Whether you enjoy flashing your fiery red lipstick for a night out, or you prefer to go with the “clean girl aesthetic,” the U.K.’s beauty scene has you covered. The U.K. beauty industry is worth $32.7B, good for the world’s seventh-largest cosmetics market, so it’s no surprise that the region is home to some of the world’s most innovative and influential makeup creators. These gurus are transforming beauty norms and embracing their unique artistry, turning the heads of both followers and major brands.
Let’s take a look at three of the U.K.’s most disruptive makeup creators, along with the iconic brands they’re amplifying.
Danielle Marcan (@daniellemarcan on Instagram) is a powerhouse creator to watch. A talented digital native and creative, Danielle’s career took off at a young age. After graduating university in April 2018, she was named an official beauty ambassador for Huda Beauty, appearing in several high-visibility campaigns. Since then, her status has continued to skyrocket. With over 4M followers across social platforms, Danielle is most known for her freakishly accurate celebrity-inspired makeup looks, often set to popular new music. Danielle’s also been the center of conversations around bold new trends, such as rocking colored mascara and the “wolf” haircut inspired by Miley Cyrus.
It’s no surprise that she’s drawn the attention of major brands—after all, they wouldn’t want to fall behind. Danielle served as the top source of Earned Media Value (EMV) for both Charlotte Tilbury and Saint Laurent (YSL) Cosmetics in H1 2022, inspiring a respective $2.3M and $1.2M for the brands. In one of her most iconic posts, Danielle transformed herself into Daphne, the Duchess from Nextflix’ original series “Bridgerton,” tagging Charlotte Tilbury for her use of the brand’s Hollywood Flawless Filter foundation. Danielle’s single post garnered $178.9k EMV.
Micro-influencers’ ability to make substantial impact has never been more apparent. Naomi Mizrahi (@naomimizrahi on Instagram) is a French-born UX/UI designer based in Jerusalem. Along with her educational background in digital art comes an ability to post captivating makeup tutorials that inspire everyday glam. Naomi secured her spot as the top EMV-driver for Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty in the first half of 2022. “Hustle” might be Naomi’s middle name—the creator authored 127 posts mentioning the brand during this time, sharing product reviews and ratings with her 54.3k followers. Naomi inspired $1.4M EMV for the brand, a whopping 46.3k% increase from H2 2021.
Thanks to her tight-knit community, fans feel comfortable engaging in conversation in the comments of Naomi’s videos. As a result, her H1 content earned impressive 18.2% and 42.3% engagement rates on Instagram and TikTok, respectively. Meanwhile, unlike many large brands, Rare Beauty understands that micro-influencers’ ability to reach their audience is unmatched—in fact, micro-influencers drove more EMV for the brand in H1 than any other creator segment, generating 36% of Rare Beauty’s total value.
If you like makeup trends based on your zodiac sign or movie stars, then Lena Bagrowska (Lenkalul on YouTube) is your girl. The powerhouse creator challenges beauty standards by making costume-esque, dramatic looks an everyday affair. Lena’s video content has made a splash in the U.K., collecting over 5M followers across social platforms. The creator even has a dedicated fan Instagram account, as well as a #LenkasAngels hashtag for her community to share Lena-inspired looks.
Lena’s high-traction partnership with Revolution Beauty involves more than just a few casual mentions. The global cosmetics brand actually has a collaborative Revolution x Lenkalul line of products, featuring shadow palettes, false lashes, and eyeliner, with packaging inspired by Lena’s signature warm tones. During the first half of 2022, the creator generated $3.8M EMV for the brand, a 532% increase from H2 2021, and over $2M more than Revolution Beauty’s No. 2 EMV-driver. These impressive results stem from Lena’s promotion of the product line in her Instagram posts, some of which garnered more than 1M likes.
As the U.K.’s creator economy continues to boom, beauty content creators are rising to stardom, driving substantial ROI for brands. By tapping into this group’s cultural influence, brands can vastly increase their visibility, and build loyal communities of consumers.