Why L’Oréal Paris, Nyx and MAC are dominating TikTok beauty

A recent report ranking the top 100 beauty brands on TikTok in the UK and Europe shows that success on the platform not only hinges on posting more content, but on how strongly audiences respond to it. Makeup and skin care content are ranking higher than fragrance, but outlier brands suggest the category has growth potential. 

The Kolsquare report analyzes the performance of TikTok posts in Q4 of 2025, using data from the company’s own platform to track influencer posts mentioning beauty brands. In total, 247,173 TikTok posts were analyzed from October to December last year.

The influencer marketing company uses Earned Media Value (EMV) to determine the top 100 rankings. The metric assigns a monetary value to the audience engagement a brand receives from influencers’ TikTok posts, such as likes, comments, and shares. EMV helps estimate how much a post’s organic visibility would be worth if it were paid for.

According to the report, brands Nyx and L’Oréal Paris lead the top 100 rankings in the UK and Europe, respectively. The companies collaborate with large numbers of influencers and generate thousands of posts, which drives a high EMV for them.

However, according to the report, brands such as MAC, Ghd, and Batiste show that fewer posts can still deliver strong results when engagement rates are higher.

Kolsquare’s findings suggest that while a beauty brand’s content volume increases its visibility on TikTok, the audience’s interaction with posts ultimately determines how effective that visibility is, making trend-aligned content an increasingly strategic marketing play.

UK leaders

In the UK ranking for Q4 2025, Nyx Cosmetics holds first place with £10.7 million (US$14.2 million) in EMV. The brand had 2,322 influencer posts about it, and recorded an engagement rate of 3.1%. 

Engagement rate refers to the percentage of audience interactions with a post, such as through likes, comments, and shares, relative to the post’s total views or reach. It measures how actively audiences respond to content, rather than just viewing it.

Makeup remains the strongest-performing category on TikTok, driven by tutorial, review, and trend-based content.Compared to the same period in 2024, MAC Cosmetics climbed five spots to second place. The makeup brand recorded £7.6 million (US$10 million) in EMV, from 1,193 influencer posts.

Notably, the report shows that MAC had an 8.3% engagement rate, which is double Nyx’s in first place. The figure shows that although MAC had roughly half as many posts as Nyx, audiences interacted more with MAC posts than with Nyx posts.

Huda Beauty, in third place, generated £7.4 million (US$9.9 million) in EMV, from 2,263 posts, with a 3.5% engagement rate.

Further down the UK top 10, several brands have shown upward movement. Rimmel London, for example, climbed 23 places to sixth with £6.7 million (US$9 million) in EMV. Meanwhile, Makeup Revolution jumped 41 places, ranking seventh with £6.4 million (US$8.6 million) and a 5.2% engagement rate.

On a year-over-year basis, Sephora also climbed 24 places to tenth. The retailer generated £4.9 million (US$6.5 million) in EMV with a 5.8% engagement rate.

The shifts in ranking indicate how momentum for a beauty brand on TikTok can change within a year. This aligns with previous insights from Spate, which found that viral beauty brands rise fast but, without the right strategy after achieving online fame, they fade faster.

The Kolsquare report further shows that the dry shampoo brand Batiste ranked 50th. Notably, it generated £1.3 million (US$1.7 million) in EMV from only 35 posts and recorded an 18.1% engagement rate. The figure marks the highest engagement rate in the ranking and far exceeds most brands’ rates, which generally sit below 10%.

Makeup and skin tower scent

The top three brands from the overall UK charts are also leading the makeup segment. Nyx led, with MAC and Huda Beauty as respective runner-ups.

The report shows that makeup brands’ online visibility is largely driven by influencers rather than traditional brand advertising. Makeup brands are performing strongly on TikTok because influencers are actively creating content about them, including tutorials, reviews, trends, and “get ready with me” videos.

In the skin care category, Garnier claimed the first place with £6.8 million (US$9 million) in EMV. It had 1,378 influencer posts and a 2.5% engagement rate.

Influencer-led content is playing an increasingly important role in beauty consumers’ purchasing decisions.Sephora ranked second, and Space NK ranked third with £4 million (US$5.4 million) in EMV. The presence of these retailers in the skin care top three highlights TikTok’s growing role as a discovery platform rather than just an educational or entertainment platform.

Furthermore, in hair care, Garnier again leads, followed by Ghd with £2.3 million (US$3 million). Compared to Garnier’s 2.5% engagement rate, Ghd’s was higher (8%) despite its lower EMV ranking. Batiste appears again, with its 18.1% engagement rate, ranking 5th in hair care.

In fragrances, Armani Beauty leads with an EMV of £3 million (US$3.9 million), followed by Estée Lauder with £474,030 (US$630,354), and Rabanne with £449,274 (US$597,434).

Fragrance brands’ much lower EMV levels compared to makeup or skin care indicate that the category still has a smaller footprint on TikTok. However, engagement rates like Guerlain’s 9.5% suggest growing potential for fragrance companies exploring influencer marketing strategies.

In recent months, fragrance trends have gained increased attention on social media. “Smell maxxing,” for example, is gaining interest among younger beauty consumers, who are layering products and formats to personalize and prolong the scent profile.

Continental reign

At the European level, L’Oréal Paris ranks first with €79.7 million (US$92,5 million) in EMV. The French beauty brand appeared in 8,441 influencer posts and recorded a 3.8% engagement rate.

Huda Beauty follows in second place, with €66.3 million (US$76.8 million) from 9,413 posts. Meanwhile, YSL Beauty ranks third with €52.9 million (US$61.3 million).

According to the report, engagement rates across the European top ten beauty brands are generally between 3% and 7%. MAC Cosmetics reached 7% and Sephora France reached 6.4%. Some mid-tier ranking brands, however, were outliers on engagement, such as Erborian at 9.3% and KIKO Milano at 8.4%.