Elisabeth King reports on the top 10 YouTube beauty and style channels in the US, Time Inc launching beauty website, new Australian guidelines for cosmetic surgery, and US beauty companies feeling the pressure of a strong dollar.
The Top 10 YouTube beauty and style channels in the US - what they earn
There's some wild figures being tossed around about the incomes of the top Australian beauty and style YouTubers. SlateScore has released a list of the top 10 beauty and style YouTubers in the US and none of them comes close to breaking the million dollar barrier, although two are halfway there.
The company measures influence and whether channels are the right vehicle for marketers, which is why some who earn less and score fewer views are ranked more highly. All have received an overall evaluation score in the high 600s and 700s, which places them in the top 5% of all measured YouTube channels.
1) Yuya (lady16makeup) - Monthly earnings - US$54,648; monthly views - 41.2 million
2) grav3yardgirl - Monthly earnings: US$44,911; monthly views - 33.78 million
3) Tanya Burr (pixi2woo) - Monthly earnings: US$9211; monthly views - 6.37 million
4) shaaanxo - Monthly earnings: US$9354; monthly views - 6.78 million
5) Carli Bybel(CarliBel55) - Monthly earnings: US$16,644; monthly views - 11.3 million
6) Nicole Guerriero ( nguerriero19) - Monthly earnings: US$9686; monthly views - 7.11 million
7) Michelle Phan - Monthly earnings: US$19,777; monthly views - 12.31 million
8) daaruum - Monthly earnings: US$4,481; monthly views - 4.77 million
9) MayBaby (maybabytumbler) - Monthly earnings: US$6,342; monthly views - 12.6 million
10) kandeejohnson - Monthly earnings: US$9039; monthly views - 6.43 million
Time Inc launches beauty website
Cosmetic, fragrance and skincare advertising provides a major chunk of revenues for traditional print publishers worldwide. In May, Hearst will launch its Beauty Unbound initiative in the UK, upping the beauty content in its British stable of glossies by 50% and boosting online efforts in a cross-platform strategy. A me-too of last year's successful US promotion which lifted beauty advertising by 10% across all of the publisher's titles.
More and more print publishers are planning to expand their beauty clout online by launching or acquiring beauty websites and the trend is set to really ignite as the year progresses. Time Inc has launched MIMI mimichatter.com, described as "a constant stream of social chatter, beauty content and videos for the beauty obsessed". Time Inc's portfolio includes InStyle, StyleWatch, Essence, Real Simple and the Spanish version of People magazine. In-house beauty editors, influential bloggers and regular readers will supply beauty news, trends, how-tos, tips and product reviews, boosted by curated beauty content from around the web.
According to Evelyn Webster, Time Inc, executive vice-president: "MIMI represents a substantial opportunity for Time Inc to attract new consumers, while deepening engagement with our existing audience of 70+ million women. Across Time Inc brands alone, we reach the women responsible for nearly 60% of all beauty product sales in the US, making MIMI an ideal solution for clients seeking to leverage the spending power of this highly coveted audience".
New Australian guidelines flag cooling off periods for cosmetic surgery
Australia has long taken a tougher regulatory stance on the cosmetic surgery industry, even for injectables such as Botox and dermal fillers. The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery estimates that Australians spend around $1 billion a year on surgical and non-surgical procedures. Over $350 million is spent on prescription-only injections - Botox and fillers - and more than 30,000 liposuction and 8000 breast augmentation procedures are performed each year.
The Medical Board of Australia has proposed new guidelines, including cooling off periods and mandatory assessments. Now open for public discussion until May 29th, the proposals are aimed at greater safety for consumers and have strong support from leading medical authorities.
Young people are a particular focus. Anyone under the age of 18 would be required to have an assessment by a psychiatrist or psychologist. A three month cooling off period would be applied for procedures such as breast augmentation and reduction, rhinoplasty and liposuction.
Adults considering these procedures, plus facelifts, would require a seven day cooling off period, in addition to a written estimation of the total cost. There would also be new rules explaining possible risks and complications to patients and post-operative care, including emergency facilities.
The guidelines would also extend to the beauty industry to cover laser hair removal, dermabrasion, chemical peels, hair replacement therapy, microsclerotherapy and injections. Mandatory face-to-face consultations with doctors would also be required before prescribing Botox or dermal fillers.
US beauty companies feeling the pressure of a strong dollar
It's not just the Australian dollar that's on a downward trajectory against the surging greenback. Nearly every currency from the Canadian dollar to the euro has also lost major ground. Key US beauty players such as and Procter & Gamble have both expressed alarm with P&G CFO, Jon Moeller, commenting: "This is the most significant fiscal year currency impact we have ever incurred".
Only holidaymakers and importers and exporters of American products are bemoaning lower exchange rates. Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L'Oréal Paris, isn't the only one who sees greater opportunities for other countries to cash in. "We have been handicapped by the strength of the euro, but now it seems that the wind is turning and we intend to make the most of this very positive currency effect that will help us deliver a nice increase of our sales and profits in 2015" he told investors recently.
It's also good for Australian beauty exporters such as Chemcorp (Vixen, Freestyle brushes, 1000 Hour etc), MOR and a laundry list of other brands who are in the process of expanding their export programs to the US, Europe and Asia.
Snippets from the wires
- South America remains a goldmine for direct selling companies because retail infrastructure isn't as developed as in more mature markets. Brazil is a hotspot for and has experienced soaring growth since entering the Brazilian market in 1998. With an initial investment of US$8 million to kick-start operations. Mary Kay has announced it will set up an office in Colombia to offer 150 select colour, skincare, fragrance and body products.
- How time flies. It's been 10 years since Paris Hilton launched her first fragrance - Paris Hilton for Women. A limited anniversary edition - the 18th juice for the socialite - hit US stores last week, encased in a bottle studded with rhinestones.
- Urban Decay is the latest L'Oréal-owned brand to debut in travel retail. The first two counters opened in Dublin and Changi airports recently. The French giant plans to open "10 to 15" travel retail outlets for the edgy brand by year's end.
- Michelle Phan scored the ultimate trip for vloggers last week. The online dynamo accompanied Michelle Obama on her five day trip to Asia to amplify her "Let Girls Learn" global education initiative. Phan interviewed the First Lady with questions posed by her Twitter followers.
- Luxury footwear brand went public on the London Stock Exchange last October. A good move it seems. The company has announced preliminary figures for 2014, detailing a 6.5% rise in global sales to $576 million.
