10 UK Beauty Influencers for Top Marketing Campaigns
Social media has transformed the beauty industry, which is projected to be worth $736 billion by 2028.
Influencers often make brands go viral. Wonderskin prioritised TikTok marketing, and the emerging brand is now projected to reach $100 million in revenue by the end of 2025.
Of course, it's not easy to get your brand on everyone's lips. Collaborating with creators who align with your brand, possess real influence, and have audiences that match your ICP is the only way to make an impact.
To help you achieve that goal, we've revealed key insights, including engagement rates, audience credibility, and audience demographics, about 10 of the top beauty content creators in the UK.
Key takeaways
Followers are scrolling, looking for the latest recommendations from beauty influencers. Brands can gain visibility and, therefore, increase sales through these creators.
Major brands, including Armani Beauty, L'Oréal Paris, Estée Lauder, and MAC Cosmetics, rely on influencer marketing.
We ranked the ten biggest beauty influencers in the UK by follower count. We also ensured that their audience was credible and UK-based.
Some of most-followed UK beauty influencers who fit our parameters are Zoe Sugg, Tanya Burr, and Samantha Faiers.
Who are the biggest beauty influencers in the UK? Our methodology
The Kolsquare database stores insights about influencers from 180 countries with 5,000 or more followers on at least one social media platform, such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, or Snapchat.
The rankings in this article are based on follower count and the insights stored in our database. We provide you with the data you need to run an effective influencer marketing campaign, such as:
Credibility score: Kolsquare's credibility score rates audience authenticity on a scale of 0 to 100. Higher numbers, anything above 75, indicate that mostly real people subscribe to their channel. Scores below 75 suggest that the audience may partly consist of bots, inactive followers, or paid followers.
Engagement rate: This figure reveals how much sway a creator has over their audience. It is calculated by analysing the number of times followers interact with creators' posts through comments, shares, or likes. A high engagement rate suggests that the influencer has a strong impact on their audience.
Earned media value (EMV): This data helps you define a reasonable budget for your influencer collaboration. It is the expected media value you will earn by collaborating with an influencer on a platform, such as TikTok or Instagram Reels.
To identify the beauty influencers capable of launching powerful UK campaigns, we selected only creators with over 25% of their audience in the UK.
10 UK Beauty influencers for high-reach influencer marketing campaigns
This is a list of the top beauty influencers on social media channels ranked by follower count. While these beauty bloggers are all incredibly popular, their niches, audiences, and content styles vary significantly.
Let's explore the top beauty influencers with huge UK followings:
Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella) is one of the UK’s biggest influencers. She built her audience from scratch on YouTube in 2009 and became one of the first mega-influencers in the beauty space. Her early content — product reviews, tutorials, and relatable beauty tips —earned her over 10 million subscribers
Today, Sugg mostly shares lifestyle content featuring her young family. While she has over 10m subscribers on her original YouTube channel, @zoella, she has only posted on @morezoella for the last five years.
The majority of Sugg's followers are women aged between 18 and 34. Her audience is highly engaged and, therefore, likely to value her endorsements. However, only 20% reside in the UK. She's currently a brand ambassador for M&S.
Tanya Burr initially gained popularity on YouTube, posting makeup tutorials, beauty tips, and fashion hauls. She started her channel in 2009, and her approachable style and expert knowledge quickly developed a dedicated following, making her a central player in the beauty community.
Burr trained as a makeup artist, giving weight to her beauty recommendations. She generally posts reviews and "get ready with me" videos featuring mid-range products from brands such as Clinique, Origins, Fenty Beauty, and Benefit. On Instagram, these videos tend to have a few thousand likes.
Burr's audience is 76% women. She is a good fit for brands with target audiences between 18 and 34 years old.
