Cosmetify spotlights “hottest” beauty brands, rising stars and top influencers

02 May 2024 --- Beauty shopping comparison engine Cosmetify releases its annual report on the industry’s “hottest beauty brands” based on their social following, engagement and number of Google searches in 2023. 

In addition to highlighting the most popular beauty brands, the report delves into data surrounding influencers and retailers to identify which brands have risen in the last twelve months and which are the most popular globally.

“This year’s report highlights Rare Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury and Kiko Milano as leaders in the beauty sphere,” comments Carly Cochrane, beauty expert at Cosmetify.

Bath & Body Works emerges as the most searched-for brand, while Huda Beauty dominates Instagram with the most followers and posts.

“The report also highlights the rising brands, such as Bubble Skincare and Byoma, showing significant shifts in consumer interest toward skin care and brand inclusivity,” adds Cochrane.

Rare Beauty leads top three “hottest” brands
This year, Rare Beauty, the makeup and cosmetics brand owned by Selena Gomez, leads Cosmetify’s top three “hottest” brands with a score of 7.81 out of 10. The brand had over 17 million Google searches in 2023 and has a solid social media presence, with seven million Instagram followers and a 0.51% engagement rate.

Charlotte Tilbury follows, with over 23 million searches and almost 6.5 million followers on Instagram. Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury started the brand in 2013, and it has ascended to “cult status” within the beauty industry, known for its high-quality products that combine the allure of old Hollywood with modern sensibilities and technology.

In third place, Kiko Milano appears in more Instagram posts than the top two (2 million) but is slightly behind in terms of searches and followers. The Italian brand has carved out a significant niche in the global beauty market. It emphasizes inclusivity and diversity, catering to various skin tones, types and personal styles.

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty leads the top three brands with the highest engagement, according to Cosmetify (Image credit: Rare Beauty).Most searched and followed
The most searched brand in the last year was Oh K!, with 73.4 million searches worldwide. “The brand epitomizes the innovation, quality and fun that K-beauty is known for,” highlights Cosmetify.

Huda Beauty is the brand currently leading on Instagram, having over twice as many followers as any other brand. It was founded in 2013 by Huda Kattan, who started her career as a beauty blogger in 2010.

Among brands “on the rise” in 2024, Bubble Skincare leads the way with a 2,872% increase in searches, rising from 131,700 to 3.9 million. Bubble Skincare has been popular on TikTok in the last year, with over 16 million likes. The US-based brand is aimed at Gen Z customers and has been dubbed a “Drunk Elephant dupe.”

Byoma follows closely, with searches rising from 295,400 to 3.9 million, a 1,209% increase. This brand focuses on products designed to be gentler on the skin barrier, with fewer harmful ingredients. Similarly to Bubble, it rose to popularity through TikTok engagement.

While its overall searches are lower, another brand that has seen a considerable increase is Qure Skincare, with searches going up by 569%, from 11,080 to 77,100, as Cosmetify highlights. Qure offers LED skin care masks for acne, wrinkles and more. Light therapy has taken off in the last few years, and brands like Qure are bringing it from celebrity Instagram feeds to the home.

Favorite beauty brands by country
Looking at the most searched beauty brands globally, Bath & Body Works was the top “most favored” brand in 12 countries, including Finland, The Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus and the US. “Its popularity stretches across the globe, including countries in North America, the Middle East and parts of Asia and the Caribbean,” highlights Cosmetify.

However, other brands are more regionalized. For instance, Rituals, known for its home scents and body cosmetics, is highly popular across its home market in Europe, particularly in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

Korea’s Oh K! is the most searched-for brand in various countries, including Spain, Denmark and Israel. “This indicates the global influence of K-beauty and its innovative, trend-setting products,” notes Cosmetify.

“There are also examples of countries being loyal to their local brands. For instance, Kiko Milano is most prevalent in Italy and neighboring countries, as is Charlotte Tilbury in the UK and Ireland. Innisfree is another example in South Korea.”

Top beauty retailers
Sephora leads in beauty retailers with an overall score of 7.64 out of 10, boasting the highest organic search traffic at 16,100,000 and an Instagram following of 22.1 million, Cosmetify reveals. Despite having a low engagement rate of 0.02%, the retailer appears in over 10 million Instagram posts, more than any other retailer. 

Beauty Bay follows with a score of 7.21, showcasing a balanced performance with 909,100 in organic search traffic and an Instagram engagement rate of 0.10%, higher than Sephora’s, on a follower base of 1.9 million. Beauty Bay is a UK-based online retailer known for offering various cosmetics and beauty products. 

Ulta Beauty and Nykaa share third place, each scoring 7.06. The US-based Ulta Beauty has a strong organic search presence with 10.3 million hits and a significant Instagram following of 7.2 million. India’s e-commerce platform Nykaa has lower search traffic, fewer followers and a slightly better engagement rate of 0.03%. 

Nikkie de Jager (NikkieTutorials) was named a top beauty influencer next to Bretman Rock and James Charles (Image credit: NikkieTutorials).Top beauty influencers
When it comes to influencers, Nikkie de Jager leads with a combined following of 42.7 million across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and the highest estimated combined earnings per post at £49,000 (US$61,000). She is a Dutch makeup artist and beauty vlogger popularly known for her YouTube channel, NikkieTutorials. She gained fame with her YouTube channel, sharing makeup tutorials, beauty tips and personal vlogs.

Following closely is Bretman Rock, with a slightly higher combined following of 43.93 million but lower estimated earnings per post at £42,800 (US$53,500). This is because estimated earnings are influenced by engagement rates, not just follower counts. Bretman Rock is a Filipino-American social media personality, beauty influencer, and content creator known for his vibrant personality, humorous videos and makeup tutorials.

Cosmetify highlights James Charles in third place, with the highest combined following of over 83 million. His estimated earnings of £42,500 (US$49,700) across the three platforms. Born James Charles Dickinson, he is a prominent figure in the beauty and digital content creation industry and rose to fame for his work as a makeup artist and beauty YouTuber.

By Benjamin Ferrer