3 influencer beauty brands that are killing it and 3 that have flat lined

.... In my opinion

It’s been a heavy week on the Substack, so I thought I’d chill things out and get back to the beauty content for a moment.

Everyday my inbox is bombarded with new brand announcements and product releases, despite the beauty industry being so heavily saturated.

Now, not to sound like a twat, but 9 times out of 10 I can tell almost immediately if a new brand is going to make it, and I like to think influencer brands are one of my specialities.

So, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at 3 influencer-founded brands (not celebrity), that are excelling right now and 3 that are dead in the water. Two of which, I knew would never survive in the first place.

Killing it:

1. Vieve by Jamie Genevieve

The entire idea for today’s post came from Jamie Genevieve’s brand, after I spotted these beautiful ‘Treasure Tins’ amongst the junk that has become beauty’s annual Christmas gifting offering.

Jamie just gets it and with such a strong, passionate founder at its core, Vieve is miles ahead of the market, despite only launching in 2020.

With just shy of a million YouTube subs, Jamie’s following is smaller than Addison Rae and Nikkie Tutorials, but while their brands have flopped, hers continues to go from strength to strength.

More powerful than numbers is a strong vision for your brand. Everything from Vieve is *chef’s kiss* from the packaging, to the website, to her thoughtful mailers and beautifully designed press releases.

Plus, the products are great, not to mention unique in how they can be adapted to minimal or heavy makeup wearers.

I truly believe that not only does Vieve have the potential to be a legacy brand, but that it’s the only influencer brand currently with the power to do so.

2. Naturium by Susan Yara

Despite a shaky start that would have broken most brands (Google it), Susan Yara and Naturium came out fighting.

Personally, what I think Naturium does so well is offer what feels and looks like a super luxury product, at a way more affordable price point (£32 is the highest they go).

It feels like a more elevated version of The Inkey List, with product names you instantly trust and want to try and formulas and packing that make you feel more like you’re treating yourself.

I kind of equate it to the M&S food hall. The products look more expensive than what they are and their names make the ordinary seem more exciting. This isn’t just a hyaluronic acid serum, this is a quadruple hyaluronic acid serum.

And as the brand move more into body, I’m excited for what’s to come next.

3. Refy by Jess Hunt

Jess Hunt is proof that you can build an entire brand from one hero product. In her case, that is Refy’s Brow Sculpt.

Now, when Refy launched, I’ll admit I had never heard of Jess Hunt, but like Vieve, Refy came out with a strong brand identity that felt very now with it’s minimalistic packaging.

If Naturium is M&S, Refy is Skims. It’s cool, it has kudos. It’s the cool girl brand, with packaging like their rollerball face primer which catches your attention.

Refy is definitely the brand of now, but it’s important they don’t rest on their laurels.

Killed:

1. Authored by Tanya Burr

As soon as Tanya Burr announced the launch of her brand Authored in 2021, I knew it would ultimately fail.

That’s because despite being one of the UK’s most successful OG beauty influencers, she quit YouTube in 2019 and essentially rebranded her girl next door image to high fashion London ‘It girl’.

Despite this, Tanya went back to beauty to launch her 4-piece low maintenance brand. She was clearly on trend with the post Covid minimal makeup look, but the marketing around the brand reeked of moral grandstanding.

In an interview with Refinery 29 back in 2021, Tanya explained how they were “championing” six people who were ‘authoring’ their lives. The list included a Syrian refugee who taught herself English, earning a degree and pilot’s license in the process.

"Instead of talking about products all the time, we're driving home the message that society places pressure on all of us — but that you can be whoever you want," said Tanya.

It was too late for her forgotten fan base and too worthy for anyone to know if the products were actually any good.

2. Item Beauty by Addison Rae

Now, this is one I’m sad about because honestly, their Lash Snack mascara was the G.O.A.T.

Like Authored, Item Beauty was launched in 2021 when Addison Rae, along with Charli D’Amelio were single handedly ruling the world over on TikTok with their dance routines.

Clearly, Addison was approached to be the face for Item Beauty based on her TikTok numbers, rather than founding the brand herself.

Heavily Gen Z focused, with of the moment formulas and shades, Item Beauty was stocked on the end cap of Sephora aisles.

Surprisingly, I think the failure with Item Beauty wasn’t the products, but rather investing too much in a TikTok persona.

As the influencer cycle moves at a quicker pace than ever, the likes of Addison have already come from obscurity and hit their peak in just 2 years. Is it any surprise then that her brand has lasted the same amount of time?

Now, if another brand could just pick up that mascara brush and formula, I’d be incredible grateful.

3. Nimya by Nikkie Tutorials

Unlike, Authored and Item Beauty, Nimya is still available to buy, but in my opinion, not for too much longer.

The problem with Nikki Tutorials brand is that it’s all over the place, with an odd roster of products that don’t stand out amongst their peers.

Nimya consists of a serum, face cream, cooling eye stick, portable fan, eyeshadow palette, lip gloss and setting spray.

For a start, Nikki is known for her makeup, so why launch skincare when she’s not an authority in it? Not to mention that launching it alongside makeup, builds mistrust in the formulas.

Honestly, Nimya is one of those brands that feels like it’s been developed by a lot of ‘yes men’ and as an outsider, I’ll never understand how it got signed off.

Would love to hear your thoughts on influencer brands you would have included here.