3. Ruth Crilly: @ruthcrilly - Beauty social media influencer
Interests: Beauty, Family
Followers:
Instagram: 219,000
TikTok: x
YouTube: 302,000
Location: UK
Location of the audience: UK (26%)
Kolsquare Credibility Score: 72/100
Average engagement rate:
Instagram Posts: 1.57% | Instagram Reels: 0.9%
TikTok: x
Earned Media Value:
Instagram Posts: €6,030
Instagram Reels: €6,280
Instagram Stories: €611
Ruth Crilly has been reviewing beauty products since 2010. Her goal is to "sift out the rubbish" and help her followers find great products. As a former fashion model, Crilly brings insider knowledge to her beauty content.
Crilly is positive about natural ageing and focuses on affordable products that suit dry skin. She shares product deep dives on YouTube, employing an informative, low-key, and highly authentic approach.
Crilly's audience is predominantly (94%) female, with the majority falling between the ages of 18 and 34. She has worked with brands like No7 on her social media channels.
Samantha Faiers is best known for the TV show The Only Way Is Essex. Leveraging her television fame, Faiers has built a substantial online presence by sharing about beauty, hair care, and family life. Her audience is primarily women between 18 and 44 years of age. With 70% in the UK, she is an excellent choice for a UK influencer marketing campaign.
Faiers is a trusted figure in the beauty community. She has also launched her own beauty and collagen products, authored books, and released "Mummy Diaries," a reality TV series that chronicles her life as a mother and entrepreneur.
Trinny Woodall is best known for being part of the 2000s presenter duo Trinny and Susannah, co-hosts of the hit TV series What Not to Wear. The show featured makeovers, hair care, and fashion advice that established Woodall as a trusted authority in the beauty and fashion industries.
Woodall then moved to social media, growing a large following on Instagram and Facebook. Woodall creates informative videos, often featuring beauty tutorials and styling tips. Her relatable and down-to-earth personality, combined with her extensive knowledge and experience, has helped her build a genuine connection with her followers, most (82%) of whom are women.
Holly Boon is a well-known UK beauty influencer. She initially gained popularity through her YouTube channel, where she shared makeup tutorials, fashion advice, and beauty tips. However, she now prefers Instagram.
Boon's engaging personality and love for beauty have helped her amass a substantial following on Instagram and YouTube. She has a glamorous fashion sense and posts full makeup looks featuring brands like Tarte and Mac.
Boon posts look with both high-end and affordable beauty products, providing her followers with options that suit every budget. She also has her own cosmetics line, HNB Cosmetics. She is a good fit for brands targeting 18-24-year-old women.
Chloe Elizabeth is a rising macro-influencer from the UK. She primarily shares beauty tutorials, product reviews, and lifestyle tips on YouTube and Instagram. She often experiments with various beauty trends and products, sharing a diverse range of looks and recommendations with her followers. Chloe Elizabeth is also open and honest about the cosmetic procedures she has had, honestly detailing her experiences in her content.
In addition to beauty content, Chloe Elizabeth also shares glimpses into her personal life, including fashion hauls, travel vlogs, and everyday routines. This blend of beauty and lifestyle content helps her connect with her audience on a deeper level.
She collaborates with brands like Doll Beauty, Huda Beauty, MAC, and Laura Mercier. Her audience is primarily 18-34 years old, with 75% being women.
8. Malin Andersson: @missmalinsara - Beauty and wellness influencer
Interests: Beauty, Inspiration & Lifestyle
Followers:
Instagram: 670,000
TikTok: x
YouTube: x
Location: UK
Location of the audience: UK (74%)
Kolsquare Credibility Score: 77/100
Average engagement rate:
Instagram Posts: 0.63% | Instagram Reels: 0.15%
TikTok: x
Earned Media Value:
Instagram Posts: €11,100
Instagram Reels: €4,660
Instagram Stories: €1,870
Malin Andersson is a beauty macro-influencer best known for her time on the reality TV show Love Island. Beyond television fame, Andersson is popular on social media, sharing beauty tips, lifestyle content, and thoughtful messages about body positivity. In an article for the magazine Popsugar, Andersson shared her regrets about the cosmetic procedures she had done and her determination to move towards self-love.
