In a survey conducted in May among 1,044 participants, reflective of the US population with 97% confidence, the majority of Gen Z women (92%) acknowledge that their beauty or wellness routines are influenced by online creators, illustrating the trust and power creators hold in driving consumer behavior.
Seventy-eight percent of Gen Z and 61% of Millennial women rank creators as their most trusted source for beauty recommendations, with social media ranking as the number one platform where they discover new beauty products, according to the new report released by LTK.
Even when compared to trusted traditional sources, Gen Z and Millennials prefer creator content over retailer websites, and Gen Z women rank creators higher than friends and family when it comes to beauty and personal care recommendations. In fact, the LTK Beauty Shopper Study revealed that 83% of Gen Z women shop for creators’ beauty and personal care recommendations online and 82% shop their recommendations in stores.
Foundation, Mascara & More Top Most-Purchased Items
Recession-Proof Shopping
While 74% of women believe the US is currently amid another recession, the majority (61%) plan to maintain or even increase their spending on beauty and personal care. Shoppers tend to splurge on items they value, with 43% of the general population admitting to this behavior. Gen Gen Z is more likely to shop for drugstore products (52%) and look for less expensive versions of luxury items (47%). Across the board, quality seems to trump price as the determining factor for a purchase among all generations.
LTK Creators’ Impact on Beauty
The study also highlighted the power of video in commerce guided shopping. LTK posts with video content result in a 64% higher retail sales per post to static images. Shoppers were found to purchase three times as much from LTK creator videos than other media types in the LTK platform, and most prefer video content over still images (66%) on social media.
“As more people turn to creators as a trusted source on beauty and personal care products, advice and inspiration, creators have become the best way for brands to reach their customers in an authentic and impactful way,” said Ally Anderson, director of Strategy & Insights at LTK. “Brands that lean into the authenticity and trust creators have built with their communities are winning across an array of metrics that are leading to meaningful business growth.”
