A Complete Guide to Beauty Influencer Collaborations

They’re beguiling, they’re boujee and they’re the face of some of the most successful marketing campaigns on social media. They are beauty influencers! 

Dominating every platform, the power beauty influencer collaborations yield is not to be overlooked. With their knowledge and expertise on all things makeup and skincare, these influencers are able to come up with innovative new ways to market products that traditional marketing methods cannot support. 

Since their emergence in 2006 on YouTube pioneered by Michelle Phan, they have since changed the landscape of the beauty industry; making huge waves that are still impactful today. 

What is a beauty influencer?

They are trusted social media profiles who influence their organically-grown audiences to purchase certain products and share with them their beauty tips and tricks. Beauty influencers operate within the haircare, skincare and cosmetics spheres and their knowledge and expertise on their niche is what makes them the go-to sources for info on major beauty brands. 

Think of them as that one beautiful friend who always seems to know everything about keeping your skin, hair and makeup on trend and on point. This is why their followers trust them and, therefore, why brands reach out to them for beauty influencer collaborations. 

Choose your fighter 

The beauty industry is vast and continuously expanding. To ensure that every corner of the industry is reached, beauty influencers can be categorised to suit their niche:

Tutor/Educator – inform their audience about different products – their ingredients, how to apply them, where to buy them etc.

Artist – put their creative skills to the test by using makeup to create elaborate designs on their face and body. 

Guru – long standing experts in their field

Entrepreneur – create their own cosmetic, skincare or haircare lines with their own unique formulas. They can then use their background as an influencer to market to their followers and form collaborations between their brands and others.

Ambassador – work closely with a brand to promote their products. These are often nano/micro influencers, but their audience is highly engaged.

Activist – focused on promoting social responsibility within the beauty industry.

Beauty influencers X Influencer Marketing

The cosmetic industry was leveraging celebrity endorsements decades ago. All social media has done is merely shifted brand strategies to suit the digital age. 

Due to them operating on nearly every social media platform, there is no doubt you would have seen a beauty influencer collaboration—or seven—appear on your screen at some point. This is because of the authenticity and reach of their campaigns and, before you know it, you’ve got family members who told you they couldn’t make it to the barbecue all of a sudden popping up to rave about the new hair tool or makeup product that has just absolutely transformed their life (oh, and that they will be making it to the next one to show it off).

Beauty influencers are known to be feisty and to the point. They know what strategies work and are up front and honest about the products that they are reviewing/testing. Giving them creative freedom is key to a successful campaign, as well as being prepared to overcome any knock backs should they not like a product they have been sent. 

We know this sounds a bit scary, but the benefits of running a beauty influencer collaboration far outweigh the disadvantages. Here are a few to convince you:

Social media is the predominant hangout zone for consumers 

At this point, with over 3 billion social media users, it would be silly not to utilise any form of influencer marketing, particularly when statistics show that 67% of beauty enthusiasts turn to online beauty influencers before making a purchase.

It is more affordable  

Who doesn’t want to save money?! In comparison to traditional marketing methods, influencer marketing is much more affordable. While some mega influencers can be costly, micro influencers certainly aren’t and they usually have the most engaged audiences.

It is effective 

Whatever product/service it is that you are looking to launch, you will never be stuck for creators within your niche to market it. The influencer’s honest reviews will deem them a trustworthy source by users, suggesting that anything they promote in the future will be trustworthy (and purchase-worthy) also.

Examples of beauty influencer collaborations

As self-confessed beauty enthusiasts, we cannot say that collating this list was easy. There are so many iconic influencer makeup collaborations that truly changed the game for today’s generation of beauty influencers, but we have narrowed it down to those we feel reaped the most rewards. Without further ado, we have:

 

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A post shared by Morphe (@morphebrushes)

James Charles X Morphe – 2018

One of the most powerful beauty influencer collaborations is also an incredible moment for men in makeup. This palette sold out in less than ten minutes after its launch and if you posted a YouTube review you were automatically guaranteed a surplus of views due to the sheer number of people who could not get their hands on it dying to see it in action.

 

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A post shared by J A C L Y N ? (@jaclynhill)

Jaclyn Hill X Becca Cosmetics – 2016

One of the most viral beauty influencer collaborations to ever see the internet. Though the brand Becca is sadly no longer with us, it was responsible for producing potentially the most popular highlighter the beauty industry was ever graced with; Champagne Pop. If you were seen to be wearing this on your face in public, everyone automatically saw you as “that girl” and if they didn’t, the blinding glow from the highlighter would direct their attention to you anyway. A cult classic!

 

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A post shared by Anastasia Beverly Hills (@anastasiabeverlyhills)

Nicole Guerriero X Anastasia Beverly Hills – 2017

Possibly the most prestigious of beauty influencer collaborations to come out of the woodwork; this saw high-end cosmetics line ABH meet the glow queen, Nicole Guerriero. This limited edition highlighter palette sent fans crazy upon its launch and became a staple in many people’s makeup bags for years to come. 

FAQ’s

Who is the most famous beauty influencer?

Huda Kattan – founder and CEO of Huda Beauty – has 49.3M Instagram followers and 4.15M YouTube subscribers. Her brand shot to fame when Kim Kardashian revealed she wore Huda Beauty false eyelashes; proving the power and effectiveness of celebrity endorsements.

How do beauty influencer collaborations work?

1. Establish which campaign type you want to run with
2. Decide which platform you want to promote your brand on
3. Research influencers on this platform whose image and values align with your brand’s 
4. Pick an influencer with a good engagement rate 
5. Contact your influencer with details about the collaboration and let them know what’s in it for them
6. Hand over creative control – your influencer knows their audience better than anyone else and so they know what sells! 
7. Consistently track and measure the campaign results.

Our Influencer marketing agency and Social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

If you want to receive our industry insights, visit our Influencer Marketing & Social Media blog.

@ Socially Powerful

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