Take a moment to look at the accounts you follow – how many of them are beauty influencers?
While the answers will differ from person to person, it’s undeniable that these people play a significant role in shaping today’s beauty trends.
That’s why it’s crucial for brands and marketers to grasp their importance, and this article has everything you need to know about beauty influencers.
Who Is A Beauty Influencer?
Let’s start with the basics: what exactly is a beauty influencer? Well, these are friendly faces you often see on social media, sharing tips and tricks about makeup, skincare, haircare, and everything related to beauty.
They create cool tutorials, try out new products, and share their favorite stuff. And here’s the catch – to be a true influencer, they usually have a bunch of fans and followers on social media.
In a nutshell, beauty influencers are like the experts of the beauty world nowadays. They have an impact on what people buy and use, making them a big deal in the beauty industry!
Types of Beauty Influencers
‘Beauty influencer’ is a broad term encompassing various categories. We can define them depending on whether we want to distinguish them by the number of followers or their expertise.
Let’s start off with the categories based on followers. Typically, there are two main types of influencers: macro and micro.
Macro beauty influencers are those with more than 100,000 followers, sometimes even exceeding 1 million.
On the other hand, micro beauty influencers have a smaller following than macros, but they are highly respected for their specific expertise. Simple idea, right?
Now, let’s explore the categories based on expertise. There are three primary groups: makeup artists, skincare experts, and lifestyle beauty influencers.
Makeup artists craft different beautiful and unique looks through their makeup skills. Skincare experts understand the differences between skincare products and often provide valuable tips for skincare routines. Lifestyle beauty influencers, while not experts, gain popularity due to their aesthetic lifestyles and fashion sense.
Now that we understand there are these distinctions, let’s look at the impact these people can make in the beauty industry!
The Impact of Beauty Influencers
With the rise of social media, it has brought many beauty ‘gurus’ into the limelight. Whether it’s for better or worse, these people’s influence on the beauty industry cannot be denied. Here are some examples of what they can do:
Being Sources of Inspiration and Trendsetters
This is evident in itself. Nowadays, many teenagers look up to influencers as role models or sources of inspiration to express themselves through makeup and fashion. These influencers can truly shape their followers’ choices, turning them into trendsetters.
Building Trust and Credibility for Brands
If we buy a product based on an influencer’s recommendation once, there’s a high chance we’ll trust their future recommendations too. This is why influencers, with their devoted followers and genuine interactions, can provide a level of authenticity for products or brands that resonates with numerous beauty consumers.
However, while we’ve discussed the positive aspects, it’s important not to overlook the downsides of the impact beauty influencers can have.
For instance, excessive exposure to idealized beauty standards might negatively affect people’s self-esteem. As influencers, you have the power to address this by promoting inclusivity, diversity, and uniqueness in the beauty industry.
Effective Collaboration With Beauty Influencer
You might already be interested in collaborating with beauty influencers, but perhaps you’re still wondering how to establish meaningful, long-term relationships with them. We’ve got some suggestions that could help:
1. Understand Their Values
We have a million faces of beauty influencers out there nowadays, each with a unique perspective. But, if we seek long-term collaboration, we wouldn’t want someone whose purpose is all about money. Not that wanting financial success is wrong, but influencers should have other motivations aside from money (and your brand too).
Their values can vary, for instance, do they want to help people with skin problems, or do they want to advocate for eco-friendly beauty products, or do they want to empower the differences of beauty? Understanding their values and motivations can help you identify the right partners for collaboration.
2. Align with Your Brand
After delving into an influencer’s background and passions, make sure you collaborate with individuals whose values resonate with your brand. Because this alignment benefits both parties – for you, it boosts brand recognition among your target audience, and for influencers, it allows them to maintain authenticity and honesty in their content.
3. Encourage Creativity
This point is crucial. Managing influencers requires a level of trust. They usually have a deep understanding of their followers and what resonates with them. Giving them the freedom to express their creativity in their content often yields better results. Most consumers can tell when content feels forced or unnatural, so allowing influencers to showcase their creativity can lead to more genuine and engaging collaborations.
Beauty Content Strategies
Allowing influencers to express their creativity doesn’t mean providing no guidelines at all. When it comes to creating beauty content, there are numerous formats to explore. Here are some ideas you can collaborate on with your chosen beauty influencers:
Makeup Tutorials
Many beauty influencers are skilled makeup artists capable of crafting various looks using different products. You can request influencers to create makeup tutorials featuring your products. These videos offer the audience a glimpse into what they can achieve with your products, convincing them why they should make a purchase.
