Selfies and blogs dominate Brits’ online activity, rather than celebrities

17-Sep-2015 - Last updated on 18-Sep-2015 at 10:53 GMT

Beauty consumers in the UK are more likely to post a picture of themselves online, share content and engage with brands on social platforms and blogs than look at celebrities using cosmetics products.

According to new research from Mintel, 70% of social media, blog and vlog (video blog) users access beauty content online, but of this group less than one in 10 are interested in seeing pictures of celebrities using beauty products.

Consumers would rather, it seems, place their trust in beauty bloggers, as over two thirds of online social platform users in the UK have used social media to view beauty content, whilst 43% have viewed blogs or vlogs, rising to 70% of women aged 16-24, most likely for inspiration.

Mintel research also shows that one in six of those who use beauty blogs or vlogs have bought beauty products based on its opinion or recommendation, rising to 35% of women aged 16-24.

“The fact that such a small number of beauty and personal care social media users are interested in celebrities using beauty products is reflective of a wider trend of consumers placing a low level of trust in advertising and celebrity endorsed products,” says Charlotte Libby, Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel.

“Beauty categories have started to take a more innovative approach to their limited edition lines, with inspiration moving away from mainstream celebrity collaborations to celebrating more unlikely beauty icons.”

Let me take a selfie…

Going a step further given that selfies are now well and truly part of our culture, it seems to be especially popular with online beauty users.

Mitel says that one quarter of social media users have posted a picture of themselves online, rising to two fifths of women aged 16-24; although of those who have posted a picture of themselves online, two thirds say they would be interested in receiving more product samples from the social media platforms of beauty brands.

“Following the rise of social media networks, posting pictures online has become a common occurrence, and many consumers are openly interacting with beauty brands online in this way,” continues Charlotte.

“This adds to the depth of user profiling data research brands can capture, with a literal picture of their user base now available.”