Her journey through personal challenges makes her a relatable and inspirational figure. Andersson selects collaborations thoughtfully to ensure they reflect her commitment to promoting positivity, self-expression, and empowering messages. Her audience is 86% female, mostly between the ages of 18 and 34.
Known online as "The Anna Edit," Anna Newton is a UK-based beauty and lifestyle influencer. Since starting her YouTube channel in 2010, Anna has built a significant following by sharing beauty looks, fashion advice, home organisation, and personal productivity content.
Newton's warm, approachable style and attention to detail have made her a trusted voice in the influencer community. Her beauty content often includes brands such as NARS, Lancôme, and Rose Inc.
Newton's content often focuses on minimalism and organisation. Her "Capsule Wardrobe" series demonstrates how to create versatile and stylish outfits with a limited wardrobe. Her audience is mostly between 18 and 44 years old, and she often gains thousands of likes on Instagram posts.
Louise Pentland is a well-known British beauty and lifestyle influencer. Her career began with the YouTube channel Sprinkle of Glitter, where Pentland won followers with her engaging personality. Content included beauty tutorials, lifestyle vlogs, and personal anecdotes. However, she has now rebranded the channel to fit different styles of content.
Pentland's influence goes beyond digital creator. She is also a successful author and podcaster. Plus, her content often highlights her journey as a mother and mental health awareness. Her authenticity and willingness to share her struggles have kept a high engagement rate on TikTok. Pentland's audience is mostly women aged 18 to 35.
A beauty influencer is an individual with a substantial social media following who shares beauty content. Think makeup tutorials, skincare routines, product reviews, get-ready-with-me posts, nail art, beauty tips, hair care, and more.
Beauty influencers share their expertise and personal experiences to create engaging, informative content that resonates with their audience. Due to their popularity, these digital creators now shape trends in the beauty industry.
How to launch successful influencer marketing in the beauty industry
Beauty influencers shape trends. So, brands must use influencer marketing to stay competitive. Influencers' ability to provide authentic reviews and relatable recommendations builds trust with target audiences.
Beauty brands often collaborate with influencers to create buzz around new products, gain exposure, and reach niche audiences that traditional marketing methods may not effectively target.
Influencer partnerships range from product gifting and giveaways to long-term ambassadorships with exclusive product lines co-created with the influencer.
The success of influencer marketing in the beauty industry is driven by the visual nature of platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. These platforms are ideal for showcasing beauty transformations and product demonstrations. Influencers can provide real-time feedback and interactive content, creating a dynamic and engaging marketing environment that resonates with consumers.
But how can you launch an effective campaign?
With Kolsquare, you can streamline your entire campaign. Forget hours searching for influencers who align with your brand, trying to manage the campaign across multiple channels, and then endless spreadsheets to develop reports.
Instead, you can use Kolsquare's search feature to shortcut a list of influencers who fit your requirements in seconds. Then, compare and analyse influencers on the platform with our valuable insights that tell you how engaged their audience is, the media value you can expect to gain, and much more.
Once your campaign is running smoothly, manage it on the platform to maximise organisation and receive quick insights and reports.
Low-budget, high-engagement: Collaborating with beauty micro-influencers
Beauty micro-influencers (10,000-100,000 followers) wield significant power in the beauty industry due to their high engagement rates, niche content, and strong community relationships.
Unlike macro or mega-influencers, micros can interact with followers regularly to build genuine connections, enhancing trust and authenticity. These close-knit communities value the influencer’s opinions and endorsements.
Micro-influencers often stick to specific niches, allowing brands to target more focused and relevant consumer segments. This often results in more effective marketing campaigns and higher conversion rates.
Who is the makeup artist influencer in the UK?
Tanya Burr is the makeup artist turned influencer on our list. However, there are many.
One of the most famous UK makeup artists and influencers is Lisa Eldridge. Her subtle, expert makeup looks have earned her millions of followers on Instagram and Facebook. She has worked with numerous high-profile clients, including celebrities, fashion houses, and top magazines.