Educational Skincare Advice
Skincare is another whole wide world you can explore. You can ask influencers to create educational skincare content, such as recommending products to treat acne or explaining which skincare ingredients shouldn’t be used together due to potential irritations. This type of content not only allows influencers to showcase your product’s benefits but also educates the audience about essential information they might not be aware of.
Product Reviews
Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth recommendations. You can ask the influencers to provide detailed beauty product reviews on their social media platforms, sharing both what they like and dislike. Moreover, influencers can focus on a single product review or feature your product alongside others under interesting topics, such as their favorite products of the year.
Giveaways
People love receiving free items, and organizing a giveaway in collaboration with influencers can be highly effective. Don’t forget to set certain conditions to help boost engagement and brand awareness, such as asking the audience to like, share a post, or tag a friend.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Influencers can get creative and produce unique content that stands out from the usual offerings, potentially capturing people’s attention in new and exciting ways.
Top 30 Beauty Influencers to Follow in 2024
As we mentioned earlier, influencers are often trendsetters in the beauty industry nowadays. Following some of them can help you understand the market trends and serve as a source of inspiration. Here are the top 5 beauty influencers with a large following that you might want to familiarize yourself with:
1. Huda Kattan (@hudabeauty)
Huda Kattan is one of the most followed makeup artists out there. As of October 2023, she has 53.7 million followers. Apart from her remarkable makeup skills, she runs her own beauty blog and YouTube channel. In 2013, she ventured into the business world by launching her own beauty brand, also named Huda Beauty.
2. Nikkie de Jager-Drossaers (@nikkietutorials)
Nikkie went viral with her video from 2015 called “The Power of Makeup,” where she showcased makeup as a tool to enhance natural beauty rather than conceal her flaws. Since then, she has become one of the most renowned influencers, amassing 19 million followers on Instagram as of October 2023.
3. Bretman Rock (@bretmanrock)
Bretman Rock, a Filipino beauty influencer and comedian, gained fame on Vine and later garnered a large following on Instagram and YouTube. His beauty content is both comedic and relatable. Additionally, he actively supports organizations advocating for mental health and LGBTQ+ rights. As of October 2023, he has 18.8 million followers.
4. Desi Perkins (@desiperkins)
Desi Perkins is a Mexican YouTuber known for her unique and imaginative makeup tutorials, accumulating 4.4 million followers on Instagram and 3.21 million subscribers on YouTube as of October 2023. She is also the founder of a luxury eyewear brand called ‘Dezi.’
5. Michelle Phan (@michellephan)
Michelle Phan is one of the pioneering beauty YouTubers from a time when this industry hasn’t had this many influencers. Over the past 15 years, she has created makeup tutorials, beauty product reviews, and skincare tips. Even today, she maintains a loyal fanbase with over 8 million subscribers on YouTube.
6. Nikita Dragun (@nikitadragun)
When talking about well-known lifestyle beauty influencer, Nikita Dragun can’t be crossed off the list. Nikita is a proud trans woman who not only shares her stories about gender identity and journey but is also impressive at doing makeup. Starting in 2013, she has become an influencer with a large following, reaching more than 8.5 million followers on Instagram and over 14 million followers on TikTok so far.
7. Alix Earle (@alix_earle)
Alix Earle is one of the influencers who went viral when she was young. Within just one month, she gained more than 1.7 million followers. Most of her content is ‘GRWM for…’ or ‘Travel with Me…’ Her videos, which show realness and honesty in character, are probably what attract followers to her. Today, she is also the host of a podcast called ‘Hot Mess with Alix Earle’.
8. Meredith Duxbuty(@meredithduxbury)
Meredith Duxbury is a New York-based beauty and fashion influencer. Initially, she was known for her unconventional (almost unbelievable) foundation technique where she uses an excessive amount of foundation and then rubs it all over her face. This video shocked her audience, and many people have also tried out the routine (check out the hashtag: #meredithduxburychallenge). And, well, the rest is history.
9. Mary Phillips (@maryphillips)
When talking about Mary Phillips, one might naturally describe her as a widely beloved makeup artist with beautiful and charming eyes. She’s a seasoned professional who’s worked with numerous A-listers you’ll surely recognize, including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, and more. No wonder her makeup technique explanations have sparked trends and gone viral for months.
10. Aysha Harun (@ayshaharun)
Next, we have Aysha, an influencer who is Ethiopian-Canadian living in Los Angeles. Her style can be described in three words: simple yet elegant. In addition to her makeup routines and daily vlogs, she has also used social media platforms to be a voice for underrepresented women, not only as a hijabi but also as a woman of color.
