How a Dubai chocolate bar took over the world. CNN Travel. cnn.com
Cullen Communications. (2024). TikTok food trends: Lessons for modern marketers. Cullen Communications Insights. cullencommunications.ie
LinkedIn. (2024). The Dubai chocolate: A teaching case on brand dilution and virality. LinkedIn Business Insights. linkedin.com
Mad About Marketing Consulting. (2024). The Dubai chocolate phenomenon: Lessons in branding and differentiation. Mad About Marketing Thoughts. madaboutmarketingconsulting.com
TikTok. (2023). Maria Vehera: Can’t Get Knafeh of It review. TikTok Video.
tiktok.com
Vogue Arabia. (2024). The story behind the viral Dubai FIX chocolate. Vogue Arabia Culture. voguearabia.com
