Archived Post
Do you like when influencers launch their own beauty brands?
Yes and no. It’s becoming more prevalent in the last year to do so, and I think there might be too much (or too much, too fast?). I think it works when it’s clear the influencer has a deep understanding of beauty or else is very good at predicting trends or filling a hole in the market. They should be genuine ventures with real quality behind them to work. I’m just worried that they might not all be that way and could ruin the road for future brands as a result.
— Christine
I don’t really care tbh. There are so many and I don’t know who half of them are. Tbh most are very redundant, bland and uninspired. But I’d do a collection if given the opportunity. Why not? So I cannot blame them. I haven’t a desire to buy any of them really. I did buy the Carli Bybel palette. I didn’t know who she was and thought my daughter probably did. I just was interested in trying BH Cosmetics bc they were new to Ulta. But otherwise I am just not interested. They all look the same!
I wish my answer was yes but based on the collabs that we have seen, I am not overly impressed. It seems to me that the wrong influencers are working with the wrong companies. I am sure that they are just happy to be asked to design a collection but either they don’t have sufficient production/product development experience or they are being taken advantage of by the companies who are hoping to capitalize on the influencers built in potential buyers. I think they are in a very difficult position. If say, Jaclyn Hill gets all the way to the products being produced and she doesn’t like them what is she suppose to do? If she says something then will they work with her again? Is it in her contract with them that she has the right to say, “NO”. I think the influencers need to take a step back and look at the offer from a lot of different perspectives and most importantly, get some help in dealing with the actual legal issues, different help with the production piece and maybe say “no” when it doesn’t look like it is going to be in their best interest.
Just off the top of my head, I think the Kathleen Lights collab with ColourPop is probably the only collab that I felt was successful for both of them.
I think a lot of them are younger and don’t have a team or the right people around them. Think of how financially smart you were at 20? It is easy for them to be taken advantage tbh. Nikki Tutorials comes to mind. I don’t watch her. Even so I know enough she’s talented and has a huge fan base but even my 15 yr old who does know her says she’s very immature. Explains why she was easy to be taken advantage of. Shameful honestly. On their part, not hers. I feel bad for her though:(
If I’m not mistaken, Nikki’s mother is in the beauty industry, and they have a close relationship, so one would think Nikki has a support system in place. Also, many of these “influencers” have managers/ representation, which typically includes legal support, so I don’t have any sympathy. If they’re being “taken advantage of”, it’s likely because they choose not to hire a professional “handler” because it costs money…
I agree with you. Though the endless over hyping of everything is also turning me off. It’s sad because, these are hard working individuals and I think it’s such a great thing that these influencers are being given these opportunities. I find myself being quite skeptical these days, and I can’t help but roll my eyes when yet another collab is announced.
I’m not sure who ‘influencers’ are. I bristle at the term. There is so much makeup I’ve yet to explore that exists in the market today that I find it easy to scroll right by partnerships or new brands if I feel there’s a superficial (or YT annoying) quality about it.
That said, if you happened to launch a cosmetics brand, Christine, I’m IN!!
I’m indifferent 🙂 It still needs to be a quality product that fills a need of mine for me to buy it!
Not really. I guess because I’m of an age where the whole “beauty influencer” thing means little to nothing to me, my general reaction is to wonder why I should put either credence or “fan-dom” into the products they develop. There are enough desirable companies in the “main stream” whose makeup/skin care I like or covet and I’m quite happy sticking with those. I don’t need to be swamped by even more brands, especially of the “here today/gone tomorrow” ilk.
Generally, not at all.
It depends…I appreciate a beauty influencer working to make a change in the industry. One recent one is partnering with a line for deeper foundation shades. Something she has been calling out lines to do for years.
No, because I haven’t seen any that are more than fluff and hype. I think the cosmetics companies release what they’re going to release anyway, and then just slap an “influencer” ‘s name on it. And I loathe the term influencer. They don’t influence me, except to make me run away.
No. I wouldn’t take it seriously and never say never, but I would probably just stick to the brands that I know. If anything, I would look at it as a cash grab. I think influencers are just that, influencers or persuaders, and they should stay in their lane. As far as collaborations with other brands, in my mind it diminishes the brand that sponsors them. I think the older I get, the slower I am to warm up to any trends.
No and I’ll just leave it at that
I guess it depends on whether an influencer can provide a brand with input they might not otherwise have — for example, if an influencer with terrible skin helped a brand design a smoothing primer or full-coverage foundation, I might be interested — I’d presume the influencer has tried a lot and would be more inclined to trust a product in which she had a say. Or if an influencer of color or very pale influencer helped a brand provide a wider range of foundations, or shadows/blushes that are likely to flatter their skin tone. I think the Jaclyn Hill highlight collab made sense (although I own none of them) because she always had such megawatt highlights; and the Kathleen Lights CP collab — in which she just curated a set of colors — was fun.
But mostly — nah, not really. (I know this question was in regards to influencers launching their own brand, not collaborating, but I can only think of two who have done so … which means either their marketing or product quality must be lacking!)
In general I find the idea repugnant. I’ve noticed my reaction is usually negative so I must not like it, right? LOL
It perpetuates the idea of youtuber/celebrity and that’s never been something I’ve been able to jive with. I’m not a supporter of “celebrity” in general though, so that’s not surprising to me.
