By Oana Orzac
Unless you’ve spent the past few years living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about TikTok. In fact, it’s the most downloaded app this year. According to statistics, there are 17 million TikTok users in the UK, and the number is estimated to grow by 75.2% this year.
This app is popular because we all have short attention spans, and it specialises in short, snappy videos with varied content from various fields. You might watch a baby growing up before your eyes, a house being renovated in the space of a minute, or a cute guy playing a prank on his girlfriend. Whether you have three minutes or three hours to spare, TikTok can keep you informed and entertained.
But that’s not all. TikTok has also become a high-profile space for beauty influencers. The app features thousands of videos with beauty products, reviews, and tips. Celebrities and influencers from other social platforms have reaslied that this is where it’s at, and have switched to TikTok.
Consumers also find influencers more trustworthy than brands, as they are much more open about a specific product or review. These influencers have changed the world of beauty, bringing it closer to consumers.
Beauty influencers
Claire Bridgett, 24, is an Australian influencer who is on both YouTube and TikTok. She says the beauty community has changed irrevocably since TikTok made its debut.
“A couple of years ago, it was YouTubers showing us how to do cut creases with full coverage foundation, and now with TikTok we’re told how to properly take care of our skin and wear minimal makeup to enhance our beauty,” she said, adding that a sea change came about also as Gen Z viewers are very open and take a different approach from the classic YouTubers.
Their influence in getting people to buy that promoted product is significant. The recent sensation is the KVD Apple foundation. The £29 foundation has caused a stir worldwide and has sold out in many stores.
It all started with makeup artist @eimearthornbury, who posted a video showing her testing the foundation on TikTok. The immediate result brought her 26.9K likes and 164K views.
Popular products
All the popular products seem to work for TikTokers and bring them more likes and views. The power of these viral videos makes people buy products without presuming that they could have different skin types.
Recently, Jeffree Star posted a video on YouTube where he is shown trying out the KVD foundation to determine whether it would stay on for an entire day.
“[Youtubers] influencers I used to watch they barely get 100k views on their videos when they used to get millions,” said Bridgett. This is due to shorter videos and “straight to the point” content. “With social media our attention spans are a lot shorter and TikTok fits into that,” she added.
Chanté Blight is a South African makeup artist and Tiktok influencer. TikTok is influencing people in the beauty fields, but not beyond all recognition, she says. “It has definitely influenced people to see new brands and try new makeup techniques and looks,” she said.
The future of TikTok
TikTok is continually growing and is predicted to have at least 11 million users in the UK alone by the end of this year, and more and more brands are expected to become inspired by the app.
“I actually see a lot of companies taking inspiration from TikTok, such as IG reels and YouTube Shorts,” says Blight.
Bridgett says that brands are falling all over themselves to connect with TikTok influencers. “I see brands putting a lot of money into influencer marketing, as it’s the best way to advertise on TikTok, and not through ads, which is popular on Instagram and YouTube.”
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