Beauty lovers are deep in the throes of a unicorn obsession that’s spread to makeup, skin care, and devices. It’s even popping up on plates and in drinks. Spot a blue, purple or pink sprinkle-dusted coffee drink in your Facebook feed recently? Yep, that’s a unicorn latte.

As Racked points out, these candescent creatures have always had a place in pop culture — but it’s hard to pin their sudden omnipresence on any one reason. There’s the wave of ’90s nostalgia that’s brought Lisa Frank back into the limelight. And with things so tense in this country right now, who wouldn’t want to pretend to live in a world where horned pastel ponies prance around?

You could also point a pearly hoof at social media: at its core, the unicorn trend is pure Instagram porn. Does contouring with swirls of purple eye shadow and sticking a horn on your forehead look good in real life? Decidedly not. But post it on Instagram with the right hashtags and watch the likes roll in.