Influencer marketing is no longer a 'nice-to-have' in a beauty brand's marketing mix. It is the need of the hour. Beauty influencers can shape consumer opinions and polarize audience opinions around a brand.

The influencers you partner with have a huge impact on how audiences perceive your brand and assess the authenticity of your products, services, and even your brand voice. And that's exactly why we put together this article.

Here, we list the 15 best beauty influencers you can work with in 2024 to promote your beauty brand on top social media channels. We also share tips for successful influencer partnerships and give you 3 striking examples of such fruitful collaborations.

Let's begin.

15 best beauty influencers in 2024

From transformative makeup gurus to vitiligo influencers adding representation, to influencers over 40 diversifying the game, here's a list of the top beauty influencers you can partner with in 2024 for staying relevant, top-of-mind, and for the best influencer marketing ROI.

1. Mikayla Nogueira

Mikayla Nogueira is a beauty influencer and makeup artist with over 2.9M Instagram followers and 627K subscribers on YouTube. She is known for her bold makeup looks, which include strong contouring, thicker brows and vibrant eye-shadows. She posts detailed makeup tutorials, product reviews, makeup challenges, and lifestyle content through social media.

Recently, she shared her bulimia recovery journey with her followers to inspire people with similar struggles. Despite Mikayla's love for transformative makeup, she advocates holistic beauty. She believes that the sense of beauty and well-being are strongly interconnected.

Here's one of her popular eye-makeup tutorials:

2. Aysha Harun

Aysha Harun is one of the most popular black Muslim women in the beauty category with 512K Instagram followers and 526K YouTube subscribers. Her content lies at the intersection of modest fashion, wellness, inclusive beauty, food and travel. As an Ethiopian-Canadian Muslim woman, Harun also talks about issues concerning black Muslims, such as their representation, gender equality and colorism.

3. James Charles

As one of the most popular male YouTube makeup influencers, James Charles, while contentious, continues in his part to break the stigma around male makeup influencers. He has a whopping 23.8M subscribers on YouTube and 20.2M followers on Instagram.

James' content revolves around special effects, transformative makeup tutorials, and product reviews. He is best known for his YouTube makeup challenge series, where he takes on challenges like 'full face under $100' and 'wearing the longest wig for a day.'

Here's one such video where James does full face makeup with the most luxurious makeup products:

4. Desi Perkins

Desi Perkins, founder of Deziskin, a vegan makeup brand, is a beauty influencer with 4.3M followers on Instagram and 3.18M YouTube subscribers. Through her channels, Desi discusses a wide range of topics from makeup, haircare, pregnancy, motherhood, and fashion to home decor.

As a firm believer of beauty in the ordinary, Desi shares relatable content that captures the everyday moments of her life and family. Here's one such reel where she's seen having a great time with her family and friends:

5. Shayla Mitchell

Shayla Mitchell, popularly known as Makeupshyla, is a makeup influencer and MUA with 3.3M followers on Instagram. She regularly posts about her personal life, makeup, fashion and travel on Instagram. Shayla is all about diversity and inclusivity in the beauty industry.

As a renowned BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) in the beauty world, she constantly discusses the need for more inclusive beauty products like foundations and concealers. She is also seen endorsing inclusive beauty brands like Maybelline and ColourPoP. Here's one of Shayla's reels:

6. Anastasiia Neganova

Anastasiia Neganova is all about being comfortable in one's own skin. This Chicago-based beauty influencer with over 69.7K Instagram followers and 3.26 Youtube subscribers openly discusses her textured skin and shares makeup tutorials, beauty tips and products suitable for similar skin types.

By being vocal about her textured skin, she inspires people facing similar challenges to be more comfortable in their own skin and find products that suit them. 

7. Monica Ravichandran

Monica Ravichandran is one of the top South Asian makeup influencers, with 379K followers on Instagram and 709K subscribers on YouTube. She prefers bold, full-glam makeup looks complete with expressive eye makeup. As a brown girl with oily, acne-prone skin, her content revolves around finding makeup products and routines suitable for these skin types.

