Influencers drive turnover in the cosmetics industry

This article was last updated on May 6, 2024

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Influencers drive turnover in the cosmetics industry

Social media increasingly influences the purchase of make-up, perfumes and personal care products, says the Dutch Cosmetics Association (NCV). For example, young consumers are now willing to buy fragrances recommended by influencers without first smelling them themselves. Even more remarkable: children also sometimes buy expensive creams.

The Dutch spent more than 3 billion euros on personal care products in 2023, about 167 euros per person. Turnover in the cosmetics sector increased by 9.5 percent compared to a year earlier – partly due to price increases.

According to the trade association, consumers are less likely to stick with trusted brands. Instead, people are increasingly looking at reviews of beauty products on platforms such as TikTok. Cosmetic companies are making clever use of this by labeling their products as “seen on TikTok”.

Someone who can talk about this trend is beauty influencer An Knook. Ten years ago she started making make-up videos on YouTube and Instagram and now has millions of followers. “When I used to work at Douglas, many people always bought their familiar scent, but now you increasingly see that people are willing to try something new if it gets good reviews on social media,” says Knook.

Her target group consists mainly of women between 20 and 50 years old, but she also sees that very young people are increasingly influenced by what happens on social media. “My niece is 12 and she really wants everything she sees on TikTok, skin products in particular are very popular among that target group.”

Knook calls this worrying: “Apart from the fact that children do not need such products, there are products that make your skin layer thinner. But she doesn’t know that and just puts everything on her face.”

Monica van Ee is chairman of the NCV and sees the same thing happening: “It sometimes concerns children from 10 to 12 years old, who then pay for creams of more than 100 euros. Their young skin does not need that at all. Where are their parents? Then, I wonder.” According to Van Ee, this is not the target group that the cosmetics world focuses on.

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‘Absolutely not surprised’

Social media expert Leonie Hulstein of TikTok agency Prappers says she is “absolutely not surprised” that platforms such as TikTok are playing an increasingly important role in young people’s purchasing decisions. “The cosmetics industry has the strongest presence on social media of all industries, so it is logical that a young target group is reached.”

According to her, the cosmetics industry spends a lot of money to promote itself through social media and should therefore bear more responsibility: “It is too easy to only point the finger at parents.” She says the industry itself must ensure that products are safe and that young users understand the risks of using them.

Skin problems

Dermatologists see a strong increase in young people with skin problems caused by certain perfumes and substances in cosmetics, which are often promoted on social media.

“As a trade association, we find it difficult to get a grip on this. We cannot specifically instruct our members what they should pay attention to with their advertising,” says Van Ee. According to her, it is ultimately the responsibility of the brands to determine how they advertise.

Hulstein says that a possible solution could be that cosmetics influencers should no longer be used for (too) young target groups. This could be done by requiring influencers to provide statistics on the age distribution of their followers.

Beauty influencer Knook also thinks this is a good idea. “Of course, parents are also responsible, but it could be a good option to include a warning or an age limit on certain products.”