Following in the footsteps of older sister Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner is now well and truly one of the world’s most popular social media influencers. With 74.1 million Instagram fans, the youngest Kardashian is shaping modern popular culture – particularly when it comes to the beauty world.
Light was recently shed on Jenner’s exact selling power when M.A.C Cosmetics global brand president Karen Buglisi Weiler spoke to WWD. Immediately after Jenner documented her use of Velvet Teddy lipstick and Soar liner back in 2014, the products soared to the second best-selling lipstick and number-one liner, a status they hold to this day. Both shades were out of stock for a number of weeks across the US and UK, with a subsequent demand for neutral shades that propelled the category forward in the popularity stakes.
M.A.C Cosmetics senior vice president and group creative director James Gager explores the ‘Kylie Jenner effect’ further, applauding Jenner for her “phenomenal job” at redirecting attention back to lipsticks and colour. He compared her impact on lipstick trends to what Madonna achieved in the 1990s. He says of her influencer impact: “It’s just being done in a bigger way by virtue of the quantity people can have as followers. The medium is different, but the concept is no different than it ever was.”
While Jenner is now relative competition to M.A.C as a result of launching her namesake brand, Gager believes that Jenner continues to generate business for all lipstick companies. Jenner’s chosen shades of make-up generates publicity for a colour rather than a brand, with followers eager to find a similar shade in the brand of their choice. Says Gager: “I don’t see [Kylie Cosmetics] as negative [competition] but healthy. They are our fan base and will come find it from us.”