Eldridge is also known for her educational and engaging beauty tutorials on YouTube, where she shares professional makeup techniques and tips, teaching followers how to blend eyeshadow and apply lipstick like a pro.
Worldwide, there are many more makeup artist creators, including Kassie, the 6-year-old who won the world's youngest beauty influencer award.
Who is the top beauty influencer? Kylie Jenner, Mikayla Nogueira, Huda Kattan
Huda Kattan, the founder of Huda Beauty, is one of the top beauty influencers worldwide. With over 50 million followers on Instagram, Huda Kattan has established a massive online presence through her makeup tutorials, beauty tips, and product reviews that resonate with her global audience. Her influence extends beyond social media; her cosmetics line, Huda Beauty, is one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the world, known for its high-quality products and innovative launches.
Kattan's ability to connect with her followers through authentic and engaging content has made her a leading figure in the beauty industry, driving trends and influencing purchasing decisions globally.
Other big names include Kylie Jenner and Mikayla Nogeira.
How do beauty influencers make money?
As a marketer or brand owner, understanding how beauty influencers make money is crucial for crafting effective collaboration strategies. And keep in mind that brands can also negotiate rates.
Beauty influencers leverage various revenue streams, including sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, product collaborations, and the launch of their own product lines.
Here’s an overview of these methods, along with typical pay rates and types of sponsorships:
Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts are one of the most common ways beauty influencers earn money. Brands pay influencers to create content featuring their products.
Here are the estimated pay rates:
Micro-influencers (10,000 to 100,000 followers) can earn between £100 and £1,000 per post.
Macro-influencers (100,000 to 1 million followers) typically earn between £1,000 and £10,000 per post.
Affiliate Marketing
Influencers earn a commission for every sale made through their unique affiliate links. This method allows influencers to generate passive income while promoting products they genuinely use and love.
Below are the pay rates for affiliate campaigns:
Commission rates typically range from 5% to 20% of the sale value.
The influencer may also be gifted products, invited to events, and given early access to product launches.
Popular affiliate programs include those from beauty retailers such as Sephora, Amazon, and individual beauty brands.
Product collaborations and brand ambassadorships
These are long-term partnerships between brands and influencers. Here, an influencer may help develop products or act as a brand ambassador. These collaborations often include creating limited-edition product lines or being the face of a marketing campaign. They are for influencers who deeply align with a brand and are typically only formed after successful short-term collaborations.
Below are the earnings for brand ambassadors:
Influencers can earn between £5,000 and £50,000 per campaign, depending on their reach and the project's scope.
Brand ambassadorships may include flat fees and commissions on product sales.
Ad revenue
Platforms like YouTube pay influencers a share of the ad revenue generated from their videos. The more views and engagement a video receives, the higher the potential earnings.
Influencers typically earn around £1 to £5 per 1,000 views. However, high-engagement channels with consistent content can earn significantly more.
Product lines
Many successful influencers launch their own beauty lines, leveraging their personal brand and loyal following to market their products.
Earnings from product lines can be substantial, often exceeding income from other sources if the product is well-received. For example, Huda Kattan has profited significantly from Huda Beauty.
How many beauty influencers are there?
There are many, many beauty influencers in the world. It's difficult to say exactly how many, but industry data suggest that there are at least 50,000 active beauty influencers across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Becoming an influencer: How to become a beauty influencer?
The market is saturated, but you can still win followers as a beauty influencer in 2025.
Start by carving out your niche. Is it beauty for olive skin? Eco products? Or creative looks? Once you've decided, post consistently in your unique voice.
Invest time in learning basic content creation skills, from video editing to SEO-friendly captions. Brands look for authenticity and engagement over follower count, so focus on building trust with your audience. But remember that, like any other career, becoming a beauty influencer requires strategy, consistency, and patience. You also need the ability to win followers, whether that's thanks to fun content or educational value.
