In the cosmetic industry, there is a vast difference in the products with the overall marketing as social media and different trends have surfaced. Popular brands arent as trendy, and makeup inflation keeps getting worse and worse as quantity replaces quantity. In 2016, YouTube influencers were posting full faces of makeup tutorials daily as creativity was able to be expressed in a different type of art form. This year, trends such as “clean girl makeup” and “dupes” are starting to become the new standard that erased all the expressiveness that makeup used to have.
In relation to the economy, make-up prices are rising like crazy which causes consumers to start looking for new, lower-cost alternative products that still meet the standards of more higher end products. Brands such as e.l.f. are able to pull from an audience of people that buy high quality makeup but want it at a way cheaper scale that began the trend of “dupes.” Dupes are products that are very similar to a higher-end product. For example, the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer costs around 10 dollars at a local Ulta or Sephora as it was created to mimic the Milk Hydro grip primer that is $38. This has led to a shift in consumer preferences toward budget-friendly yet high-quality options, pushing brands to reconsider their pricing and considering the competition.
Additionally, the evolution of the makeup industry isnt all negative as inclusivity is a factor that is getting pushed upon brands as scandals in previous companies caused problems to spiral. In 2018, Tarte released a new foundation line which only consisted of 25 shades in total which consumers were frustrated and angry about as there was no range of colors for people of color. This caused a shift in the makeup industry as brands like Fenty beauty set a new standard up as their foundation line offers a wide range of skin tones and undertones where anyone interested in makeup is able to find their perfect shade to match. This push for inclusivity allows for a new era of representation in the makeup industry that allows for brands to connect and expand their products to a broader audience.
With a new time of social media expanding, the power that influencers have once they promote and launch a new product changed the makeup industry drastically. Collaborations and sponsors are all what influencers care about as getting money is better than actually telling their audience whether or not a product is good or not. Social media is allowing all types of people to gather a platform where men are slowly being included into campaigns and posts as well. Brands are broadening the market; they are changing the social norms on being gender-neutral and to be available on a larger scale. Some might say that social media is negatively affecting the makeup industry as pressure to follow trends and over consume products is changing the market, but social media is able to promote a vast amount of products that can allow for people to be more expressive with themselves.
The makeup industry is changing rapidly as trends keep changing and developing. Different aspects of makeup needs vary from person to person as there is a wide scale of products on the market as new brands from influencers keep surfacing creating more competition in the makeup world. It can be overwhelming looking at the makeup market as brands constantly hit or miss with their products, where research is needed to find the perfect products for each consumer. Go support brands that promote good ethical pratices and support diversity in their products.