Celebrity influencers have less sway with UK beauty buyers

UK audiences are more likely to be persuaded into buying beauty products by non-celebrity influencers, according to a new report. 

Social influencer marketing platform, Traackr has just released its State of the Influence beauty report, comparing influencer marketing in the beauty, skincare and hair care spaces.

In the report, Traackr analysed 122 make-up, skincare and hair brands and their influencers within the UK, US and French markets from August 2018 to July 2019. 

Brands covered include Kylie Cosmetics, Huda Beauty, Fenty Beauty, Anastasia Beverley Hills, Redken, Ole Henrikson, and Tatcha.

For the purpose of the study, Traackr ranked influencers into several categories including “VIP” celebrity status influencers who have 5M+ followers. 

It also measured, among other things, the influencer’s Brand Vitality (VIT) score which is their visibility, impact and level of consumer trust. 

In the UK, it was found that VIPs influencers are less impactful than their US counterparts in all areas of the sector. 

In the UK make-up sphere, lesser-known “macro” influencers with smaller audiences (500K+) generate 29% of (VIT) while the VIP influencers created just 17% VIT.  

In contrast, VIPs drive 51% of all VIT for make-up in the US.

When it comes to haircare, all tiers of influencers perform well in the UK with the exception of VIPs. 

In skincare, the engagement rate is relatively level across all sizes of influencers in the UK. 

The report says that mid-tier influencers – those with audiences between 50K - 499K – are considered the influencer “sweet spot” as they are often easier to reach, and collaborate with, while alsocommanding a decently large and engaged audience. 

The most successful beauty brands tend to have influencer coverage across all tiers, with significant mid-tier activation and little reliance on the same VIP influencers month after month, the report concludes. 

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