Beauty brands are arguably one of the most visible digital-first ventures to come out of the 2010s. Companies like Glossier, Fenty Beauty, Topicals, Beauty Bakerie, Tower28, and Starface have challenged the status quo in a field that’s long been resistant to change. Social media and the internet more broadly have carved out space for niches that appeal to every kind of consumer. Through digital channels, especially Instagram, smaller brands are able to find their communities and gain a foothold in the market. There have long been underrepresented groups and unmet needs in the beauty industry, and many of these brands are designed to zero in on those opportunities.
The power of online shopping, and the natural sense of online sharing it inspires, helps brands that don’t fit inside big-box stores find success. Instead of competing with shelf space alongside major brands like, say, Neutrogena or Covergirl, a brand like Starface can find its audience online and sell directly to it. (Or, as been the case with brands like body positivity advocate Loey Lane’s Love AnyBody, stores like Target take notice and stock.)
The founders behind these companies come from a number of industries. Some are ex-magazine editors (Glossier, Starface), others are veterans of established brands (Tower28, Hairstory), many are influencers-turned-entrepreneurs (Beauty Bakerie, Dragun Beauty). In many cases, founders act as ambassadors themselves, putting a face to a brand in a way that a legacy brand like Revlon cannot. Many of these brands were founded to solve issues that were unaddressed in the marketplace — things like thigh chafe, the cast sunscreen leaves on dark skin, the stigma around acne. Next-generation beauty brands feel like real solutions that connect with consumers and their needs. The slim lines these companies roll out ignore traditional seasonal cycles and allow individual items to shine. Hero products, traditionally defined as a brand’s launch product, help brands gain traction online. Like any other piece of content that originates online, products have the potential to go viral.
Another force that helps these brands find a platform and build momentum is beauty influencers, who provide reviews, swatches, and first impressions of products. A decade ago, the idea of buying a lipstick online would have seemed counterintuitive to most. Today, it’s a norm that beauty influencers have made possible. Influencers act as virtual makeup counters, giving their fans a vicarious way to try before they buy. Beauty influencers are a remarkably diverse segment of the creator market, both in terms of demographics and background. Some are professional makeup artists, some are self-taught enthusiasts, others are entrepreneurs. Studio71 represents top beauty talent including Isabel Bedoya and Nikita Dragun.
But it’s not all how-to, get ready with me, and unboxing videos. Makeover content, a classic feature in beauty magazines, has crossed over into social media, most recently in Styled by Emma, an IGTV series from Emma Chamberlain. Chamberlain’s unique, authentic voice has helped cement her status as one of the world’s top creators. It’s exactly that craving for real, unvarnished content that’s made beauty brands such a natural fit in the digital world. Beauty is universal in that everyone practices some degree of grooming, but also highly individual — it means something different to everyone. So far, the expansion of the beauty world online has resulted in a multiplicity of options, not uniformity. This in itself is something to celebrate.
