Who are the world’s top 15 YouTube make-up and beauty influencers with millions of subscribers?
- Offering everything from ‘quick how to’ make-up videos to ‘get ready with me’ tutorials, these wealthy creators on YouTube include Yuya, Jeffree Star, Manny Gutierrez and James Charles
YouTube’s beauty community, which is awash with money, views and big personalities, features one of the largest groups of creators using the American video-sharing website.
Social media beauty and make-up creators – along with those in other top categories, such as gaming – are dominating the world’s online influencer space.
American make-up artist and beauty entrepreneur Jeffree Star ranks No 5 on Forbes magazine’s list of the highest-paid YouTube influencers, having earned an estimated US$18 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1 last year
The American make-up artist and beauty entrepreneur Jeffree Star ranks No 5 on Forbes magazine’s list of the highest-paid YouTube influencers, having earned an estimated US$18 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1 last year.
In recent years the quality of videos posted in this category has intensified.
The traditional “get ready with me” make-up look, or “quick how-to” videos (such as Zoella’s hugely popular How To: My Quick and Easy Hairstyle video from 2013, with 12.7 million views) no longer make the cut, as more professionally produced content floods the space.
Some of the earlier top creators in this space, such as Michelle Phan, Bethany Mota (Macbarbie07), and Zoe Sugg (Zoella) – with 8, 10 and 11 million subscribers respectively – rarely upload videos any more.
These beauty gurus have taken a back seat, as new creators such as James Charles (15.9 million subscribers) have risen to the top.
Charles takes an artistic approach to his tutorials and, with a steady hand, the internet star has filmed some intricate looks – a make-up trend now popular among such social media influencers.
Among all these changes, YouTube’s beauty community has attracted some major attention, with publications including The New York Times covering the social media row between YouTube influencer Tati Westbrook and Charles.