The Emergence of a Novel Language of Aesthetics in Social Media Platforms
The intersection of beauty products and beauty standards is no longer a straightforward cause-and-effect relationship. Social media platforms have mediated this dynamic, transforming how beauty is defined and democratized. For instance, Pinterest cultivates a soft, attainable look, while TikTok embraces bold, filter-heavy trends. These platforms shape beauty routines into creative expressions and community-building avenues.
In the United States, trending beauty keywords focus on aims like "youthful" and "elastic," whereas in Korea, the emphasis is on prevention, protection, and hydration. As social media facilitates cross-cultural exchange, these global differences are becoming increasingly intertwined, with consumers actively shaping both products and the cultural definition of beauty.
The platformization of beauty on social media has fashioned unique beauty dialects that brands and consumers must navigate. This framework develops due to technological affordances, social pressures, gendered expectations, and the pursuit of metric gains. Shiri Feldman, a beauty product marketing and copywriting consultant, notes this transformation: "Like many millennials, I learned makeup techniques from YouTube beauty gurus who championed heavy-handed application methods like 'baking.' Watching today's TikTok beauty creators feels like learning an entirely new approach to makeup!"
Pinterest presides as both an archive and oracle, claiming that trends on Pinterest emerge earlier than elsewhere on the internet. For example, the platform's 2024 predictions highlighted an increase in blue makeup searches (+65% for blue eyeshadow aesthetics, +100% for aqua makeup looks). Following the report, brands like Chanel and Maybelline introduced blue-themed products such as eyeliners and mascaras. Guides on specific looks like 'Ocean Eye' and 'Smokey Denim' further demonstrate Pinterest's influence on shaping brand releases and mainstream beauty trends.
For beauty brands, success now necessitates fluency in platform-specific beauty dialects, particularly on TikTok. In 2023, U.S. beauty sales reached $31.7 billion, with viral trends like '#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt' driving a 15% growth in prestige makeup sales. Globally, TikTok Shops achieved $2.5 billion in beauty sales, making it the platform's top-selling category. Although creators like makeup artist Aoife Cullen value spaces free from 'the pressure of sticking to hooks, format, and the recipe for virality to remain relevant,' the sales figures underscore TikTok's undeniable influence on beauty consumer behavior.
Beyond social media influence, co-creation platforms like Beaubble and KIKI World offer spaces where community members directly influence product development through voting systems. Launched in May 2023, KIKI World has already amassed over 5,000 members and 20 successful voting campaigns. KIKI World's impact is evident in its user engagement: 50% of product sales are made by members who voted in at least one co-creation campaign, while 30% have voted more than twice, with top members voting over 200 times. These metrics demonstrate how democratizing product development can transform the traditional top-down relationship between beauty brands and consumers, redistributing power over who shapes beauty discourse.
Social media's beauty content has evolved from vanity showcases into powerful cultural scripts. The 'Get Ready With Me' (GRWM) format exemplifies this transformation, with #grwmmakeup content growing 900% year-over-year on TikTok in 2024. These formats choreograph products into stories of identity and aspiration. By showcasing viral products like the "holy grail" concealer or the IFKYK brand's trending trinket before a creator opens their curated bag, creators like Janelle Zharmenova, whose beauty content has generated $40.3M in earned media value with 16.76% engagement rates, empower viewers to claim these identities across social platforms.
The power of beauty vernacular reaches beyond description into shaping user identity. While viral beauty terms can 'bring the community together and give people something to be excited and talk about,' they've evolved into something more complex. For instance, 'glass skin' - a Korean beauty term describing skin so smooth, clear, and luminous it resembles glass - took on a life of its own overseas and transformed the global beauty industry, driving the K-Beauty market to reach USD $91.99 billion in 2022 and projected to grow 9.3% annually through 2030. The rise of 'glass skin' also reflects a broader shift in consumer preferences toward skincare over makeup.
Such contradictions within the beauty industry highlight the ongoing struggle to balance authenticity with aspiration. Reportedly, 50% of millennials and 45% of Gen Z are willing to abandon beauty brands they perceive as socially irresponsible. The gap between product promises and actual results isn't a flaw in the system - it's a feature. For L'Oréal, mastering beauty vernacular is a "social asset" - a form of cultural capital that signals belonging and cachet within digital beauty spaces.
The evolution of beauty vernacular on social media demonstrates how platforms aren't just changing how we talk about beauty - they're reshaping who participates in these conversations and how brands can engage authentically. Marketers can navigate this new beauty landscape by mastering platform-specific language, championing co-creation, understanding that beauty terminology doesn't just market products but creates cultural scripts, learning how terms like 'glass skin' transcend borders, and honoring generational values.
- In the interconnected world of social media, consumers are shaping not only beauty products but also the cultural definition of beauty, as observed in the differences between trending beauty keywords in the United States and Korea.
- Success for beauty brands in the current digital age requires fluency in platform-specific beauty dialects, especially on TikTok, which has been instrumental in driving a 15% growth in prestige makeup sales in the U.S.
- Co-creation platforms such as Beaubble and KIKI World provide spaces for community members to directly influence product development through voting systems, democratizing the traditional top-down relationship between beauty brands and consumers.
- The rise of 'glass skin,' a Korean beauty term, serves as a prime example of how viral beauty terms can transcend borders, reshaping the global beauty industry and reflecting a broader shift in consumer preferences towards skincare over makeup.
