Below is the December 2022 edition of our Beauty Leaderboard Newsletter where we provide monthly data-backed insights on rising beauty trends, in-depth analyses of successful brand/influencer collaborations, and benchmarked rankings of global beauty brands.
Traackr Beauty Brand Leaderboard Ranking Insights
US Brand Spotlight: Neutrogena + Risk-Taking
Neutrogena had a huge November, jumping 29 spots from the previous month and ranking 4th on the US Leaderboard.
The brand earned 88% of its VIT on TikTok, with most of it coming from paid content.
Neutrogena has done a good job of thinking outside the box and taking risks with its influencer marketing strategy. The team made interesting choices in partnering with influencers outside of the beauty industry on TikTok, and have also sponsored videos on YouTube by lifestyle influencers like Alexa Rivera.
When looking at the content, especially on TikTok, it’s clear that the brand often encourages influencers to lean into their personality rather than follow a script of some kind. This is highlighted by the brand’s #1 performing post of the month. In the video, influencer Kirsten Titus (@pepperonimuffin) chops a cantaloupe in half and (amazingly) finds a pristine container of Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost moisturizer inside. 🙃
Neutrogena’s success in November is a great example of the impressive results that can be achieved with a strategy that doesn’t confine itself. The brand’s success came from avoiding a narrow scope of influencers and content types, and instead experimenting with unique ways of differentiating their content from competitor brands.
Tip: Want further insight into how you can craft an influencer campaign that is both unique and effective? Check out this case study which highlights the creative strategy that Artisan Council used to build awareness for its client, belif, and its True Cream Aqua Bomb moisturizer.
UK Brand Spotlight: REFY + Black Friday Promotion
REFY was founded in 2020 by beauty influencer, Jess Hunt, and has quickly gained a cult following within the US and UK due to its brow products. In November, the brand reached the top 10 on the UK Leaderboard for the first time this year. It also broke its own record, earning the highest total VIT of any month in 2022.
A lot of the brand’s VIT came from Hunt using her social platforms to generate excitement for the brand’s 20% off Black Friday sale To promote the sale, she made many posts across both TikTok and Instagram in the two weeks leading up to Black Friday. This is a contrast to what we saw from other influencer-led brands like Rare Beauty and r.e.m. beauty, where the founder only posted a couple times about their brand’s sale.
The brand also saw strong results working with mid-tier beauty influencers (50k+ followers) like Maisha Khanom (@maishakhanom), Elle Mcnamara (@bambidoesbeauty), and Bethan Lloyd (@bethanrlloyd). The top content from this tier followed long-standing popular beauty content trends like GRWM (get ready with me), beauty hacks, and application tutorial videos.
Tip: Want further insight into what content is most engaging for Gen Zers and Millennials along with insights into the other key factors influencing consumer’s purchasing behavior? Check out our 2023 UK Influencer Marketing Impact Report where we surveyed 500 consumers in the UK to understand how influencers, content, and social platforms have shifted consumer purchase behavior.
FR Brand Spotlight: Lancôme + TikTok’s rapid rise in France
Coming in at number 11 on the November Leaderboard, Lancôme is a picture of consistency. The brand has remained near the top of the monthly VIT rankings on our public FR Leaderboard throughout 2022.
One key driver to its success has been the impressive results the brand has seen from mentions occurring on TikTok. The brand has generated more VIT on TikTok than any other platform throughout 2022. November was no exception, with Lancôme earning 68% of their VIT for the month on the platform.
And Lancôme isn’t the only brand seeing more of their social performance coming from TikTok. In November, beauty brands earned 53% of VIT on TikTok, which marks the third consecutive month that TikTok has been the top platform for the entire market by VIT. This is also a much higher portion than what was seen in the US and UK in November, where TikTok accounted for only 43% and 33% of VIT. For brands in France, it’s worth considering shifting more attention to the platform due to this surge in activity and performance.
For Lancôme, most of the top performing posts came from Mega-tier influencers (1M+ followers) like Poopi Blh (@poopiblh), Chahrazad Kracheni (@chahrazad.kracheni), and Sapho (@sapho). Some of the top posts amongst these influencers highlighted Lancôme’s seasonal advent calendar, which aligns with our findings that advent calendars are a rising trend across the beauty industry right now. Check out our article from earlier this month where we highlight some of the brand’s with the most popular advent calendars in the US.
If you want to see how your beauty brand ranks, check out our monthly leaderboard here.
Trends to Know
Soft Goth Makeup Looks
In recent weeks, Tim Burton’s fantastical Netflix production, Wednesday, has exploded onto the pop culture scene. The series has already joined Squid Game and Stranger Things Season 4 as the only Netflix programs to reach 1 billion views. The series offers a fresh take for the current generation on the classic character, Wednesday, from the Addams family. Jenna Ortega stars as Wednesday and has been praised for her performance (and captivating dance moves that have likely flooded your timeline).
It’s not surprising that beauty enthusiasts have quickly taken inspiration from the titular character’s iconic look, with “Wednesday Addams Makeup” trending on TikTok and receiving over 99M video views so far. Even prior to the hit show’s release, there were signs that goth-inspired makeup looks were on the rise. For example, dark and gloomy make-up looks were seen on the runway in October.
Content mentioning “goth makeup”, “soft goth” and “Wednesday Addams makeup” across all platforms, comparing Jan 1 - Dec 17, 2022 vs Jan 1 - Dec 17, 2021
- +56% influencers
- +28% posts
- +305% engagements
- +1,150% video views
Amongst the top performing content was a TikTok video from beauty influencer Cat Quinn (@catquinn) where she reveals the exact product that was used for Jenna’s lip color in the show, as told to her by the show’s makeup artist Tara McDonald. The product, the MAC Cosmetics Lip Pencil in Nightmoth, quickly sold out on MAC and Ulta’s website in the US and UK just days after Cat’s post.
McDonald mentioned in an interview with ELLE Magazine that the goal with Jenna’s look was to “achieve a gothic flavour, as opposed to a full-fledged gothic makeup look. So keeping it edgy with a hint of glossy was the plan.”
This “soft goth” look adds a modern spin to the style and makes it adaptable, accessible, and easier to experiment with for a larger range of people.
Unless otherwise specified, all data analyzed to support the “Trends to Know” section was pulled from a sample of 55,139 influencers located primarily in the United States, Canada and Europe
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