Inflation who? The beauty industry is boomin’


If you are considering starting a beauty blog, or affiliate website in the beauty niche, the fact say, that may be a smart move.

Maybe she’s born with it… or maybe she’s spending all of her disposable income on makeup.Per The Washington Post, it’s the latter, and the beauty industry is flush with cash despite broader economic hardships:

Sales for US mass market beauty products — sold in drug and grocery stores — reached $30B last year, up 4% from 2021.Prestige beauty brands — sold in department and specialty stores — raked in nearly as much with $27B in sales and 15% YoY growth.

With the inflation rate at 5% in March…… many Americans felt the squeeze everywhere from grocery stores to clothing stores, and retail sales fell 1%.

But the beauty industry remains resilient, and it’s not the first time:Estée Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder coined the term “lipstick index” in 2001 when he noticed makeup sales climbing despite the recession.The trend goes all the way back to 1929 during the Great Depression.

And beauty is showing no signs of slowing down: LVMH, the luxury group that owns Sephora and other brands, reported an 11% rise in perfume and cosmetics sales in its first quarter.

Whether customers are scouring shelves for cheap self-care antidotes or luxury pick-me-ups, it’s likely they’ve gotten a recommendation or two from social media.The #beauty hashtag on TikTok has amassed 175B views and counting, with 89% of users reporting they’ve purchased beauty products after seeing them on the app.That’s a lot of lip gloss.

89% of TikTok Users Bought Beauty Products Seen on App

Seventy-six percent of social media users believe influencer recommendations are fake, per a StyleSeat survey; photo by Ron Lach at Pexels

Seventy-six percent of social media users believe influencer recommendations are fake, per a StyleSeat survey; photo by Ron Lach at Pexels

Seventy-six percent of social media users believe influencer recommendations are fake, according to a new StyleSeat survey, yet 57% have purchased a beauty product after seeing it on social media.

Tik Tok’s influence is stronger; 89% of the app’s users have purchased beauty products after seeing them on the app. 

Per the survey, 75% of social media users are happy with their purchases.

Top products purchased by social media users include:

  • skin care like moisturizers, daily SPF and serums;
  • skin-friendly makeup such as foundation and concealer;
  • eye products such as mascara, liner and shadow;
  • cheek products like bronzer and highlighter;
  • and hair care products like shampoo and conditioner combos, leave-in hair treatments and styling tools.

To gather the data, StyleSeat surveyed 1,020 U.S. active social media users ion August 19, 2022; 49% of respondents identified as men, 48% as women and 2% as nonbinary.

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