TikTok has transformed the beauty industry through viral short-form videos, innovative shopping features, and interactive live streams. As we know here at Avenue Z, TikTok is more than just a platform, – is a vibrant ecosystem where beauty brands gain traction and build affinity among a vast, engaged, high-intent audience. By utilizing both TikTok content to it’s fullest extent natively, beauty brands are driving sales across ALL their channels, solidifying TikTok as a crucial element in any D2C omnichannel strategy.
The platform’s strength lies in its dynamic algorithm that promotes a community where anyone can be an influencer who has the power to transform beauty products into must-have items almost instantly.
For both emerging and established beauty brands, TikTok is an essential tool for driving growth and redefining success – And the proof is simply in the data.
- A remarkable 89% of TikTok users reported purchasing beauty products they discovered on the app.
- The beauty category on TikTok has over 42.8 million posts and 310.4 billion overall views, showcasing the extensive reach and engagement within this community.
- TikTok has played a crucial role in scaling beauty brands’ omnichannel strategies by driving both online and offline sales. Brands have seen increased website revenue and brick and mortar traffic, with some reporting an average of 27% rise in in-store visits directly attributed to TikTok campaigns.
Top Beauty Brands With Killer Content Strategies
1. Huda Beauty
- Followers: 10M
- Likes: 216.4M
- TikTok Shop: Yes
- Products Sold: 20.3k+
@hudabeauty So happy you love it gorgeous! 🙏🏾❤️ #hudabeauty #makeuptok #foundation @glamzilla ♬ original sound – Huda Beauty
Huda Beauty has established a dominant presence on TikTok, leading competitor beauty brands in followers by focusing on the end results of using their products, rather than the products themselves. Through content featuring its CEO, Huda Kattan, the brand leverages social proof, authenticity, and relatability to resonate with followers. As an early beauty influencer, Huda has maintained her following through honest brand transparency—her marketing depends on her own stamp of approval and endorsements from top creators (similar to Jeffree Star).
In their latest campaign, “This Is Not A Filter,” Huda challenges social media’s beauty standards by calling out the overuse of filters. She vowed in 2021 to stop using filters personally and professionally through the brand, and this decision “ influenced how she formulated her products” moving forward – citing the inspiration behind the product development and showcasing their effectiveness. This campaign has strengthened the brand’s connection with its niche audience, and is actively inspiring users to review the new products, which in turn maximizes their reach through earned UGC.
2. ELF cosmetics
- Followers: 1.8M
- Likes: 40.6M
- TikTok Shop: Yes
- Products Sold: 846.6k+
@elfyeah like for more slime games 🤗 #elfcosmetics #eyeslipsface #makeupprimer #slime #scoopability #scoopingslime ♬ original sound – e.l.f. Cosmetics
E.l.f. Cosmetics became a trailblazer on TikTok with their “Eyes Lips Face” campaign, which took the platform by storm, generating 7 billion views and nearly 5 million UGC videos. While their trend-setting one-offs create massive reach and platform awareness, their evergreen strategy is built on a deep understanding of social listening—identifying and tapping into trends that resonate with their audience. Recent trends like #girlloot, the “do you know you have 30-minute sound,” and the Gen Z video editor trend exemplifies this approach.
However, their strategy goes beyond jumping on viral moments; it also taps into crossover categories that their audience loves. For example, Slime—a trend e.l.f. noticed was popular with their younger TikTok audience—allowed them to create content that compares the satisfaction of using their products to the enjoyment of slime. By staying in tune with their community’s interests, e.l.f. Consistently creates organic content that not only fits the TikTok landscape but also drives massive engagement for the brand.
Additionally, e.l.f. sees success on TikTok Shop, with average order values in the lower range, making it ideal for impulse purchases. However, the brand focuses on TikTok Shop primarily for user convenience rather than as a core revenue channel. Their content not only drives TikTok Shop sales but also boosts retail sales, showcasing the brand’s ability to convert engagement into multi-channel growth.
3. Rare Beauty
- Followers: 4.1M
- Likes: 73M
- TikTok Shop: Yes
- Products Sold: 149.3k+
@rarebeauty This Mental Health Action Day (May 16) we invite you to pick up the phone. It’s always a good call. Who to dial: ☎️ Call someone you miss, or someone who’d love to hear your voice. ☎️ Call us! Try 877-HEY-RARE for a feel good boost. ☎️ Need more than a familiar voice? For immediate support for yourself or someone else, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 988. If you’re outside the U.S., please visit findahelpline.com for a global list of helplines, hotlines, and crisis lines that can support you.
♬ original sound – Rare Beauty
Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez, has leveraged TikTok as a platform to personify its brand values, focusing on authenticity and mental health advocacy. The brand’s content strategy revolves around creating genuine connections with its audience through its founder and UGC content by offering relatable, trendy content that promotes mental well-being while balancing UGC tutorials and product showcases.
