Unless you’ve been living under a very large rock, it’s not hard to notice the how huge the beauty industry has become over the last several years. Nbc.com reports that the makeup industry experienced a sales growth rate increase of 13% over the course of a single year between 2014 and 2015. Also, according to Forbes.com, as of 2017 beauty had become a $445 billion industry. That sounds crazy, but it definitely doesn’t come as a surprise to me.
So, how does an industry grow to be such a prominent force so rapidly?
I am convinced that this beauty boom has everything to do with social media.
How can I be so sure you ask?
I experienced it firsthand.
So like any other girl, I started wearing makeup in my awkward pre-teen years. I remember standing in front of my mom’s bathroom mirror while she showed me how to put on the too-dark-for-my-skin-tone foundation and swipe the purple powder across my eyelids. I mean, I thought it was a good look.
I obviously got better at doing makeup as I practiced over the years (traded in the purple eyeshadow for brown and learned how to put on eyeliner), but it wasn’t until my senior year in high school that I discovered beauty videos on YouTube. It was like the door to a whole new world was opened! I found new techniques and products that completely changed my makeup game. I was spending countless hours watching videos about proper blending techniques, how to contour, and how important setting spray is.
My fascination quickly grew into a hobby and during my freshman year of college, I was doing my makeup for fun at least once a week. I would work on my makeup for 3 hours just to stay in my dorm and watch Netflix all night. I was always testing new eyeshadow colors and different brands of face powder. I bought 3 big eyeshadow palettes that year and tons of other beauty products. I was obsessed, and I feel like many other girls have gone through or are going through that stage in their lives.
So yes, I totally credit the boom of the beauty industry to social media because that’s what got me, and so many others, hooked. Social media has become such a driving force present day, that its’s difficult to deny its power. Outlets like YouTube and Instagram have created a gateway for the sudden popularity and prosperity in makeup and beauty, because of the influence it has on us.
I’m excited to see where social media’s power will lead us next.
Thanks for reading and until next time,
K
businessbliss.business.blog 