How TikTok is proving beauty is more

than skin deep

Social media smarts and a sense of humour are highly profitable for a
new breed of ‘skinfluencer’.
A. He grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona before moving to New
York to work on a department store makeup counter. Now at just
24, despite having no formal dermatology qualifications, Hyram
Yarbro is a skincare guru to millions worldwide.

B. Yarbro is one of a new breed of superstar social media

“skinfluencers” who have gained popularity during lockdown –
especially on TikTok – and are changing what we buy and why.

C. Lockdown affected grooming routines, with a shift to skincare

from make-up and perfume. It will come as no surprise to anyone
who’s tried to book a salon appointment since March that home-
treatment sales are up, with teeth-whitening products up 180% and
hair-dye sales six times higher than last year.

D. But it also affected how we discover new products. “There was an

uptick in people accessing social media,” says Samantha Dover,
senior beauty and personal-care analyst at Mintel, “but the real
impact was among existing social-media users, who spent more
time on these platforms and visited them more frequently. This
meant they were exposed to more grooming content.”

E. Social media already has an established effect on product sales.

“Half of beauty consumers look for reviews online, before making
a purchase,” says lifestyle and skincare blogger Lesley Buckle, aka
 @freshlengths. “There’s also a lot of satisfying videos out there.
Dramatic before-and-after visuals go viral.”

F. But in 2020, one platform emerged as the winner: TikTok.

“Facebook and YouTube are important for beauty brands, but
TikTok users are the most likely to get grooming advice from
social media,” says Dover. Influencer marketing firm Traackr
found that TikTok users’ engagement with skincare videos has
increased by more than 1,000% since last year.

G.In March, Skincare by Hyram had 100,000 followers on TikTok.

During lockdown that surpassed six million. “I feel gratitude for
the connection I have with my followers on TikTok – I’m not able
to replicate that on any other platform. Personally, however, the
growth has felt surprisingly normal,” he says.

H.Yarbro’s knowledge about skincare ingredients, and funny, honest

reviews have impressed beauty brands and followers alike. In
January 2019 he made $50 from affiliate sales. By July 2020, he’d
made $265,000 from online ads, brand partnerships and affiliate
links.

I. What many of these biggest new names in skincare lack in formal

qualifications, they make up for in enthusiasm and humour – and
vast audiences across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

J. Many skinfluencers are just about the fun of skincare such as

Young-Seok Yuh – whose @yayayayoung TikTok account has
gathered 1.2m followers since launching in March, and Vi Lai,
who often talks about using skincare as a coping mechanism to
deal with anxiety and depression. There are also qualified
dermatologists such as Dr Dustin Portela, whose @208skindoc has
 just under 1m followers and aesthetic therapists such as Nayamka
Roberts-Smith.

K.Popularity on TikTok does seem to affect sales. CeraVe is a high

street skincare brand for dry and problem skin that launched in the
UK in 2018. But a 67% increase in influencer posts about CeraVe
in 2020, according to influencer marketing firm Traackr, coincides
with a run on sales. UK chemist Superdrug reported a 65% week
on week increase in sales this summer and CeraVe sold out in the
US.

L. The Ordinary was a hit skincare brand long before TikTok, but
skinfluencers have affected sales, says Nicola Kilne, co-founder
and CEO of Deciem, The Ordinary’s parent company. “The
TikTok audience is truly global in a way that we haven’t seen
before,” she says. The brand is a skinfluencer favourite, and only
started its own TikTok account in February. “Our first video had
almost one million views – #The Ordinary alone has 229.1 million
views.”

M. The Ordinary sold a bottle of its Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

– a serum for acne – every three seconds at the start of lockdown.
Kilne thinks that time at home gave people more time to
experiment.

N. “I believe honesty has built our fan base,” says Kilne. “Word of
mouth is important for us, but this wouldn’t work if we didn’t
produce quality products.”

O.Buckle agrees that quality is the key to the hit products of TikTok.
“CeraVe’s mentioned by lots of influencers, but it’s successful
 because it’s affordable and the formulas are gentle. It’s exactly the
sort of brand I reach for if my skin’s had a reaction.”

P. The skinfluencers of TikTok are also hits because of their honesty.

“Traditional marketing fails to establish trust,” says Yarbro, who
now lives in Honolulu. “People gravitate towards online creators
who have real, honest opinions. When a creator establishes trust
with their audience, its reach exceeds any marketing budget or
exposure strategy. People are drawn to people.”