What’s on the Creator Marketing Horizon? Key Trends from our ‘Personal Care 2025 State of Influence’ Report

While this is certainly the case, shifting consumer perspectives are changing ideas of what good looks like.

Brands within certain personal care categories are struggling to create long-lasting consumer connections due to shifting attitudes towards sustainability or a perceived lack of creative opportunities.

However, many forward-thinking personal care brands are leading the way with creator marketing initiatives that evoke emotion and offer deep personal value.

We’ve entered a new creator economy chapter – one built on creating authentic content that speaks to personal care consumers on a personal level instead of leaning on polished brand messaging.

Our insights show that in the personal care space, influential voices, through close-knit relationships with their communities, play a pivotal role in driving preferences. In many cases, these influential voices collectively reach far more target customers than brands can through their own channels.

If your personal care brand is looking to improve or expand its creator marketing strategy, now’s the time to strike.

Keep your finger firmly on the pulse with these needle-moving trends from our interactive ‘Personal Care 2025 State of Influence’ report.

The 4 essential trends currently shaping personal care marketing

From purpose-driven creator partnerships and the rising popularity of nano creators to immersive social media experiences and gamification, personal care marketing is evolving.

Uncover the trends currently shaping the personal care space and use them to your creative advantage.

1. Influential collaborations are becoming more purposeful

More personal care brands are partnering with creators who authentically reflect their values, placing social impact at the forefront of their campaigns. 

In 2024, Always’ #MenstrualPride campaign highlighted eco-friendly period care, collaborating with advocacy-driven creators, while Dove’s #SelfLoveChallenge championed natural beauty on TikTok. 

Looking ahead, brands are set to deepen their cause-driven initiatives, with a clear focus on supporting underrepresented communities and forging long-term advocacy partnerships.

2. Nano creators continue to gain momentum

Nano-creators (with 1K to 10K followers) have gained significant traction in recent times due to their highly engaged, niche audiences. 

In 2024, Aquaphor’s #RealSkinStories campaign spotlighted small skincare creators sharing personal experiences with eczema, while Batiste’s #FreshEverywhere initiative enlisted travel influencers to showcase the convenience of dry shampoo. 

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, brands will rely more on AI to identify hyper-relevant trends and discover ideal-fit creators, with a focus on co-creating authentic, community-driven content.

3. Social media campaigns are becoming more gamified

Interactive campaigns, from AR filters to viral challenges, are engaging younger audiences in personal care brand initiatives. 

In 2024, Clearasil’s Spot Zap Augmented Reality (AR) game allowed Instagram users to “zap” virtual pimples for prizes, while Batiste’s #QuickFreshChallenge turned dry shampoo styling into a timed TikTok trend. 

Looking ahead, brands are expected to further harness the power of AR, expanding its use for live product demos and increasingly immersive experiences. 

This shift towards gamification offers a way to engage with products in a way that mirrors in-person interactions, creating personal experiences that create a stronger connection between consumer and brand.

4. Live shopping and AR is now front and center

Social platforms are becoming fully-fledged shopping hubs, with in-app purchases and live commerce events driving sales. 

In 2024, Veet’s Live Shop featured TikTok creators demoing waxing kits while viewers purchased in real-time, while Batiste’s TikTok Shop enabled direct sales through product-tagged videos. 

We anticipate seeing more influencer-hosted live shopping streams and AR-powered try-before-you-buy experiences in the near future. These experiences offer real-time product demonstrations that create a real sense of urgency and exclusivity.

Read: Needle-shifting lessons from ‘The State of Influence 2025: Decoding what works

Spotlight: the personal care brands currently winning at creator marketing

Who are the most influential brands in personal care right now? Despite the industry’s challenges in building long-lasting consumer connections, these brands are leading the way with creator marketing initiatives that are helping to shape the future of personal care.

Dove

Socially-conscious health and body care brand Dove makes a consistent impact with its personal care-powered creator marketing initiatives. Dove’s authentic influencer content and status quo-challenging campaigns provide a refreshing take on traditional beauty standards, resonating with diverse demographics and earning a strong presence in industry rankings.

According to our unique platform insights, each of these leading personal care brands has generated the most *Earned Media Value (EMV), *Impressions, and *Engagement.

Neutrogena

Internationally-renowned cosmetics and skincare brand Neutrogena has earned a healthy level of Impressions and EMV with its mix of practical and value-led creator content.

The brand’s eclectic mix of solutions – from anti-ageing and blemish control to sun protection – cement Neutrogena’s prominence in the personal care space. Both paid and organic content strategically highlight skin transformations and visible improvements to reinforcing the brand’s impact and authoritative expertise.

