Only 8% of respondents say that influencer recommendations influence their purchasing decisions to a large or very large extent. At the same time, social media remains a place where people look for product information. For cosmetics brands, this is a signal to look more closely at what collaborating with creators delivers beyond visibility.
The PAYBACK study shows that a strong declared influence of influencers on purchases applies to only a small part of the audience. This does not mean, however, that consumers have stopped looking for inspiration on social media. 54% of respondents look there for information about brands and products, 41% for offer comparisons, and 37% for promotions and discounts.
Interestingly, more than half of respondents (57%) do not follow influencers at all, and only 6% name following them as a purpose of using social media. For most internet users, these platforms serve primarily for entertainment, keeping in touch with friends and finding information – not necessarily related to shopping.
Beauty influencer content, however, is largely built on recommending products – both as part of paid collaborations and by presenting novelties received from brands. It is no surprise that some users may wonder: what does a recommendation actually mean? Is it the result of testing a cosmetic and being convinced of its quality, or primarily part of the creator’s relationship with the company? The answer may determine whether a recommendation encourages a purchase or is treated as just another advertisement.
Credibility does not always come from follower numbers.
According to the PAYBACK data, only 16% of respondents rate the credibility of influencers as high or very high. For 55% of respondents, trust in recommendations is built by the creator’s knowledge and experience. For one in four, it also matters that the profile does not feature too much sponsored content. In relation to the beauty industry, these results can be read as an argument for more substantive communication. A cosmetics review gains value when the audience learns how long the creator tested the product, what their needs are, and what they actually observed while using it.
Unboxings alone may be fun mainly for the most loyal fans. Gifts received are sometimes treated as confirmation of a favorite creator’s standing, and package presentations are often accompanied by questions about giveaways or the possibility of passing some of the cosmetics on to followers. Is such brand exposure memorable? I have no hard data that would answer this. One can, however, get the impression that with a large number of parcels opened, by the end of the video one may have forgotten what was in the first PR package. And the impatient can simply scroll on if they are not particularly curious about what the next box holds.
A counterexample to unboxings and hauls can be makeup tutorials, which show the cosmetic in use and allow a close look at its application and effect. Of course, this format too, like any other, has attracted a certain amount of trolling. Videos circulate online in which women recreate makeup looks following influencers’ instructions and get results far from what they expected. This does not always reflect the quality of the recommendation itself, since skill, technique and lighting also matter. Some videos are intentionally satirical, others are an attempt to show that pictures on the internet are far from the truth. To keep things balanced, though: some influencers receive thanks in the comments or have their reels reposted because users find that the suggested makeup tricks really work in everyday life.
A creator’s enthusiasm, however, does not necessarily translate into an equally enthusiastic reaction from the audience.
“We keep a critical eye and a healthy distance, both toward negative opinions and toward comments full of praise. Contact with a given piece of content does not always trigger an immediate reaction or lead to an impulse purchase,” says PAYBACK.
Discovering a product is only the beginning.
The study also shows the importance of social media in discovering what is on offer. As many as 46% of respondents discovered a previously unknown product or brand through it. When a post sparks interest, 38% look for additional information and 33% visit the company’s profile. For cosmetics brands, this is good news. It not only shows that social media is often the first place where consumers learn about a cosmetic, but also offers the chance, as a next step, of direct contact with customers.
It is also an argument for a broader evaluation of campaigns. Alongside reach and reactions, it is worth analyzing click-throughs to the website, interest in a specific product, and sales. Each of these indicators answers a different question about the results of a collaboration.
Be careful about announcing the end of influencers.
The figures cited show limited trust in influencers and a small declared impact of their recommendations on purchases for most respondents. They do not, however, allow an automatic assessment of the effectiveness of cosmetics campaigns – the data presented concern a broader shopping context. Without comparable results from earlier studies, it is also hard to conclude from them that trust has declined over time.
For the beauty industry, the most important conclusion therefore concerns the quality of collaboration. When choosing a creator, it is worth looking closely at their competence, their fit with the product, and the way they talk to their audience. The follower count shows the potential scale of reach. Only the content of the recommendation gives the consumer a reason to take it seriously.
It is also not worth underestimating the fatigue that a constant stream of recommendations can cause. More purchases, more parcels and more raptures can create the impression of thoughtless promotion of overconsumption. Add unfortunate public statements or image mishaps, and it is easy to feel that the creator has lost touch with the everyday reality of their audience. For a brand, this is an important reminder: along with an influencer’s reach, it also gains the context in which its product will appear. Sometimes you can, unfortunately, hit a worse moment…
