A nationwide poll carried out by healthy and beauty website Wahanda, surveyed 1,700 women aged 25 to 54, and found that seven in ten women said they trusted online reviews, and that they would make purchasing decisions based on peer recommendations.
It also found that despite the ‘celebrity-obsessed’ world we live in, 80 per cent of us are not influenced by celebrity endorsements of beauty products.
"This shows the power of online reviews and forums and their reputation as a trustworthy source of information,” commented Lopo Champalimaud, CEO of Wahanda.
The results of this survey is another example of the increasingly influential power that social media can hold for beauty brands, particularly as a marketing tool.
Social media – a powerful thing
According to digital media specialist Socialnomics, as many as nine in ten consumers worldwide value peer recommendations the most when making a decision on a brand or a product.
Figures from market researcher Nielsen suggest similar and state that only 14 per cent of consumers trust adverts and allow them to shape their views on a product.
The growth in popularity of social media in general has had a massive impact on marketing, with 77 per cent of people turning to blogs to influence their purchasing decisions, which is especially staggering when you consider that there are more than 152m blogs on the internet.
The value of social media as a marketing tool, its use in cosmetics and its value as a tool to market niche products are all areas that will be discussed at this year’s Beauty From Within conference in Paris on 27th October.
The conference will focus on various challenges behind the education and marketing of nutricosmetics to consumers as well as covering scientific validation, new product forms and categories and how to overcome the current regulation confusion.
For more information on speakers, the programme and to book your delegate place, please visit the conference website http://www.cd-beautyfromwithin.com or email conferences@wrbm.com