Most recently, Rare Beauty has expanded its global strategy to better connect with Hispanic audiences. By partnering with creators to produce Spanish-language content, they’ve kept followers engaged not just with their products, but with meaningful, culturally relevant content. Rare Beauty’s emphasis on inclusivity and mental health resonates deeply with TikTok’s Gen Z audience, making it more than just a beauty brand—it’s a symbol of empowerment and self-acceptance, driving strong engagement and brand affinity, and creating high LTV consumers.
Like other brands on this list, Rare Beauty uses TikTok strategically to drive foot traffic and website traffic through its content and campaigns. They don’t rely solely on TikTok Shop as their top sales channel but treat it as an additional, convenient revenue stream, offering exclusive deals across different channels and promoting them organically through their content.
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4. Rhode Beauty
- Followers: 964k
- Likes: 29.7M
- TikTok Shop: Yes
- Products Sold: 38.9k+
@rhode bright coral lip tint 🍹 @ajailakenyara ♬ love song (hesitations) (sped up) – Lofuu & Shiloh Dynasty & dprk
Rhode Beauty, though relatively new to the scene, has rapidly scaled its presence on TikTok by strategically leveraging micro-influencers and top-tier creators to amplify its reach. The brand taps into viral trends and influencer marketing, working with well-known creators like Meredith Duxbury and @yodeebs, who share their Rhode product experiences. This strategy has helped them build a cult-like following where users promote the brand as if it’s an exclusive experience.
Beyond its online content, Rhode also engages with audiences through offline pop-up events due to its limited brick-and-mortar presence. These events are highly interactive and designed to encourage user-generated content (UGC), making their content stream in virtually endless. For example, their recent pop-up shop in SoHo featured a “pocket-sized experience” where fans could interact with products and share their experiences on TikTok, significantly boosting reach.
Due to Rhode’s limited brick and mortar presence, its primary focus is on driving website and TikTok Shop sales, using TikTok Shop as a convenient channel for impulse purchases rather than relying on traditional retail. While its online strategy is ke, the brand constantly innovates with real-life activations to ensure a well-rounded presence that continues to expand its reach.
5. Milk Makeup
- Followers: 1.1M
- Likes: 16.8M
- TikTok Shop: Yes
- Products Sold: 28.4k+
@milkmakeup so glad we can finally pull out these fall blush + lip colors 🙏 @paloma 🐇 (she/her) wears Lip + Cheek in Muse to create an autumnal flush #redblush #MilkMakeup #blushtrend ♬ Relaxed (Sped Up) – MC Mablo Dos Paredões
Milk Makeup’s TikTok strategy effectively showcases the multiple use cases for their products, particularly through UGC that highlights their versatility. For instance, they frequently feature content where creators use one product in various ways, such as applying their Kush Mascara not only for lashes but also as a brow gel, or their Lip + Cheek Tint as both a blush and lipstick. This helps demonstrate the multi-functionality of their product line, resonating with users who appreciate simplicity and versatility in their beauty routines.
Additionally, Milk Makeup hosts pop-up events that encourage users to create UGC in highly interactive, photogenic settings. These events allow customers to try out products, particularly their signature Jellies, which are a standout in Milk Makeup’s product lineup due to their unique texture and packaging. The pop-ups are designed to create a buzz, with attendees often sharing their experiences on TikTok, further amplifying the brand’s presence through organic content.
Finally, Milk Makeup uses TikTok not just for direct sales via TikTok Shop but also to drive retail traffic to physical stores. By promoting special in-store offers or exclusive products, the brand effectively encourages followers to visit brick-and-mortar locations, thereby integrating their digital and physical sales strategies.
The Future? Social Commerce.
The rise of TikTok Shop marks a significant evolution in social commerce, particularly in the beauty industry. Since its launch, TikTok Shop has rapidly become the 9th largest beauty and wellness e-commerce retailer in the US and the 2nd largest in the UK. This explosive growth is a testament to the platform’s ability to blend social interaction with seamless shopping experiences.
Moreover, TikTok’s partnership with Amazon has solidified its role as a key player in beauty e-commerce. Amazon now captures over 75% of “TikTok-famous” skincare brand purchases and about 52% of makeup brand sales driven by TikTok trends. This collaboration demonstrates how TikTok doesn’t operate in isolation but complements existing e-commerce giants to maximize reach.
And it doesn’t stop there—with omnichannel D2C strategies; brands can scale sales across all channels by strategically curating content, optimizing TikTok feeds, and authentically engaging with their audience. TikTok Shop allows for seamless shopping integration, but the real power lies in understanding your audience and personifying your brand.
By leveraging the unique features of TikTok, such as UGC, influencer partnerships, and branded content, brands can foster deeper connections and drive not only TikTok Shop sales but also retail and e-commerce growth.
Conclusion
In today’s digital landscape, being on TikTok is not just a trend—it’s an essential tool for scaling your omnichannel strategy. Whether through direct sales on TikTok Shop or driving traffic to e-commerce and retail, TikTok empowers brands to connect, engage, and convert like never before. For beauty brands, this platform has become the catalyst for both short-term wins and long-term growth across all channels. For those ready to strategically scale on the platform, talk to our team.