Monica is said to have started the popular lipstick color theory trend where women with different complexions apply the same lip shades to show how lip shades change with skin color.

8. Tati Westbrook

Tati Westbrook is one of the earliest YouTube makeup influencers and founder of Halo Beauty, a supplement for healthy skin, hair and nails. She has over 8 million YouTube subscribers and 2.2M Instagram followers.

She began posting makeup tutorials and reviews of budget-friendly drugstore makeup products in 2011. These days, she also reviews high-end makeup products. Here's one of her recent reviews of drugstore makeup products under $10 she posted on her YouTube channel:

9. Onella Muralidharan

Onella Muralidharan is a well-known vitiligo model and beauty influencer with 39.9K Instagram followers. She began creating content after winning the BELLA Unsigned Model Search in 2021.

She promotes self-acceptance and inclusivity by debunking myths about vitiligo and offering makeup and skincare tips tailored to her skin condition. As a curve model, she also regularly collaborates with plus-size clothing brands, advocating for body positivity. 

10. Chloe Roberts

Chloe Louise Roberts is one of the top influencers in the beauty industry with 55.9K followers on Instagram and over 450K TikTok followers. She calls herself a makeup and skincare junkie and shares clean girl makeup tutorials, which are characterized by natural and polished looks instead of dramatic ones.

Besides beauty content, she shares glimpses of her life and travels through her Instagram. Here's a clean girl makeup tutorial from her gram:

11. Huda Kattan

Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty, is a famous Iraqi-American beauty blogger and makeup artist. She has over 4.2M followers on Instagram and 4.14M subscribers on YouTube. She shares transformative makeup videos, product reviews, beauty hacks and tips, behind-the-scenes of events and life and travel updates on her social channels.

Despite being a fan of bold makeup looks and full glam, Huda is a strong advocate of self-love and self-acceptance. She is also a notable philanthropist and has donated to various social causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement and women's empowerment.

12. Jackie Aina

Jackie Aina is a beauty influencer set to challenge traditional beauty standards. She is a strong advocate of self care and regularly posts self care routines and tips on her social media and has a whopping 3.5M Youtube subscribers and 1.9M Instagram followers.

She shares makeup product reviews through her YouTube channel and uses her Instagram account to share her daily life updates, including GRWM videos and travel updates. Here's one of her YouTube videos where she reviews the darkest shades of foundation from brands like Sephora and Ulta:

13. Hindash

Mohammed Hindash is a painter turned beauty influencer with 1.5M followers on Instagram and 1.7M on Youtube. He is one of the most influential Middle Eastern makeup gurus, with his own makeup brand, Hindash Cosmetics.

He has worked with international celebrities like Naomi Campell and Lindsay Lohan and is known for his collaborations with beauty brands like Fenty Beauty and MAC. Here's one such eye makeup tutorial from Hindash:

14. Nikkie de Jager

Nikkie de Jager, popularly known as NikkieTutorials, is a Dutch makeup influencer with 19.5M Instagram followers and 14.5M YouTube subscribers. Nikkie became popular after one of her videos, 'The Power of makeup,' went viral in 2015. In the video, Nikkie demonstrates the transformative power of makeup by applying it to one side of her face.

She shares makeup tutorials, product reviews, beauty hacks and tips, collaboration videos with other beauty influencers and life updates on YouTube and Instagram. Here's a video from Nikkie where she does Luke Hemmings' makeup:

15. Steph Mary

As a woman over 40, Stephanie Mary is all about skincare and makeup for mature skin. She has over 33.6K followers on Instagram and 260K subscribers on YouTube. She posts makeup tutorials, anti-aging skincare routines, wellness tips, and makeup and beauty product reviews suitable for women over 40.

She also runs a blog, 'Stephanie Marie Blogs,' where she posts beauty tips for busy women over 40 who want to take care of their skin.

3 strategies to find the right beauty influencer for your brand

Now that you have the list of the biggest beauty influencers in 2024, here are some tips to ensure a successful collaboration with them:

• Look beyond followers. Zero in on brand alignment.

A large follower base isn't a sign of potential fruitful collaboration. Delve deeper into how an influencer aligns with your brand values. For instance, if your product is for textured oily skin, partner with influencers who actively share content around textured skin and makeup.