Nivea 

Nivea leads the personal care pack in EMV ($372M) and Engagements (158M) across all subcategories and brands.

The leading skincare brand’s success is largely driven by its well-researched, reliable formulations. Content from influential voices consistently highlights natural, moisturized skin, highlighting Nivea’s commitment to holistic wellness and confidence, which extends to its partnerships and brand ambassador campaigns.

The personal care brand leaders according to category

According to our unique platform insights, there are standout brands in specific personal care categories. These brands are making a consistent impact with carefully-curated creator partnerships and authentic messaging that really resonates with their audience.

We’ve measured the influence of these brands according to metrics including earned media value (EMV)*, Engagement*, Vitality Grade*, Community Size*, Posting Frequency*, and Resonance*. 

You can delve deeper into these more granular insights by downloading the full interactive report. 

Who are the leading professional hair care brands?

Among the many established brands and rising names in the space, here are three of the most influential hair care brands right now:

1. Redken: Owned by the L’Oreal Group, Redken is the brainchild of 1960s screen star, Paula Kent. The brand elevates the value of its product with content that guides its consumers on how to improve their haircare regimes.
2. Pantene: Pantene is a hair care brand known for its accessible yet high quality products. Its innovative collaboration with TikTok creator Alix Earle retained the brand’s position as an influential leader in its field.
3. Head & Shoulders: This household hair care name maintains a consistently strong brand presence with a regular roster of high profile influencer partnerships that align with the Head & Shoulders mission.

Which lip care brands have risen in popularity?

The lip care space is as varied as it is competitive. While there are many rising names in this glossy branch of personal care, here are three of the brands that are especially popular:

1. Vaseline: This leading lip care brand has retained its popularity over the years with an eclectic range of products and an authentic mix of marketing communications, including its recent creator marketing campaign for Aloe Fresh.
2. Labello: As an increasingly popular lip care brand, Labello stays true to its roots with simple yet effective products designed for everyday use. Well-positioned creator partnerships and fresh, bold messaging set Labello apart from many of its key competitors.
3. Burt’s Bees: This beloved lip care brand is committed to providing natural products with long-lasting appeal. Burt’s Bees consistently leverages creator marketing to communicate its values and promote its products, maintaining a consistently positive presence in the space as a result.

Who are the top feminine care brands?

The feminine care space has seen some real influential creator marketing campaigns this year. Here are three of the brands currently leading the pack:

1. Tampax: As an early adopter of creator marketing in the feminine care space, Tampax is known for its body positive campaigns and partnerships with influential voices including a high profile collaboration with Amy Schumer.
2. Kotex: This top feminine care brand has been an industry innovator for over a century and has evolved with the times to maintain its popularity. The brand frequently works with influential voices. Its most recent partnership with K-Pop sensation Ning Yizhuo is currently making waves in the APAC market.
3. Always: As a brand that’s championed women’s confidence for over 35 years, Always forges deep connections with its audience with supportive messaging from a range of authentic voices. Its recent ‘Like a Girl’ campaign reaffirmed its position as a feminine care brand leader.

Read: Paid vs organic influencer marketing strategy: which is best for your brand?

Download the full interactive report and keep your finger on the pulse

The personal care space is evolving. Now more than ever, forming meaningful creator partnerships based on shared values and leading with authenticity over polished brand content will resonate with your audience. Are you ready for the change?

Engage with all of our personal care insights across categories and keep your finger firmly on the personal care pulse by downloading our interactive ‘Personal Care 2025 State of Influence’ report.

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Glossary of terms*

Earned Media Value (EMV)

Our proprietary assessment of the potential investment required for an advertiser to generate equivalent impact. EMV is calculated based on the average rate card or market cost per performance metric of an influential source with certain levels of following, reach and engagement across platforms (similar to how Media Value is calculated for print advertising). It is dynamically adjusted based on industry averages and weighted dependent on factors such as platform, types of engagement, industry, seasonality etc.

Impressions

The total number of times influencer content about a brand has been seen by users.

Engagement

A combination of the ways an audience can interact with influencer content about a brand across different social media platforms. This includes likes, comments, replies, tap backs, tap forwards, profile visits, reactions, video views, retweets, collects, dependent on the platform.

Virality Grade

The extent to which influencer content about a brand spreads beyond their immediate audience, measured as the ratio of total reach to influencer following. Virality grades range from A-E.

Community Size

The total number of influencers who post about a brand at least once within a given month.

Posting Frequency

The average number of content influencers post about a brand determined by the total brand mentions relative to the community size.

Resonance

The percentage of unique users interacting with influencer content about a brand compared to the total number of users viewing it.