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Navigating the world of beauty on TikTok can be difficult: new looks, subcultures, and lifestyles often fade as fast as their rise to the top. But it is undeniable that some trends manage to transcend their status as niche internet communities and permeate the world beyond the platform. In an exclusive report for Beauty News, Social Standards spotlights the constantly evolving and increasingly esoteric landscape of what is broadly referred to as Internet Aesthetics (trending looks) and provides backgrounds on what each look stands for and how they could further break into the mainstream. As a testament to their wide range of influences, these looks (Old Money, Grunge, Clean Girl, Kawaii, and Soft Glam to name a few) all embody wildly different appearances which are seeing impressive growth not only on TikTok, but on Instagram as well.

The Old Money aesthetic, for example, is more subdued, and seeks to portray generational wealth through muted colors and subtle makeup, while the Clean Girl aesthetic centers around effortless beauty – characterized by brightly blushed skin. The Grunge aesthetic is interpreted as opposite to both Clean Girl and Old Money, as she embraces an edgier look emphasizing darker, bolder colors reminiscent of 1990’s alternative rock. The Kawaii aesthetic is similar insofar as its cultural influences are more immediately obvious, but its own related looks are quite different, drawing heavily on Japanese pop culture. The Soft Glam aesthetic centers more around a specific cosmetic look, relying heavily on blending to remove hard lines.

All of these disparate appearances have seen considerable growth on TikTok but determining which will stick and translate best to Instagram is yet to be seen, as crucial as they may be for predicting consumer needs.

To read about the different Internet Aesthetics trending on TikTok be sure to check out Social Standards’ Thought Leadership: TikTok Aesthetics Report exclusively for CEW Members.

In today’s chaotic landscape, it seems that beauty, despite its ever-changing nature, offers consumers a sense of stability, self-care, and control.  Whether quarantining at home, exploring skin care actives, or prepping for a post-vax “hot girl summer” wearing graphic eyeliner, beauty trends have become an accessible hobby to distract one from the constant looming of uncertainty.

2023 won’t be any different.  Following a year riddled with persistent news of an economic recession, beauty searches fell off early in the summer.  Since then, beauty interest has continued to waver as experts across the industry have held their breath hoping consumer confidence returns.  Despite this precarious landscape, many trends have gained traction, with success pointing to significant opportunities for brands in the months ahead.

“Spurred by an endless cycle of viral TikToks and product launches, in 2023 consumers will continue to show interest in new sunscreen formats, skin barrier repair, innovative hair bonding tech, and creamy, blendable color complexion products.  An overview of top trends demonstrates that consumers are also prioritizing hair and skin health.  After all, liquid blush or cream contour looks much better applied over a healthy skin barrier, and Velcro rollers work best on hydrated tresses,” said Spate co-founder, Yarden Horwitz.

“The reappearance of certain trends from our 2022 Trends Report, such as SPF tinted moisturizer, scalp serum, and cat eye lashes, reminds us that no matter how rapid today’s trend cycle is, there are still trends with staying power.  These trends are becoming a must-have for today’s beauty consumer.  Brands have the opportunity to not only innovate, but also to double down on the products that they know are successful with their customers.”

Use Spate’s 2023 Trends Report to understand the nuances of this year’s consumer, to plan newness strategically, or to reposition existing products and points of difference that were previously overlooked.  Brands that can adapt and offer high-quality products to align with consumer interests will be well-positioned for success in the coming year.

The beauty floor at Macy’s is an enduring staple within the retail landscape, long known for its specialty sections like fragrance and luxury beauty brands. Nicolette Bosco, VP and Divisional Business Manager, Beauty, Macy’s, tells Beauty News what consumers are gravitating towards — and what’s keeping counters busy and buzzing.

As told to Kavita Daswani

Macy’s is a beauty destination, and our focus has always been to respond to what the consumer loves and to evolve our product assortment accordingly.  While we’re an authority on fragrance, we also go after clean beauty and new buzzy brands. We’re seeing hair as a strong category across the board, throughout the beauty industry, and on social channels.  With our breadth of brands, we have a sweet spot for everyone.

When we look at products to add to our assortment, we consider everything — market trends, data, and analytics from our forecasting teams.  Social takes a huge part in that.  We’re constantly watching Instagram, Facebook, and obviously TikTok so we can truly understand what the consumer wants.  We have shoppers who come in showing a TikTok video on a berry lip and asking our Beauty Advisors to help them create that look. We see that a lot — consumers bringing in videos and wanting to know how to replicate a trend.

We launched a clean beauty pillar a year ago that’s not just about clean ingredients but also vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainably made products. And we are known for our wide range of luxury brands; women continue to respond to that idea of pulling out a fancy lipstick. I try 99.9% of everything we sell; I’m a true beauty junkie. Here, some of our fan favorites.

From doubling down on key influencer partnerships to activating fan communities for themed campaigns, the most innovative brands are generating awareness and demand through various creator-led marketing strategies.

The November 2022 Tribe Top 10 Report provides rankings of the top 10 Cosmetics, Skincare, Haircare, Luxury Fashion, and Apparel brands by Earned Media Value (EMV) in the U.S., as well as the top 10 Cosmetics and Skincare brands in Europe. EMV is Tribe Dynamics’ proprietary metric for quantifying the estimated value of digital earned media and serves as the industry standard for benchmarking the effectiveness of brands’ influencer marketing programs. This report offers insights into the creators, campaigns, and community dynamics that helped top performers set themselves apart from the competition.

Highlights from the November Tribe Top 10 Report include Armani Beauty’s charitable Acqua for Life campaign, which starred actress Sydney Sweeney and helped the brand increase its EMV by 50 percent month-over-month in the U.S. Meanwhile, Elemis led U.S. skin care brands by EMV, netting $7.3 million thanks to continued enthusiasm for influencer-favorite offerings such as the Superfood range. In U.S. hair care, Paul Mitchell’s star-studded activations at the Baby2Baby Gala resulted in a 33 percent month-over-month EMV gain.

The Luxury Fashion and Apparel categories saw a number of similarly notable success stories. Fendi secured a spot among the top 10 Luxury Fashion brands, bolstered by the #FendiBaguette campaign led by “Bullet Train” actress Joey King. The 22-year-old Emmy nominee – who boasts 37M social media followers – in one post modeled Fendi’s yellow petite Peekaboo ISeeU bag and captioned her slideshow: My favorite pop of color! And conversation about activewear label Alo Yoga remained as hot as ever, with impactful endorsements from style authority Emma Leger fueling the brand’s 22 percent month over month EMV growth.

Read the full November 2022 Tribe Top 10 Report for an in-depth look at social media’s buzziest beauty and fashion brands, and the influencer marketing activities powering their growth