As individuals who already have the expertise in creating a long-lasting connection with an audience, building credibility, and creating engaging content, influencers are ideal founders for beauty brands. But, in an already saturated market, how do these creators stand out?
Brands like Babba Rivera’s Ceremonia or Matilda Djerf’s Djerf Avenue Beauty harness their founder’s personal style to offer an audience they already understand unique beauty products. Brands like Saie Beauty by Laney Crowell, which has achieved annual earnings of $100 million, continue to expand their reach by combining clean formulations with sleek branding and a strong social media presence.
In this article, we will cover 10 influencer founded beauty brands that are disrupting the market, as well as what makes these brands stand out today, and what to expect from 3 up-and-coming brands you’ll want to be aware of.
A survey done by Statista showcased how 74% of Gen Zers were found to be driven by influencers when purchasing beauty products. As trend setters, influencers have an impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions because they can leverage their credibility, authenticity, and ability to build and connect with a loyal audience.
If executed correctly, these trustworthy influencers who turn into brand founders can achieve massive success by transferring their already popular and curated online presence to their own brand. Launched only 3 years ago, Hailey Bieber’s beauty and skincare brand Rhode generates an annual revenue of $200 million, according to reuters.com.
Explore our curated list of the top 20 US Amazon fashion influencers, featuring creators like Hailey who blend style, authenticity, and high engagement to shape today's fashion trends on Instagram.
Djerf Avenue Beauty is an extension of Matilda Djerf's clothing and lifestyle brand, focusing on hair care products designed to achieve her signature voluminous hairstyles.
Founded: 2024
Founder: Lifestyle and fashion influencer Matilda Djerf
Highlight: Effortless, everyday haircare for Matilda’s iconic Scandinavian style.
Best Selling Products:
Breezy Styling Mist: A multi-use spray that adds volume, hold, and heat protection, ideal for creating bouncy blowouts.
On the Go Styling Gel: A versatile styling product perfect for achieving sleek, slicked-back buns and taming flyaways.
Simihaze Beauty, launched in 2021, is the brainchild of twin sisters and DJs Simi and Haze Khadra. The brand reflects their eclectic style, offering innovative and multifunctional beauty products that bridge the gap between artistry and everyday wear.
Founded: 2021
Founders: Models, DJs, and beauty influencers Simi and Haze Khadra
Highlight: Bridging high fashion, music, and beauty with futuristic, functional products.
Best Selling Products:
Velvet Blur Matte Lip Balm: A comfortable, buildable matte lip color that provides a blurred, soft-focus effect.
Sun Flush All-Over Face Tint: A versatile, blendable tint that adds a natural flush of color to the eyes, lips, and cheeks.
Founded in 2020 by Babba Rivera, Ceremonia is a clean haircare brand inspired by Latinx heritage. The brand emphasizes sustainability and natural ingredients, aiming to celebrate the richness of Latin culture through modern rituals.
Founded: 2020
Founder: Lifestyle influencer and Entrepreneur Babba Rivera
Highlight: Latinx heritage meets modern, clean haircare.
Best Selling Products:
Aceite de Moska: A heritage scalp remedy oil formulated with a blend of Latin American oils to nourish the scalp and promote healthy hair growth.
Guava Leave-In Conditioner: A lightweight, nutrient-rich conditioner that detangles, protects against heat, and enhances shine.
Launched in 2023 by renowned aesthetician and micro influencer Sofie Pavitt, Sofie Pavitt Face focuses on science-backed skincare solutions targeting problematic skin. The brand aims to make professional-grade skincare accessible for at-home use.
Founded: 2023
Founder: Skincare influencer Sofie Pavitt
Highlight: Professional-grade skincare simplified for everyday use.
Best Selling Products:
Mandelic Clearing Serum: An exfoliating serum designed to unclog pores, reduce acne, and brighten skin tone.
Nice Ice Toner Pods: Innovative frozen toner pods that help calm inflammation, reduce redness, and tighten pores.
Explore our curated list of the top 10 best skincare influencer affiliate programs and find out how brands like ULTA Beauty and Clinique are already working with creators like you.
Founded by beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira, POV Beauty aims to deliver high-quality, inclusive makeup products that cater to a diverse audience. The brand emphasizes authenticity and community engagement.
Founded: 2024
Founder: Makeup influencer Mikayla Nogueira
Highlight: Authentic, inclusive makeup inspired by real beauty lovers.
Best Selling Products:
Precision Eye Palette: A curated eyeshadow palette featuring a mix of matte and shimmer shades suitable for creating both everyday and bold looks.
Lip Perfection Kit: A set including a lip liner and matching lipstick designed for long-lasting wear and a flawless finish.
Like Mikayla, dive further into the makeup world and explore the top 10 makeup influencer affiliate programs and discover new opportunities with leading brands, accessing features, commission rates, how to join, and much more.
Refy Beauty, established in 2020 by Jenna Meek, focuses on redefining beauty standards with minimalist, innovative products. The brand is known for its sleek packaging and emphasis on enhancing natural features.
Founded: 2020
Founder: Beauty influencer Jenna Meek
Highlight: Minimalist innovation that enhances natural beauty.
Best Selling Products:
Brow Sculpt: A versatile brow product that sculpts, sets, and defines brows for a long-lasting, laminated effect.
Cream Bronzer: A buildable, blendable bronzer that provides a natural, sun-kissed glow.
Launched in 2018 by influencers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland, Summer Fridays offers clean, effective skincare products designed for busy individuals seeking a healthy glow. The brand emphasizes simplicity and efficacy.