It also blurs the line between honest product reviewer and spokesperson for hire – Which is really what we are talking about when we use the word “influencer” isn’t it? They are freelance spokesmodels. While I don’t mind that, I’ve not heard of anyone who has been really honest about it. That dishonesty combined with an attitude of “celebrity” (i.e. celebrity entitlement) is what I find distasteful.
My work then, obviously, is to look past the apples I perceive as spoiling the bunch.
Hmm… things to meditate on.
Temptalia: Making me question my life on a deeper level since 2006 or something LOL!
Wait… what are we talking about?! LOL I read the question and then read the comments and got side tracked. For clarification: MY comment above pertains to influencer collaborations with other brands. If the question is, “What do I think about people launching their OWN brands?” (Which I believe it actually is.) My answer is quite different.
I read through the comments below and saw a couple mentions of Goss brushes (for example). People launching their own businesses I’m in complete support of. If I don’t like it, I won’t buy it. But I actually LIKE seeing people work on their own products and try coming up with new products. Turning your passion into a hopeful career is awesome. Attaching your name to something Benefit is launching because you think you’re Madonna makes my butt clinch up. LOL!
Seeing as they’re one step closer to the consumer, and most (if not all?) of the influencer brand launches have been women enthusiasts-turned-entrepreneurs, I think it’s a positive thing. Though I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything from Huda Beauty, Em Cosmetics…
I’m going to second the motion that if you ever launch your own brand Christine I’m going to be ready!
I have no problem with anyone chasing their dream, launching their own line and earning a living. Am I glad that Wayne Goss launched his own line of brushes? Yes (duh)! The marketplace sorts out who can bring it and who can’t. It’s a competitive business. I wish them luck.
Hi Anne, You comment illustrates the struggle I have to understand who is considered an influencer vs. a celebrity vs. something else entirely. I don’t consider Wayne Goss an ‘influencer’ as I watched him so long before he gained popularity on the web and later launched his brush business. (I suppose he had a role to play in neutral palettes launched by Paula’s Choice and a retail company whose name escapes me though I don’t think his name was ever on the products.) Perhaps he gained an influencer moniker as more came to know him.
I had no idea what a ‘beauty influencer’ was before reading this question. So, I googled it and found there is no exact definition of the term or consensus of who qualifies. Are the Pixiwoo ladies BI’s? I don’t know, but they’ve sold a lot of brushes thanks to their popularity as MUAs on YT. So, who knows? Your opinion is as valid as the next person’s.
I waver between ambivalence and annoyance at the arrogance. I too bought the Carli Bybel palette; had no clue who she is.. didn’t care. It was cheap and I liked the colours. With the limited time I have, I tend to stick to T for my makeup fix and info. I do a lot of research here as far a dupe comparisons, etc.. The others do not have anything remotely resembling the tools available on this website. I watch the occassional youtuber because I like them or want to see what certain products look like on them (we share similar skintones or something to that effect).
I would completely support T if you decided, but I feel you have earned many your stripes from your more technical approach and reviews.
I like Goss brushes. I rarely agree with Wayner’s top choices in makeup, however.
Since I take this question to mean influencer owned companies, and I’m only aware of several such ones, my thoughts are as follows; 1.) Is the quality there? That’s my 1st concern!, 2.) Is this a highly controversial person or brand? If so, I probably don’t want what they’re selling., 3.) Does their product(s) serve my personal needs or tastes? If not, I’m not interested, really.
Nancy T., I read the question and have been reading through the responses while thinking about my own response, and you said it all perfectly!
I think many took it as collaboration bc Christine took it that way or at least that is how I saw it. There aren’t a lot of influencers who started their own makeup brands. Only Goss, Jeffree Star and Michelle Phan come to mind. The rest have been collaborations ie Kathleen Lights, Jaclyn Hill, Nikki Tutorials etc.
Just to clarify – I was specifically talking about influencers and their own brands, not collaborations between an influencer and an existing brand. There are at least half a dozen, if not a few more, that have been announced or have launched in the last year just to my knowledge, which is no doubt lacking.
I couldn’t care less either way. That fact alone won’t make me buy a product.
It makes no difference to me. Simply put, if their products are pretty and perform well then that’s great with me!
It would take a bucketful of money to launch your own brand and ensure that the products were made with ethically sourced ingredients and filled a genuine gap in the market (can’t think of one they are all taken).
There are lots of niche indie brands around and it is unnecessary to add more into an already overcrowded market.
This, exactly.
Aside from foundation shade/ undertone ranges, and *perhaps* ingredients that are less “toxic”, everything is pretty much covered… Instead of coming out with entire lines of their own, I’d like to see some well-established brands work with some of the more credible influencers on permanent products in the line, more like a bridge between the brand & consumer.
Don’t really care. They won’t influence me much I think they throw too many products out here ending up in not great quality just pretty designed boxes but if quality is meh I’m sticking to drugstore after watching a yiytubercwith my same shade or will just purchase on impulse like absent minded Dorothy (the fish) because that’s how my head works. Lol! Uhhh! Look that looks really pretty! Is coming home! ?
Oops! Out here not here. Typo! After watching swatches or few You tubers in my same shade.
So far I’ve been largely unimpressed by ‘influencers’ products. MUG’s Marlena is the only one from whom I’ve bought products from & have been impressed.
No, don’t watch them or follow them, they are being paid by the company!!