Beauty
in bloom
Having fun with your hair and make-up is key to looking and feeling like a million dollars this summer. And these days, there’s endless choice when it comes to the looks you can create.
Back in the day, make-up was a simple affair. Everyone headed to Boots for uniform blue eyeshadow, paired it with enough blusher to rival Coco the Clown and topped it off with a scarily bright red lippy. It wasn’t big and it wasn’t clever, but everyone did it. The only tuition available was watching your big sister or scanning the pages of Just Seventeen.
Now, thanks to social media, the beauty landscape has changed for ever – and for the better. From the barest of beauty routines to the make-up maximalism of stick-on nose rhinestones, temporary face tattoos or full wedding day looks, it’s the place to go if you want to see, buy or learn. And at the forefront are content creators making beauty both aspirational and relatable.
Sara McCorquodale, CEO of CORQ, the UK’s leading influencer authority, and author of Influence: How Social Media Influencers Are Shaping Our Digital Future, says: “Beauty really is the pioneer when it comes to working with influencers to drive business. Some beauty brands have been working with YouTubers from as early as 2008, driving awareness of products, building audience around their brand and boosting sales via social media and influencer platforms. When it comes to beauty, they are the experts above all else.”
From nose make-up to no make-up, influencers and content creators have tried it all – and it’s shaping the industry for the better
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“There are professionals like stylists, make-up artists, nail technicians and dermatologists sharing their expertise,” says McCorquodale. “But really, the strength for the beauty industry has been these very relatable creators who are showing how they use products. In the early days they were giving very honest reviews about things like the consistency of a product, how it applies and how to use it properly.
“It’s led to the expansion of the type of products that beauty brands create. Now you see all kinds of products coming to market and beauty brands enlisting these creators to target their specific demographics, helping their audiences understand the real-life benefits of the product. The really interesting thing in the beauty industry is that regular people are creators.”
For anyone looking to understand more about influencer marketing, social media and communication – and how it can help their business – CORQ’s monthly subscription is the ultimate toolkit.
CORQ gives businesses access to all the latest influencer news, campaigns, collaborations and trends. It also runs webinars and digital skills training pitched to all levels, from high street names to tabletop operations.
Understanding and harnessing these trends, and being on top of what everyone is talking about, is vital when it comes to knowing what people want – and as a result, increasing sales.
“Menopause is a massive conversation online right now,” says McCorquodale. “Women are organically talking and sharing – ‘I’ve started using this product and it's amazing’. It’s that kind of offhand recommendation that can have a huge ripple effect.”
Arabella Johnson, head of beauty at CORQ, agrees that social media chats and trends can have a direct impact on the shop floor. “Men’s beauty is really booming this year,” she says. “Men’s nail polish is really big, as is men’s skincare.”
So, what are some other beauty trends to look out for this summer? CORQ shares its insights below.
#Wedding has more than 124 billion views on TikTok. When Sofia Richie Grainge, youngest daughter of singer Lionel Richie, started documenting her wedding prep, the internet was gripped. “She didn't join TikTok until April, just before her wedding, and gained millions of followers in a matter of weeks,” says CORQ’s Arabella Johnson. “It was like nothing I’d ever seen. Recently she did a reminder of how she did her wedding make-up that got 11.5 million views. It was a very light look that has become a huge trend. A brand called Nudestix has very cleverly got her as their nude-beauty director and she is selling out all their products. She is an absolute marketing machine for them.” Other creators maximising on their big day include Anastazia, who vlogged her wedding experience. Fans are also watching brides-to-be Tamsin Wong, Noorie Ana and Bella Michelle (Only Bells).
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#Barbiecore is about to unleash the pink with the release of the Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling film Barbie on July 21. #pinkmascara already has 19.3 million views. Pink girl summer? Bring it on. We also predict bleached blond Kens…
Think dinky. #MiniMakeUp has almost 196 million views on TikTok. Fay, a UK-based beauty creator shared her mini Real Techniques brush set – that you can buy, handily, on TikTok shop – which gained over 794,000 views.
“This is a really interesting trend,” says Johnson. “People have started creating mini make-up bags for work, for everyday life. Brands have started to jump on the back of this and spin off mini versions of every product. It’s here to stay. Aesthetically it’s cute and it’s fun.”
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Say no to the trowel: #foundationfreemakeup is the way to go. Beauty creator May Akhtar partnered with Space NK to create an Eid make-up look without using concealer or foundation. “For lots of people, it is just doing really good skincare, and then doing your lip gloss, your slightly more fun eye look and your brows, but really stepping away from the heavy foundation and the heavy powders,” says Johnson. “A smart brand strategist would look at that and think ‘OK, we’re going to go hard on the SPF because a lot of foundations would contain SPF’.”
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Nose make-up: yep, think eyeshadow and gems on your proboscis. Beauty TikToker Martha Lyn applied yellow eyeshadow across her nose and Myla (Pradaolic) extended her eye look across her nose. Blackpink’s Jennie wears nose glitter spurring creators inspired by her. It’s a trend surely crying out for a specialist nose beauty brand: Hooters? Oh, hang on…
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#PerfumeTok has 3.6 billion views. The fragrance community is booming on socials as creators discuss their favourite scents. In June, creator Daisy Herriott shared her love of Zara’s Apple J perfume – the video amassed more than 2.4 million views in one day.
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Maximalist eyes: anything goes using gloss, bright eyeliners and eyeshadows. Some creators are using temporary tattoos. Beauty creator Sinead Bailey used stamps as eyeliner – the video has more than 2.4 million views – and another viral video uses cotton buds to create flowers. “This one is huge for Gen Z. We saw it a lot at Glastonbury,” says Johnson.
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Temporary hair dye: When beauty influencer Lena Bagrowska posted a Reel using L’Oréal's Magic Retouch spray to change her blonde hair to brunette, it got 29 million views. “Expect this trend to continue transforming hair colour with just a spray, right up to Halloween,” Johnson says.
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US TikTok sensation Alix Earle (5.5 million followers) and her group of university friends have an energetic, chaotic and candid approach. Catch the group sleeping in their make-up, doing a full face and creating chatty “get ready with me” (GRWM) videos. A fun antidote to some of the more minimalist trends we're seeing…
Revealed – 12 beauty buzzes for 2023
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Celebrity beauty lines are ten a penny, or £21 a lip gloss. But are they worth it? Fans think so. The giants are Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez (seven billion views on TikTok) and Fenty by Rihanna (3.5 billion). “I think those brands have transcended their founders,” says Johnson. “Obviously it’s risky launching a beauty brand because celebs kind of go up and down in their popularity. Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, for instance, got into hot water in early 2023 with a TikTok boycott.” Beauty YouTuber Ling Ting hooked up with Gwen Stefani about her vegan and cruelty-free make-up brand GXVE Beauty.
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Product of the moment is… mascara: the beauty product’s hashtag has 12.3 billion views on TikTok. Despite the mascara-free trend, creators are constantly trying to find the best mascara on the market – the holy grail of good lashes.
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#NoMakeUpMakeUp has around one billion views on TikTok, with beauty lovers obsessing over a barely there look with limited products, such as brow gel and lip gloss. Refy Beauty and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode are all about this elegant, low-key aesthetic. Lizzy Turner is a beauty influencer who shares up-close, unfiltered beauty videos. Her fans love her raw honesty.
Find out how CORQ Insights can help
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‘For the beauty industry the strength has been these very relatable creators’
‘Men’s beauty is booming this year – nail polish is really big, as is men’s skincare’
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