06.08.22
With TikTok's user base up 87% since the pandemic, the phrase “TikTok made me buy it” has become a new cultural idiom, and nowhere is that phrase more commonly heard than in the beauty space. That's why influencer marketing agency Ubiquitous has combed through the app to find the top beauty items and brands of the last four years.
Ubiquitous began their search by looking at all viral items on TikTok. Of the over one hundred viral items Ubiquitous analyzed, Ubiquitous found that 46% were beauty items, and a further 36% were fashion or clothing items, while a mere 18% were miscellaneous.
The Top 10 Beauty Brands ranked by number of videos on TikTok are:
See more info in the table above.
The company’s 2022 index of TikTok trends revealed that the average price of a trending product on the platform increased 1,240% — from just $10 in 2019 to $134 in 2021 – led by a massive increase in interest in high-end beauty products such as the Dyson Airwrap ($550) and NuFace ($366.81) which have both achieved viral status on the app in 2021 and 2022.
The research also found that it often takes only days for a video to cause an increase in searches for a brand or item by upwards of 400%.
As an example, searches for glitter spray saw a massive rise with a spike beginning on the 26th of October 2021, just one day after a video featuring the spray began to trend on the platform— now with over two million likes at present. Searches for Claire's also rose by 400% in October of 2021 as a result of the video.
The low-cost spray has since been featured in an incredible 121,000,000 videos on the platform, as more and more brands have started to catch on to the impact of TikTok on consumers.
On March 28 of the same year, KVD Beauty saw a 140% rise on Google Trends, with a 70% rise in searches for Sephora, and a 600% rise in searches for foundation a mere four days after a video from popular creator Becca Lee Beauty showcasing the foundation blew up on the platform with over 400k likes and millions of views.
Since Becca’s video, the $40 foundation has been featured on TikTok 712,800 times, with searches for the foundation sky-rocketing.
73% of people also revealed that they feel a deeper connection to brands when they interact on TikTok compared to other apps, 78% believe that the best brands on TikTok are the ones who work with users, and a massive 67% admitted that TikTok influenced them into buying something even when they weren’t looking to do so.
Anna Siler, Director of Campaign Strategy at Ubiquitous said: “TikTok's ecosystem that is rooted in authenticity has proven to be the tool marketers have needed in order to replicate the engagement and retention rates of word-of-mouth marketing. Seeing your favorite creator recommend a product or service has the same effect as a recommendation from a friend.”
“This not only drives immediate sales, but creates dedicated brand ambassadors for your company, a conversion that marketers haven't been able to effectively control until now.”
Ubiquitous began their search by looking at all viral items on TikTok. Of the over one hundred viral items Ubiquitous analyzed, Ubiquitous found that 46% were beauty items, and a further 36% were fashion or clothing items, while a mere 18% were miscellaneous.
The Top 10 Beauty Brands ranked by number of videos on TikTok are:
- Dyson
- Cerave
- The Ordinary
- Olaplex
- La Roche-Posay
- Paula’s Choice
- Claires
- Glow Recipe
- Dior
- First Aid Beauty
See more info in the table above.
Other Findings from the Research
As part of their research, Ubiquitous also found that one video can cause searches for a product or company to increase by upwards of 400%.The company’s 2022 index of TikTok trends revealed that the average price of a trending product on the platform increased 1,240% — from just $10 in 2019 to $134 in 2021 – led by a massive increase in interest in high-end beauty products such as the Dyson Airwrap ($550) and NuFace ($366.81) which have both achieved viral status on the app in 2021 and 2022.
The research also found that it often takes only days for a video to cause an increase in searches for a brand or item by upwards of 400%.
As an example, searches for glitter spray saw a massive rise with a spike beginning on the 26th of October 2021, just one day after a video featuring the spray began to trend on the platform— now with over two million likes at present. Searches for Claire's also rose by 400% in October of 2021 as a result of the video.
The low-cost spray has since been featured in an incredible 121,000,000 videos on the platform, as more and more brands have started to catch on to the impact of TikTok on consumers.
On March 28 of the same year, KVD Beauty saw a 140% rise on Google Trends, with a 70% rise in searches for Sephora, and a 600% rise in searches for foundation a mere four days after a video from popular creator Becca Lee Beauty showcasing the foundation blew up on the platform with over 400k likes and millions of views.
Since Becca’s video, the $40 foundation has been featured on TikTok 712,800 times, with searches for the foundation sky-rocketing.
The Impact of TikTok
These were far from the only examples. Many companies have already begun to spot the impact of TikTok, with 14% of marketers planning to up their spending on the app in 2022. Consumers are noticing too, with 76% of TikTok users agreeing that they like seeing real looking people in advertisements, 72.9% agreeing that they like when companies have a moral message, 66.9% admitting that they love recommending things for people to buy, and 65.8% more likely to buy from brands who express views they agree with.73% of people also revealed that they feel a deeper connection to brands when they interact on TikTok compared to other apps, 78% believe that the best brands on TikTok are the ones who work with users, and a massive 67% admitted that TikTok influenced them into buying something even when they weren’t looking to do so.
Anna Siler, Director of Campaign Strategy at Ubiquitous said: “TikTok's ecosystem that is rooted in authenticity has proven to be the tool marketers have needed in order to replicate the engagement and retention rates of word-of-mouth marketing. Seeing your favorite creator recommend a product or service has the same effect as a recommendation from a friend.”
“This not only drives immediate sales, but creates dedicated brand ambassadors for your company, a conversion that marketers haven't been able to effectively control until now.”