One of the easiest ways to find this without scouring an influencer's social media platforms is through keyword search. For example, if you are looking for vitiligo influencers, you can search using keywords like vitiligo, vitiligo influencers, vitiligo makeup, vitiligo skincare, makeup on vitiligo, etc.

• Understand your audience. Double down on what they want.

According to Andreea Moise, Founder of Hype Maven, an influencer marketing agency, it is always safe to figure out what your audience wants instead of blindly following trends. One way she suggests doing this is through customer research.

"It's basically just finding out what people like to watch and how it makes them feel (and act) and replicating it with influencers. For example, if most customers convey that they purchased a skincare product after seeing a before and after video, we can translate that into content by selecting a sample of influencers that test the product in the same way and put out 2-3X pieces of UGC in the same style showcasing long term results", she says.

• Think outside the box. Partner with complimentary influencers.

Complementary influencers, like complimentary brands, are influencers who align with your brand despite being from a different industry or niche. By including them in your influencer marketing strategy, you can expand to a new audience without additional marketing efforts.

A good example would be vegan lifestyle influencers promoting a vegan skincare brand. This works because the followers of vegan influencers are more likely to buy from a vegan skincare brand than any other regular ones.

3 Striking Beauty Influencer Campaign Examples

1. Vaseline

Vaseline's #sluggingwithvaseline campaign, known to be one of the largest influencer campaigns of all time, created ripples in the beauty and makeup industry. The brand partnered with beauty influencers over 30 to promote a skincare technique called slugging using Vaseline. Slugging is when one applies a thin layer of Vaseline as the last step of a skincare routine to lock in moisture.

Why it works: The ease of the skincare technique using a household staple, Vaseline, coupled with visible results in the form of before-and-after videos from influencers, piqued the interest of many.

2. Topicals

Topicals took influencer partnerships to the next level by sponsoring 18 BIPOC influencers on a trip to Bermuda when the brand turned 3. After this event, the brand gained around 5K new followers and 3M impressions. The hashtag campaigns #TopicalsTurns3 and #TopicalsTakesBermuda played a huge role in this.

Why it works: The ripple effect created by mutual reposts between the brand and influencers helped build brand awareness and credibility.

3. Dove

Dove is one of the few brands that has mastered the influencer marketing strategy with its campaigns like #PassTheCrown and #OneRealPressure. Its recent campaign #ArmUps raises awareness about the 'pressure for the perfect armpits' as a part of launching its limited edition antiperspirants.

Why it works: By positioning itself as an inclusive brand, Dove catches the attention of everyone who has ever felt the pressure of not conforming to conventional beauty standards.

Maximize your influencer partnerships with Flockler

Influencer partnerships help expand reach and drive sales. Choosing the right influencer, channel, and strategy is important to get the best results from these partnerships. But you will still leave money on the table if you don't tie all these initiatives in one place - your website.

And that's exactly where Flockler can help you. It helps you create custom influencer marketing campaign feeds and add them to your website. These custom feeds give social proof to potential customers on your website and urge them to buy from you.

FAQs

1. What are the benefits of collaborating with beauty influencers?

The key benefits of collaborating with beauty influencers include:

• Expanded reach: When you partner with a beauty influencer, you can tap into their follower base and reach a wider audience.
• Increased credibility: Potential customers are more likely to buy from you when an influencer they trust vouches for your brand.
• Higher returns: It is one of the cost-effective marketing strategies with higher returns.

2. Who are the top 5 beauty influencers?

The top 5 beauty influencers in 2024 are:

1. Mikayla Nogueira

2. Aysha Harun

3. James Charles

4. Desi Perkins

5. Shayla

3. What are the types of beauty influencers?

The different types of beauty influencers include makeup influencers, skincare influencers, sustainable beauty influencers, inclusive and body-positive makeup influencers, nail art influencers, budget beauty influencers and luxury beauty influencers.

By number of followers they are also classified as micro-influencers (10k-100k), macro-influencers (100K- 1M) and mega- influencers (over 1M).