Beauty influencer agency: International and UK
Consider working with an agency if your marketing team is short on time or resources. Agencies like Brand Nation or Connect Management specifically work with beauty creators. They'll plan and manage campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
While agencies offer a full service, the cost is often high. If you want an easy way to find beauty influencers who fit your requirements, try an influencer marketing platform like Kolsquare.
Kolsquare stores data about 473,309 influencers who share content in the beauty niche. You can filter through creators by follower size, audience demographics, and hashtags. It allows you to run a smart influencer campaign in-house at lower costs.
You can also track metrics, such as engagement rate and EMV, on the app.
Beauty is a fast-moving niche where trends change faster than the seasons.
In 2025, these are some of the biggest trends:
Who is the best makeup influencer on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube?
“Best” can be subjective, but these creators stand out for their strong engagement and influence in the beauty space:
Sophie Baverstock (@sophiebaverstock, 424,600 followers, Instagram): Known for her creative artistry and winner of Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, Sophie Baverstock has a loyal following thanks to her creative looks and expertise.
Lydia Flower (@lydiaflower_makeup, 310,000 followers, TikTok): A popular creator whose tutorials blend everyday beauty with trend-led looks. Lydia Fowler is known for her approachable style and Gen Z appeal.
Mia Maugé (@mia.mauge, 171,000 followers, Instagram & YouTube): A leading voice in pro-age beauty, Mia Maugé is an author, speaker, and beauty influencer.
Who is the most influential makeup artist?
Thousands of make-up and beauty influencers post before and after shots, get ready with me, and share trending looks on social media platforms. Their loyal followings check in to get advice, view spectacular looks, and discover what's new.
Here are some of the most influential makeup influencers in the world:
Lisa Eldridge (@lisaeldridgemakeup, 1.9m followers, Instagram): Renowned British makeup artist and author, Lisa Eldridge, is the queen of classic looks and vintage-inspired tutorials.
Pat McGrath (@patmcgrathreal, 6m followers, Instagram): Dubbed "the most influential makeup artist in the world" by Vogue, McGrath is the founder of Pat McGrath Labs and a trailblazer in high-fashion beauty.
Bobbi Brown (@justbobbibrowndotcom, 897,000 followers, Instagram): Founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, she's known for promoting natural beauty and has a significant presence in the beauty industry.
Atarah Mayhew (@AtarahMayhew, 7.21m subscribers, YouTube): Bold looks, unboxings, and hacks, Mayhew does it all. She has many followers across multiple social media platforms.
Male makeup influencers
Here is a list of male makeup influencers:
James Charles (@jamescharles, 41m followers, TikTok): A beauty influencer and makeup artist who gained fame as the first male CoverGirl ambassador, known for his creative looks and tutorials.
Wayne Goss (@gossmakeupartist, 703,500 followers): A professional makeup artist and YouTuber, Goss is appreciated for his straightforward tutorials and product reviews.
Jake Warden: Known for glam looks, transformations, and engaging, high-quality makeup content.
Asian heritage makeup influencers
Here are some popular makeup influencers with Asian heritage or living in Asia:
Pony (Park Hye-Min): South Korean beauty guru known for flawless transformations and soft glam.
Bretman Rock (@bretmanrock, 1.88m followers, Instagram): A multifaceted influencer known for his vibrant personality, makeup artistry, and fitness content, Rock has a diverse and expansive following.
Frederic Chen (@frederic.chen, 1.2m followers, YouTube): A content creator blending humour with makeup tutorials, Chen is recognised for his engaging and relatable beauty content.
Diverse Makeup Influencers
Below are three popular male makeup influencers:
Mia Maugé: A pro-age beauty advocate promoting mature skin confidence and inclusivity.
Jackie Aina: Nigerian-American influencer who champions deeper skin tones and diversity in the beauty industry.
Nyma Tang: Known for her "Darkest Shade" series, advocating for better shade ranges for deep skin.
Who is the highest-paid makeup influencer?
It's not possible to track every influencer's earnings. But high-earning makeup influencers include James Charles and Bretman Rock. It's estimated that they make millions every year thanks to their influencer earnings.
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