Finding makeup influencers is an ongoing process for beauty brands in constant need of UGC. We dig into how to find beauty content creators for any cosmetics niche!
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Makeup influencers are in seriously high demand.
Our internal platform data recently revealed that on average, beauty brands hired 45+ micro-influencers per campaign last year. That's 2.6x more creators as the next largest industry.
And so finding makeup influencers is an ongoing mission for beauty brands.
Because the need for UGC is constant, from organic and paid social media to reviews and search.
But what do you do when it feels like you've run out of new or niche cosmetics creators?
Below we share insights into finding beauty influencers to keep your creator pipeline full. We'll also share examples of makeup micro-influencers to spark some content inspiration!
Yes, beauty brands are unique given the size and scope of their campaigns.
But finding content creators in any industry starts by looking at your target audience and customers.
Especially when there's no shortage of beauty influencers out there. If you jump head-first into your search without assessing your audience and goals, you're going to get overwhelmed.
For makeup and cosmetics brands, consider these questions:
With your campaign goals and audience in mind, you can actually start finding makeup influencers.
Below are three options and opportunities for brands of all sizes. You can use any combination of these tactics to keep a full pipeline to promote your products long-term.
Surprise, surprise: TikTok and Instagram are hotspots for beauty brands. You already know this!
With TikTok, demographics skew younger (but not always!) while videos and promotions move fast. This is especially true with the rise of TikTok Shop. Unpolished videos and product reviews reign supreme.
On the flip side, Instagram beauty videos typically have more production value and a "professional" presentation. But remember: all of the above can be effective depending on your audience!
Based on your audience, both are solid starting points for building your list of makeup influencers via search. TikTok's advanced search features and Meta's new AI search on Instagram can help.
Still, searching on either platform can be daunting for finding beauty influencers. Our advice?
Be specific when digging into niche hashtags and social media keywords you use.
Because the more granular you get with your searches, the more relevant influencers you'll find.
General #beauty tags don't do much to narrow your search. Even more "niche" tags like #kbeauty or #maturemakeup will return millions of views and countless creator profiles to audit.
Below are search phrases and hashtags specific to finding makeup influencers on TikTok and Instagram. Keep in mind that Instagram is usually better suited for hashtag searches while TikTok search can go either way between hashtags and keywords.
Note that you can swap “makeup” for your brand’s specific product lines for a more targeted influencer search. For example, #foundationreview or “budget bronzer” or #concealerhacks will provide a narrower list of beauty influencers than simply "makeup hacks." Niching down your search terms is one of the best ways to find micro-influencers in the beauty industry and beyond.
Chances are a good chunk of your satisfied customers are already makeup influencers themselves.
Product seeding is one of the best ways to uncover creators and collaborations for your brand. Bonus points if you already have an opt-in ambassador program or PR list!
Seeding makes it easier to attract creators who genuinely love your products and spark collabs with less legwork. For example, sending influencer seeding kits to past customers and ambassadors can kick-start collaborations and give a starting point to promote your next product launch.
The biggest downside of this approach to finding influencers is that it’s time-consuming if you're doing it all DIY. Successful product seeding also hinges on you having experience shipping products to creators. While collabs with past customers are typically smoother, they still require outreach and a surprising amount of back-and-forth.
However, seeding can be a great way to build your list of beauty influencers from the ground up. Granted you have the resources or an influencer seeding platform to support your efforts!
Searching for makeup influencers DIY is a time-sink no matter how you handle it.
That's why more and more brands are investing in a dedicated beauty influencer platform to streamline the process. The key is finding a platform that manages the process from end-to-end from finding makeup influencers to actually getting content at scale.
For example, Statusphere eliminates the need for manual influencer search for makeup brands (which is part of how we save brands an average of 100+ a month).
Our platform's targeting features instantly match brands with relevant micro-influencers across all beauty niches using 250+ first-party data points. This ensures that your products only get into the hands of relevant beauty content creators based on their brand preferences and pain points.
The high volume of creators and campaigns that makeup brands are really speaks for itself.
Conducting outreach when campaigns demand 45+ creators isn't realistic without a full-time team. Given that always-on influencer marketing strategy is practically a requirement in the beauty industry, investing in a dedicated influencer marketing platform is a smart move.
So, what makes a “good” makeup influencer? Good question!
Having powered thousands of beauty influencer marketing campaigns, here’s our take:
Food for thought: beauty micro-influencers are the best candidates to tick all of the boxes above. Their audience growth depends on authenticity and being up-to-date on the latest trends to drive engagement.
And unlike celebrity creators, micro-influencers are much easier for viewers to relate to.
As highlighted by this recent discussion on Reddit, everyday shoppers are frustrated by “perfect” influencers and prefer beauty and makeup creators that reflect themselves and their skincare needs.
The takeaway? To the majority of beauty buyers, authenticity is so much more important than follower count or name recognition.
To wrap things up, here are some beauty micro-influencers from our own network.
These creators offer a snapshot of the type of makeup influencer content you can partner with to create authentic, down-to-earth content that resonates with viewers and likewise serves as an awesome basis for promotions like TikTok Spark Ads.
When creators like this promote the latest products, you can cut through the noise faster. Note how this influencer shares how Australia’s top beauty brand just launched in the US with a stylish product showcase. This word-of-mouth approach is perfect for introducing your products to a new audience.
Explainer content serves to educate customers beyond basic beauty tips.
For example, skincare routine and makeup application breakdowns are popular. So are ingredient explainer videos that dig into what people are putting on their skin.
These types of videos are a massive opportunity for both makeup and skincare brands. Consider that cosmetic ingredient searches have grown by over 229% year-over-year.
This beauty micro-influencer highlights what explainer content looks like when it’s done right. The creator is authentic, vulnerable and honest.
With less than 6,000 followers, this influencer highlights also how beauty micro-influencers can get strong engagement rates with authentic content. This is all the more reason why makeup brands should integrate makeup micro-influencers into their influencer marketing strategies.
Influencers know best when it comes to what’s stylish and trendy on social media. Time-lapse content combines creative edits with showcasing your beauty products in action. This post is a vivid example of achieving high engagement even without demonstrating how the product is applied.
GRWM (get ready with me) posts from smaller creators are powerful as they showcase what products look like to everyday consumers (and again, not celebrities).
This type of content s a simple yet effective way to showcase makeup routines from start to finish. This TikTok creator nails how small creators effortlessly align their content with trendy formats.
Competition is fierce in the beauty space. That's an understatement.
And so much of why beauty influencer marketing requires an always-on strategy with ongoing content for ads, organic social media and beyond.
Building a content engine with influencer software can help you get there faster.
That's where Statusphere's platform can help.
Our micro-influencer marketing platform can match your brands with vetted creators from our exclusive network using 250+ first-party data points. Statusphere was designed to keep your creator pipeline full and collabs for beauty and skincare products are our specialty.
Features like fulfillment, automated reporting and built-in content rights are must-haves for beauty brands that are serious about scaling. We've already generated over 75,000+ posts for 400+ brands. This includes beauty brands like Milani, Undone and Ole Henriksen.
Want to learn more about how our software works? Get in touch with one of our experts to see how we can increase your influencer marketing ROI with a reliable content engine.
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