Insights on Influence

Explore how Thailand, Taiwan, and South Korea successfully utilized celebrity-driven campaigns and video content to adapt and thrive in 2020’s challenging beauty market.

Despite the challenges of 2020, the beauty industry in APAC is rebounding, with a 45% increase in #Beauty content engagements from Q2 to Q3, driven by local influencers, product seeding, and user-generated content.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, known for its inclusive approach, is expanding into skincare with Fenty Skin, leveraging male beauty influencers to drive engagement and replicate its previous success, amidst a growing trend in male beauty and skincare.

Wearisma’s latest white paper, produced in partnership with CEW France, highlights the dynamic growth in the beauty industry and the pivotal role of influencers, showcasing how Indie beauty brands are reshaping market trends in France and offering valuable lessons for J-Beauty’s digital strategy.

While the global beauty industry shifts towards digital and independent brands, China’s market remains dominated by legacy brands like La Mer and Dior, with consumers favoring established names for their heritage and tech innovations. To compete, Chinese beauty brands must enhance their online presence and influencer marketing.

In 2018, Dior Makeup led as Japan’s most mentioned beauty brand with their gender-neutral products, while NARS followed with impactful influencer collaborations and events. Shiseido also made notable progress by integrating Japanese culture into their marketing with their “Gifting Japan to the World” collection.

In 2018, Sephora led beauty brand mentions in France, followed by NYX Cosmetics and L’Oréal, with their success attributed to long-term influencer partnerships, region-specific content, and thorough vetting processes.

In 2018, Mac led beauty brand mentions in the UK, followed by Charlotte Tilbury and Fenty Beauty, with their success driven by global influencer collaborations, strong personal branding, and a focus on inclusivity.

In 2018, Anastasia Beverly Hills led beauty brand mentions in the US, followed by Benefit Cosmetics and Tarte Cosmetics, with their success driven by strategic social media integration, significant investments in influencer experiences, and global influencer marketing campaigns.

The Asian beauty market, valued at over $149 billion, is heavily influenced by digital channels. From January to September 2017-2018, Japan saw a slight increase in engagement among influencers with 1 million+ followers, while South Korea experienced higher engagement with those under 20,000 followers. Brands should target micro-influencers in South Korea and top influencers in Japan for 2019.

In August, Weibo reported a 70 million user increase in Q2, reaching 431 million monthly active users, alongside a 68% rise in net revenues to $426.6 million, fueled by a 69% increase in advertising and marketing revenues, while Gartner’s L2 Digital IQ Index on Beauty prompted an analysis of beauty brand performance on Weibo for the month.

Our analysis of the UK Beauty Market reveals that micro and large influencers have higher engagement rates than mid-sized ones, with top influencers dominating but careful selection and timing being crucial for maximizing impact, especially in the saturated Q2 period.