What’s Next: Social media stars take relatable beauty to the bank
Putting the name of a supermodel or a Hollywood actress behind a product or ad campaign is one of the oldest tricks in the beauty business book, but there is a new crop of bankable beauty stars. These women do not have images carefully crafted by the entertainment industry or faces that were selected for their fine features and traditional beauty. The self-made stars of social media build their followings with real, relatable beauty. Even though the most successful social media celebrities are typically young, thin and pretty with bubbly personalities, it really is anyone’s game. Many of them appeal to niche demographics, such as plus-sized Cora from the Youtube channel Vintage or Tacky, or the openly gay Manny MUA, or the edgy, green-haired, potty-mouthed Samantha from Batalash Beauty.
While many beauty brands have dedicated teams for their own social media efforts, they are outpaced in every aspect by the social media beauty gurus — mainly because they cannot abandon branded marketing and replicate the authenticity of a regular girl offering a trustworthy opinion. Estée Lauder was flat-lining on Instagram until they enlisted Kendall Jenner as a brand ambassador and boosted their following by hundreds of thousands within weeks.
Lucrative endorsement deals are a natural outgrowth of this dynamic. It is a tricky balance where the gurus must maintain their honesty, while promoting the products. It usually works best when brands target gurus who are already a fan of their products — as was the case with Jaclyn Hill’s collaborations with Becca and Morphe. The Jaclyn Hill Favorites palette sold out within minutes on Morphe’s website. This kind of attention does not go unnoticed, and Becca Cosmetics was the next to jump on the Jaclyn gravy train. They invited the guru to create her own highlighter which was launched with an NYC Sephora meet-and-greet that drew the kind of crowds usually associated with rock stars.
The beauty gurus can sell to a targeted demographic in a way that a hired spokesmodel simply cannot. Instead of hiring the smallest model they could get away with, plus-sized clothing lines ModCloth and Gwynnie Bee teamed up with Cora of Vintage or Tacky to promote their brands. Natural ethnic hair is still an uncharted territory for many black women, and natural hair brands routinely turn to the natural hair community on social media. Shea Moisture partners with successful Youtube vloggers like Mahogany Curls and SunKissAlba, women who have mastered natural hair styling and serve as a positive example of the possibilities for coarse and curly hair types.
The gurus have begun to attract the kind of accolades usually reserved for pop stars and Hollywood starlets. Youtube sensation Tanya Burr recently graced the cover of Glamour. Social media gurus also have become a disruptive force at New York Fashion Week, being seated alongside the editors and buyers, and Instagramming the styles that won’t be seen in the magazines and stores for months. Beauty conventions like IMATS and BeautyCon get more than they bargained for when the very gurus they tapped to promote their events turn it into a mob scene. Social media stars may not be A-list celebrities, but in the beauty and fashion communities they may as well be.
What’s Next is a weekly feature of Drug Store News, written by consumer beauty blogger Lonni Delane. The goal is to help give beauty merchants the cutting edge they need to stay ahead of the latest and greatest beauty trends.