11. Ava Lee (@glowwithava)
Ava Lee is a Korean-American influencer based in New York. A few years ago, she grew her fan base on TikTok, where she currently has more than 1.7 million followers to this day. Recently, she has also ventured into the business world and become the founder of ByAva, where she promotes the slogan ‘#JELLOSKIN starts from within.’
12. Lindsey Rowley (@linsmakeuplooks)
Lindsey Rowley is one of the Sephora Squad members. Due to her passion for makeup videos since she was young, she pursued her dream and began taking pictures of her makeup looks, sharing them on Instagram. Currently, she has plenty of makeup tutorials in a short-form format, claiming they are ‘makeup for short attention spans’.
13. Monica Hamada (@mangomoniica)
Guess what? We have another Asian beauty influencer on this list – introducing @mangomoniica, also known as Monica Hamada from Hawai’i. As an influencer on Instagram and TikTok, she shares plenty of cosmetic product reviews. Most impressively, her main goal is to create ‘No filter beauty content’ for followers across every platform.
14. Tati Westbrook (@glamlifeguru)
With over 8 million subscribers on YouTube, Tati Westbrook is one of the top-tier beauty influencers you’re probably familiar with. She has gained recognition for her detailed and honest product reviews and beauty advice. About five years ago, she launched her own brand, ‘Halo Beauty’, where she sells various beauty vitamins and supplements.
15. Manny Gutierrez (@mannymua733)
Next up, this beauty influencer with a daddy body and a mommy face will make you fall in love with him! He is well-known for breaking barriers and stereotypes as a male makeup artist in this industry. Moreover, while he has founded their own brand, Lunar Beauty, he has also collaborated with several major brands like Maybelline and Morphe.
16. Patrick Starr (@patrickstarrr)
Another makeup influencer who has broken stereotypes is Patrick Starr, a licensed esthetician. While he is famous for celebrity transformations and creative makeup tutorials, he loves to promote inclusivity, self-expression, and self-confidence through his beauty content. He believes that makeup is one size fits all, which is why his own beauty business is called ‘ONESIZE’.
17. Chrisspy (@chrisspy)
Formerly a MAC Cosmetics staff member in San Francisco, Chrisspy has turned into one of the influencers who is worth keeping an eye on. Many people love her because of her skills in dramatic and creative makeup looks, like Halloween transformations, and also special effects makeup. This way, she hopes to empower women with these tools to look their best.
18. Shayla Mitchell (@makeupshayla)
Shayla Mitchell launched her YouTube channel back in April 2012, where she shares a plethora of beauty tips and tricks, and tutorials online. In addition to makeup, she loves discussing her diet, as seen in her video “HOW I LOST 20 LBS!! What I Eat In a Day for WEIGHT LOSS”. With over 3 million followers on Instagram, she has collaborated with numerous major brands such as Maybelline, ColourPop, and others.
19. Monica Ravichandran (@glow_bymonica)
As you can tell from her appearance, Monica Ravichandran, also known as @glow_bymonica, is of half-Indian descent. She loves being your honest and filter-free brown girl makeup bestie, sharing her favorite shades and products with over 300k followers. You’ll probably recognize her from her unique brow shapes and eye makeup.
20. Nyane Lebajoa (@nyane)
If you’re looking for beauty influencers with a distinct and dramatic style, Nyane Lebajoa won’t let you down. She has gained immense popularity for her creative and artistic makeup looks and stylish outfits, boasting more than 2 million followers on Instagram today. You’ll notice that a majority of her looks feature vibrantly-colored hair wigs, most of which are from her own brand called ‘Temper Hair’.
21. Kali Ledger (@kali.ledger)
Kali Ledger is a German-born female influencer who was camera shy while she was young, but then she turned to using makeup and social media as an outlet for her creativity, as evident in her outstanding photographic style. Aside from being a popular beauty influencer, she is also a loud and proud advocate for racial equality, #BlackLivesMatter, and the Free Palestine Movement.
22. Katie Jane Hughes (@katiejanehughes)
Katie Jane Hughes, an editorial makeup artist born in England and raised in New York, is skilled in a variety of makeup looks. She guides her followers on achieving a dewy complexion and provides tips for a polished, work-ready makeup look. With her unique charm for bold and radiant aesthetics, she has collaborated with brands such as Glossier. Moreover, she founded her own brand, ‘KJH.Brand’, which specializes in glowy makeup tools too.
23. Thuy Le (@xthuyle)
Thuy Le is a London-based influencer who shares her love of beauty, travel, and fashion with her more than 2 million followers. Aside from her collaborations with big brands like Urban Decay, Fenty Beauty, and Too Faced, people also love her honest and humorous character. If you want to see an example, check out her vlog where she talks about getting Brazilian butt lifts, and you’ll understand why she’s an internet sensation.