Founded: 2018
Founders: Lifestyle and Wellness influencers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland
Highlight: Skincare solutions for life in motion. Simple, effective, and clean.
Best Selling Products:
Jet Lag Mask: A hydrating cream face mask that soothes and revitalizes tired, stressed skin.
Lip Butter Balm: A silky, 100% vegan lip balm that hydrates and soothes parched lips.
Founded in 2022 by Hailey Bieber, Rhode focuses on providing affordable, luxurious skincare products with an emphasis on nourishing the skin barrier. The brand promotes a minimalist approach to skincare.
Founded: 2022
Founder: Model and Lifestyle influencer Hailey Bieber
Highlight: Affordable luxury skincare focused on barrier health.
Best Selling Products:
Peptide Glazing Fluid: A lightweight, hydrating serum that imparts a dewy glow and supports skin barrier function.
Barrier Restore Cream: A rich moisturizer formulated to replenish and strengthen the skin barrier, leaving skin soft and supple.
Established in 2019 by Laney Crowell, Saie Beauty is committed to creating clean, sustainable makeup products that don't compromise on performance. The brand focuses on eco-friendly packaging and transparent ingredient lists.
Founded: 2019
Founder: Beauty and Wellness influencer Laney Crowell
Highlight: Clean makeup without compromise.
Best Selling Products:
Slip Tint: An award-winning tinted moisturizer with SPF 35 that provides light coverage and a dewy finish.
Dew Blush: A liquid cheek flush that delivers a natural-looking, lit-from-within glow.
Founded in 2014 by Emily Weiss, Glossier has revolutionized the beauty industry with its direct-to-consumer model and emphasis on skin-first, minimalist beauty. The brand fosters a strong community and focuses on products that enhance natural beauty.
Founded: 2014
Founder: Beauty entrepreneur Emily Weiss
Highlight: Skin-first, community-powered beauty
Best Selling Products:
Boy Brow: An all-in-one brow fluffer, filler, and shaper that delivers flexible hold and a natural finish.
Milky Jelly Cleanser: A gentle, pH-balanced cleanser that removes makeup and impurities without stripping the skin.
Explore our Glossier affiliate program in-depth review and start earning while working with beauty enthusiasts’ favorite brands.
When an influencer builds a brand, their existing audiences expect a level of correlation between the online persona they follow and their new venture. By communicating with a similar level of authenticity from their profile and brand, influencers can make a business feel trustworthy and close, instead of purely transactional.
A great example of this is Huda Kattan, a makeup artist and beauty influencer who turned her passion for cosmetics into her globally recognized beauty brand Huda Beauty.
Before launching her brand, Huda was already known for her honest product reviews, makeup tutorials, and deep love for beauty.
That consistency between what she loves, what she shares online, and what she sells is what made her brand not only authentic but incredibly successful.
By doing this, Huda ensures both existing and new audiences visualize her beauty brand as a natural addition to who she is as a creator and not only as another revenue source.
Learn more about how creators like Huda are breaking into the beauty niche and explore our top 10 beauty influencer affiliate programs.
Over the past year, beauty brands have leaned heavily on creative strategies beyond traditional advertisement for standing out to consumers in a saturated market.
Oversized and sensory marketing have been two of the most popular resources for delivering a multi-sensory brand experience and awakening an emotional response from consumers.
Let’s take a look at some examples of oversized and sensory marketing:
Oversized marketing relies on large-scale marketing strategies like giant replicas of a product. These exaggerated campaigns aim to grab consumers attention, generate buzz, and become memorable.
Sensory marketing aims to submerge consumers into sensory experiences on and off screen. This allows brands to evoke emotional consumer responses and influence purchasing decisions.
It’s not only about what someone can see anymore, but what they can feel, taste, or smell as well. This could mean integrating tasteful food into campaigns or creating experiences like interactive pop ups.
Macro influencer Sarah Cheung turned her skincare obsession into a brand with SACHEU Beauty. Known for its eye-catching metal facial tools and barrier-friendly formulas, the brand skyrocketed in popularity thanks to viral hits like their peeloff lip liner Stay-N.
SACHEU focuses on enhancement and contouring products, leveraging social media platforms for direct consumer engagement, resonating with a digital-savvy audience that values an aesthetic appeal.
Launched in October 2023, Cyklar is a genderless, vegan, and cruelty-free body care brand. Its debut product, the Body Cream, features natural ingredients like banana flower extract, niacinamide, and prickly pear.
Claudia's vision is to redefine personal care by shortening waste in daily routines by offering products in recyclable glass packaging
Inspired by the tulip fields of the Netherlands, Kim brings botanical-powered skincare to the forefront of Bloomeffects using upcycled tulip petals.
Her story of combining heritage, science, and sustainability resonates with skincare lovers who want their products to be as effective and clean as possible.
With a growing online audience, Kim's credibility comes from both her behind-the-scenes industry knowledge, from her own family’s flower business, and her personal connection to the brand's key ingredient.
Influencer founded beauty brands continue to expand and reshape the industry by merging innovative marketing strategies with their creator’s tone and style. With built-in audiences, founders like Sofie Pavitt bring a unique ability to create products that resonate on a personal level.
This influencer founded brand model allows creators complete creative control to deliver a more authentic experience to consumers that stays consistent with their brand identity and has an impact on their purchasing decisions. As consumer demand for transparency and relatability grows, influencer-led brands are set to lead the future of beauty.