How They'll Change The Male Influencer Industry
Celebrity brand launches are nothing new, especially in the health and beauty industry. However, there's been a clear shift lately which has created an increase in brand launch announcements. And, this is the first that they have been straight-male driven.
A beauty revolution is happening. You just have to know how to benefit from it. In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses the three most recent male beauty brand launches, and how your beauty brand could benefit from a male influencer.
The New Male Beauty Wave
This year, we have already seen two new male beauty brands launch and are expecting to see more in the near future. Differently from some celebrities like David Beckham who have helped create popular male grooming brands, we are seeing a shift into the makeup and beauty industry for straight men.
Concealer, nail polish, eyeliner, and even contouring are becoming more and more popular for men and accepted by society. In the mid and early 2010's, a similar beauty revolution came for gay men. Covergirl announced their first male representative, James Charles, in 2016 which caused more and more large makeup brands to retarget their marketing to new communities.
Now, we are in the midst of a new beauty revolution, breaking down gender norms permanently. If you want to read more about the "New Male Beauty Wave," and the evolution of male beauty, read my other blog.
Lil' Yachty's 'Crete'
Rapper Lil’ Yachty recently announced the creation of his gender-neutral nail paint company, dipping into a different but popular side of the beauty world for men. His brand, Crete, is the most recent brand launch which has directly been targeted towards the younger generation.
On May 3rd, The Crete Instagram was created and their first post went up, featuring a bts video of the rapper creating promotional content for his brand. In the video, Lil’ Yachty added, “I want to encourage the use of all genders, all ages, all sizes. If you find painting your nails is a way to show your creative side, or it’s an aesthetic that fits you, you shouldn’t be judged for it."
Lil’ Yachty’s Crete post stated that the nail polish would be available on May 21st. By May 22nd the brand was completely sold out and announced the accomplishment on their Instagram account. If that doesn’t show you the consumer trend that is happening, I don’t know what else does.
A-Rod's 'Hims' Collaboration
Then came A-Rod’s concealer collaboration announcement. On May 20th, celebrity baseball star, Alex Rodriguez, posted a series of photos on his Instagram announcing that he was working with Hims, a male centered health and wellness company.
In his post, Rodriguez stated, “That’s why I am excited to share a new @Hims product - The Blur Stick. It’s a convenient concealer specifically designed for men that can be used for skin imperfections.” The product is advertised on the Hims Instagram to help men with dark circles, razor burns, and acne.
There hasn't been much talk about the success of the brand, and there aren't many reviews online since the brand is so new. However, those who have commented on the post, and those who have reviewed it for an article, are thoroughly impressed with the product.
Pharrell Williams' 'Humanrace' Skin Care Line
Although Humanrace already launched, it is still one of the many recent examples of a straight-male-run beauty brand.
Williams launched his all-inclusive skin care brand in November of 2020, attempting to change the idea of good skin care for everyone. The first paragraph on the brand's website even reads "nothing is more important to humanity than our unified health and wellbeing."
Williams is known for his seemingly anti-aging face and youthful skin, so it is only fitting that he would pioneer such a business. The idea is to provide clean, and healthy skin care to everyone that doesn't have to be complicated, and doesn't have to be specialized because of race or gender.
Since the launch of the brand, their products have been consistently selling out and being restocked, and there are dozens of online reviews of the products. Professional estheticians have reviewed the products and been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the ingredients. Even rapper, Tyler the Creator, uses Humanrace as his skincare brand.
Up until Williams launch, there had been no straight male-run skincare businesses. He has done a great job of marketing an androgynous, inclusive brand which targets consumers who need natural skincare.
How A Male Influencer Could Benefit Your Brand
As we’ve established, the beauty industry is changing for men and has been for a few years now, but how many men are really open to this change?
According to a study done by Morning Consult in 2019; “thirty-three percent of men ages 18-29 said they would consider wearing makeup.” Some statistics sources even expect close to a 60% increase in the male beauty market by 2027, raising the value from $47 Billion to $75 Billion.
The Morning Consult study also mentions that men ages 18-29 tend to be more open to the idea of makeup than other age groups. However, the study doesn’t specify sexual orientation.
Because of the demographic of male beauty influencers for the last 5 years, it could be argued that a higher percentage of gay men are willing to purchase makeup products over straight men.
It’s clear that we are at the very beginning of a life-long shift in the industry, so it’s best to jump on the band wagon now. Studies also show that Gen Z consumers value authenticity in the companies that they buy from and seek out businesses who are interested in supporting diverse communities in their marketing.
Adding a male influencer to your team could change your brand’s reputation in the eyes of Gen Z and younger Millennial consumers and boost your overall sales. This marketing strategy could also be the key to sensationalizing your brand, becoming a part of a bigger conversation about beauty standards, and making your brand a household name.
How To Start A Male Beauty Partnership
When it comes to finding male beauty influencers, it may be a challenge since the movement is so new. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. There are numerous up-and-coming beauty influencers who are taking after stars like James Charles, and even more who aren’t beauty-centric but would be willing to represent your brand.
Since nail polish and makeup are becoming hot trends for straight men, it should be easy for you to find a big influencer who would be interested in a partnership. However, with that said, there are some things to be cautious of when partnering with any type of influencer.
Before partnering with a social influencer, you need to consider if their values align with your brand, if their audience aligns with your brand, and if their engagement is high enough to make the partnership worthwhile.
You should always make sure that an influencer’s followers resemble your target audience. Checking up on their audience statistics is important. You can look at age range, interests, and employment as well as many other factors to determine if their audience would buy your product.
Additionally, you want to consider how often the influencer’s audience is engaging with their content. Don’t just pick influencers with a high following. It is crucial to consider the statistics of their engagement which you can see on a variety of influencer statistic websites. If your influencer’s engagement rate is between 1% and 5%, the partnership would be worthwhile.
Lastly, be aware of fake influencers and stay away from people who buy followers. Making the mistake of partnering with influencers like these will often guarantee failure in the partnership campaign.
Learn More About Celebrity Partnerships!
Working with celebrities and influencers alike can be tricky if you haven't done it before. If you're thinking about partnering with a social media influencer or a celebrity, check out some of our other agency blogs to read more.
- Creating Content With Influencer Marketing
- Marketing From An Influencer's Perspective
- Celebrity Partnerships With Makeup Brands
- Top 10 Celebrity Endorsements
- 6 Steps To Create A Celebrity Social Media Campaign
If you want to find out more about celebrity partnerships and how to leverage them for your brand's social media, then check out our webinar!
