The beauty industry is evolving at a breakneck pace, with more inclusion and avant-garde looks than ever before, redefining our perceptions of traditional makeup and beauty.
Far gone are the days when cosmetics could only be purchased from catalogs or department stores. Most beauty brands also have direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns and use social media to promote their products. However, the beauty market is still crowded, making it impossible for many brands to navigate.
As a result, many fashion and beauty brands have invested heavily in influencer marketing in recent years. Even though cosmetic companies are the most likely to employ beauty influencers to collaborate with or represent their brands, other industries can benefit from partnering with beauty and makeup influencers by attracting a new audience who often seek advice and tips from these influencers.
Influencers have helped beauty brands to reach consumers in nontraditional ways, such as via social media. When it comes to creating organic content, this involves amplifying brand values, image, and messaging.
Since influencers can develop genuine relationships with customers, marketers have an advantage in understanding what customers want and how to deliver it.
With all of that being said, today we are going to cover seven must-follow beauty influencers on Instagram. Be sure to check out the full list below, while following each of the listed influencers to stay updated on the latest fashion, beauty and style trends.
Stay Fashionable and Trendy with the Top Beauty Influencers on IG
Huda Kattan
When it comes to makeup, Huda Beauty is one of the most well-known brands. Huda Kattan, who created the company in 2013, is the industry’s highest-paid influencer. Her Instagram account has over 48 million followers, and she was ranked first on the 2017 Influencer Instagram Rich List, receiving $18,000 per tweet.
She was named one of Time magazine’s “The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet” in the same year. Huda Boss, Huda’s own Facebook Watch original reality series, premiered in 2018.
Her success as an influencer complemented Huda’s success as an entrepreneur. She continues to provide tutorials and product reviews on Instagram as perhaps the most prominent beauty celebrity influencer today.
James Charles
These days, makeup and beauty influencers aren’t just women. James Charles, who represents the men in beauty, is at the head of the pack.
James Charles became CoverGirl’s first-ever male ambassador at the age of 19. He created a youtube empire built on his own self-taught skill set, amassing over 27 million subscribers on Instagram, making him the industry’s most subscribed beauty influencer.
His Instagram page, which features his signature highly glamorous makeup looks, has a similar following. He launched a YouTube series called Instant Influencer in April 2020, with him as the main host, to find the next “beauty influencer.” With Morphe Brushes, James Charles has also launched his line of makeup palettes and brushes.
Naomi Giannopoulos
Naomi Giannopoulos is a seasoned makeup artist with over two decades of experience who has expanded her reach online. She shares her love of beauty and fashion, which she has admired since she was a teenager, under the moniker Vegas Nay.
PopSugar, for example, has praised her for the beautiful images she posts on her blog. These have been credited with propelling her to the top of the online world, where she now has millions of followers. She stands out from the many beauty and fashion bloggers because of her technical skills and beautiful photographs.
Giannopoulos, who has over 6 million Instagram followers, regularly shares beauty videos showing various lip and eye makeup combos that people are encouraged to try on themselves. With over two decades of experience, it’s no surprise that she launched her false lash brand, Vegas Nay.
Nikkie De Jager
Nikkie began her makeup channel with makeup tutorial videos that used her contouring skills to transform a person’s face. The makeup artist is known for mentioning all of the items she uses, ranging from Grinch-themed Christmas looks to Halloween makeup. Maybelline, Marc Jacobs Beauty, and FacialTox are only a few of the brands she’s collaborated with.
Her makeup videos concentrate on looks that completely turn a person’s face, ranging from high-fashion contoured and trendy to out-of-this-world looks that would be costumey if they weren’t done with such skill.
Jaclyn Hill
Jaclyn Hill is among the most famous beauty influencers in the industry, with over 6 million followers on Instagram. Hill also has a YouTube channel with a similar number of subscribers. She began her career in the industry as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics, where she began filming her own social media tutorial videos.
She’s also collaborated with many celebrities and beauty companies, including Kim Kardashian. She’s currently working on launching Jaclyn, her cosmetic collection.
The popularity of Jaclyn’s celebrity makeup tutorials was a given. Jaclyn became a household name in the industry after dedicating a video series to emulating the looks of A-listers such as Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Jenner, Rihanna, and Kourtney Kardashian.
She co-created the Champagne Pop highlighter with Becca Cosmetics and was instrumental in its creation. The product was a huge hit, with tens of thousands of units sold within minutes of its release.
Zoë Sugg
Sugg has been in the beauty industry for over a decade. She has established herself as one of the industry’s top Instagram influencers. The English beauty star began her career by uploading haul fashion and cosmetic videos to YouTube. She has over 1 million subscribers on Instagram.
She launched her luxury brand, Zoella, which set a new record for the most first-time sales in a week. Sugg also published a novel named Girl Online, which was also a bestseller.
Her Instagram feed is a mix of makeup, beauty, and fashion, ranging from casual to glamorous. There’s something for all, and they’re all glam, no matter what looks she’s serving.
Christen Dominique
Christen Dominique is a beauty influencer, a fashion influencer, and a cosmetic product designer all rolled into one. She is also the founder of Dominique Cosmetics and a full-time mother.
Christen started by teaching her high school classmates how to apply makeup. She returned to college later in life and started her career as a beauty influencer. She now has a sizable Twitter and Instagram following.
The Attraction of Top Beauty Influencers on Instagram
While the beauty industry is nothing new, it has become extremely popular as social media continues to grow year after year. And since it’s so easy for anyone to start a social media account and go live with their own style or beauty tips, anyone can become an influencer with enough time and effort. This is also why so many beauty influencers are getting new followers on a daily basis through the likes on IG and TikTok.
This is also why we are seeing so many big brands and money flowing into the beauty and fashion influencer space. The more they connect and build partnerships with big and small influencers, the better they can position themselves to reach more audiences.
In order to make it in beauty and fashion, it’s all about coming up with your own theme, look and style of content. This holds true in other markets as well. And if you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our similar ones on travel influencers and gamers on IG as well.
