For Gen-Z Seeking Beauty Brands, TikTok Reigns Supreme
It’s hard to imagine a pre-TikTok world.
The short-form video hosting platform rose to dominate the space, and Gen-Z consumers are leaving Instagram in droves in favor of the ephemeral vertical format first popularized by (now-defunct) Vine.
Generation Z is coming of age at a time of relentless and unprecedented innovation. As the first true generation of digital natives, Gen Zers have never known what it’s like not to have round-the-clock access to the internet. As a result, they expect on-demand information, streaming entertainment, and instantaneous communication in nearly every aspect of their lives.
- The social networks with the most monthly Gen Z users are Snapchat (42.0 million), TikTok (37.3 million), and Instagram (33.3 million)
- Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram are the most popular social networks among Gen Z but their user bases are growing at different rates. TikTok, which burst on the US scene in 2018, already has more Gen Z users than Instagram and is closing the gap with Snapchat.
Like other social media apps, what started out as a fun way to be creative and share a laugh has become serious business for TikTok’s leading creators.
The most popular person on the platform, Charli D’Amelio, has 107 million followers. The 16-year-old who garnered an audience dancing in front of a camera now has partnerships with Dunkin’ and Morphe, a New York Times bestseller, and an online store, all birthed out of a passion for making fun, engaging content.
And she’s not the only one cashing in on the meteoric rise of TikTok.
Beauty Brands Turn TikTok Hype into Sales
The TikTok hype is totally real: Just check out #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt—which has over 11 billion views, by the way—and prepare to head down the rabbit hole.
In today’s digital landscape, a successful marketing campaign for a skincare product or makeup line might look less like a celebrity endorsement of Maybelline in print and broadcast media in major markets (with gargantuan budgets!) and more like an army of TikTok’ers trying a product and giving an honest review.
In fact, research published in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology found that the majority of TikTok’s dermatology-related videos weren’t produced by experts at all, but by casual users of the app.
With that in mind, we take a look at three beauty brands’ TikTok tactics:
DECIEM beauty brand The Ordinary
- TikToker @kaelynwhitee posted the results of the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. on her acne and drove a 426% sales spike.
- The video has been viewed 1.3m times and spurred over 52K unit sales directly in just two weeks.
- The brand’s TikTok hashtag #theordinary has gained 377.9m views without the use of paid endorsement.
Skincare brand e.l.f (Eyes Lips Face)
- Pioneered a new tactic with the creation of an original song for a TikTok challenge. Accompanied by the hashtag #EyesLipsFace, it built brand relevance in a novel way.
- The Eyes. Lips. Face. TikTok hashtag challenge is the most viral campaign in TikTok US history with over 6.3 billion views and 4.5 million user-generated videos to date.
- Introduced the first-ever TikTok-native reality show, “Eyes. Lips. Famous” to provide a platform to help TikTok users become influencers. An excellent example of how beauty brands can use their clout to create their own influencers from within.
Dermatologist-developed beauty brand CeraVe
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Fifteen years after its introduction to the market, CeraVe saw an 84% brand lift thanks to TikTok.
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Popular TikTok creators @skincarebyhyram, @dermbeautydoc, @charlidamelio and @dermdoctor amplified the unique benefits of CeraVe’s three essential ceramides ingredients.
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In July 2021, The #CeraVe hashtag has seen 875m views, making it the #2 skincare brand by views behind The Ordinary’s 949m.