24. Kate Bryan (@k8_smallthings)
According to Kate Bryan’s Instagram bio, it says, ‘If you like hair/makeup/beauty and like to laugh, you’re in the right place,’ and that line is indeed true. Kate Bryan is one of the influencers who has touched upon many topics, such as ‘Ankle-length denim Hacks,’ ‘Straight hair with a barely there twist,’ ‘Mix & Match: Shampoo and Conditioner,’ and more. Her content is usually stylized with a hint of minimalism and a clean look.
25. Sadaf Masaeli (@sadaf_beauty)
Sadaf Masaeli is one of the first well-known Persian beauty influencers in the world. Due to her trained skills in makeup, she quickly gained attention from many global luxury brands. A few years ago, France Forbes and Vogue Magazine awarded her as the most influential beauty influencer of luxury cosmetics, and the second most influential beauty influencer in the world.
26. Karen Sarahi Gonzalez (@iluvsarahii)
On a list of beauty influencers with the most followers in 2024, Karen Sarahi Gonzales will surely be at the top, with currently more than 7 million followers on Instagram. While she has become a businesswoman who founded ‘LYBRE’, a lashes brand, the list of famous brands she has worked with is also impressive: MAC Cosmetics, L’Oreal, and others.
27. Yasmin Maya (@beautyybird)
Yasmin Maya, known as @beautyybird, is a beauty influencer and mother of two kids with Mexican heritage in her bloodline, which is why her content is bilingual. As an immigrant herself, she consistently promotes and incorporates beauty inclusivity in her content across every platform, along with her brand ‘Birdy Lashes’, which aims to simplify eyelashes for everyone.
28. Gabriel Zamora (@gabrielzamora)
One more male beauty influencer you should get to know is Gabriel Zamora from Los Angeles, whom you might already recognize. He started his career on YouTube in 2014, and his passion for brows, beauty, and lifestyle is what has made him one of the foremost digital creators to this day.
29. Geena Hunt (@makeupbygeenahunt)
To promote inclusivity in the beauty industry, we believe you should get to know a famous red-haired influencer: Geena Hunt. With a subtle vintage vibe in her photos, she is an influencer who loves to share everything about makeup, fashion, and hair. Trust us, her hair is so gorgeous that you will definitely want to learn her tips and tricks.
30. Nicole Da Costa (@thebeautyflush)
Last but not least, let us introduce Nicole Da Costa, who impresses people with her career as a creative makeup artist. Despite her medium-sized follower fan base (28k+ followers on Instagram and 153k+ followers on TikTok), her skills are as distinctive and brilliant as those of many influencers with millions of followers, making her outstanding in this industry.
Latest Beauty Trends 2024
Before we wrap up, let’s take a peek at some of the upcoming beauty trends for this year so you can stay in the loop!
- Vinyl Lips
Get ready to see shiny Vinyl Lips everywhere this year. Models on runways are flaunting this trend, reminiscent of the 1990s fashion comeback. Most of the Vinyl Lips’ shades you will see are vibrant like red, orange, purple, and pink, to name a few.
- Metallic Accents
Coming up next is still a trend with some sort of Y2K vibes, many beauty influencers are embracing metallic accents to make their makeup stand out. Copper, rose gold, and silver are the go-to shades. This trend gives you the freedom to get creative and try unique looks.
- Skinimalism
Ever heard of Skinimalism? It’s all about keeping your makeup and skincare routine minimal, allowing your natural beauty to shine through. Expect to see hybrid products that offer both skincare and makeup benefits in one this year.
- Skin Cycling
Instead of bombarding your face with various skincare products daily, Skin Cycling suggests giving your skin a ‘rest’ by using highly active skincare products on a rotating basis, allowing your skin to breathe and rejuvenate.
- Sustainability Focus
In today’s world, consumers care deeply about sustainability. They want to know if your brand is genuinely eco-conscious or just engaging in ‘greenwashing.’ Be transparent about your values and represent them through your products.
- Demand for Diversity and Inclusion
According to the statistics, more than 40% of beauty consumers appreciate seeing diverse representations of beauty in ads, and this demand is likely growing and growing. Whether it’s showcasing unconventional beauty or embracing diversity in genders, ages, and sizes, make sure your brand reflects these values.
Find Your Right Beauty Influencer
You probably realize just how much impact a beauty influencer can have on customer behavior and the beauty industry as a whole.
Now that you have all the information you need, we hope your brand can leverage influencer marketing, find the perfect partner, and create an amazing collaboration that benefits both parties!
And if you need any help with finding the right beauty influencers for your brand, we, Mandala AI are happy to help!
