A sign of the huge potential that influencers online can have on real-world trends and product development, the new brand ‘The Illustrated Nail’ takes the name Harris-Gleenslade uses as her handle on the popular image-sharing social media site.
The Illustrated Nail’s distinctive hand-painted nail art has a loyal 500k following on social media, according to the new brand, and her designs are worn by some of the biggest names in the industry and are featured in magazines such as Vogue, Elle and i-D.
Launching with Boots in August, the press-on nails are perfect recreations of the artist’s intricate and most popular hand-painted designs, according to the brand, making the range the first of its kind to hit the market.
Influencer impact: not to be underestimated
The intimacy and authenticity demanded by consumers from their beauty brands means digital advertising and engagement has become huge business for the industry.
As noted in a recent report by The Drum, beauty players that harness this potential are the ones doing the best when it comes to rocketing growth.
“The color-cosmetics category particularly appeals to the vlogger generation, due to its visual nature, fueling a burgeoning demand for make-up tutorials. This is where disruptors dominate in making connections at scale,” explains The Drum’s Greg James.
“Take UK beauty and skincare brand Charlotte Tilbury as an example. Charlotte Tilbury has 256 videos currently on YouTube and 574,828 subscribers,” he says.
“By comparison, L’Oréal Paris UK & Ireland’s official YouTube channel has 660 videos but only 45,290 subscribers. Personality power, authenticity and novelty combine to disrupt and empower a new brand to succeed.”
Partnership with UK manufacturer
The new Illustrated Nail brand is being launched in partnership with British beauty manufacturer H&A.
H&H says the brand has already attracted strong interest: Holly Humphreys, Licensing & Marketing Manager at H&A, says: “We’re delighted to be launching such gorgeous products in partnership with Sophie.
“We’ve received so much interest in the range since our launch event at the Christmas in July Festival, the brand is so exciting and different - it’s time for something new in nails!”
