Just as its beloved barely there skin tints fade in a long-wear scenario, the “no-makeup makeup” era is beginning to dissipate. Although the minimalist beauty trend (defined by bare eyes and glowing skin) went platinum thanks to Hailey Bieber variants, community-based social media platform Reddit observed an 81% year-over-year decline in views to “no-makeup makeup” mentions, according to its first-ever beauty report, titled “The People’s Beauty Index,” released this month.
With more than 130 million daily active users flocking to Reddit for genuine (read: transparent) product reviews and conversations, the platform’s new report tracked the biggest shifts within its beauty-related forums from the past year. Perhaps it’s fitting that “no-makeup makeup” is fizzling out as consumers are increasingly reminiscing about 2016-era beauty trends that spotlighted bold cut creases and sculpted faces beaten to the gods. Beauty brands are also tapping into nostalgic throwbacks: This July, Milk Makeup reissued its 2016 OGs — Tattoo Stamp, Eye Vinyl and Roll + Blot — each retailing for $20.16.
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit
Although the post-pandemic “clean girl” phenomenon has reigned supreme in the beauty industry for years, consumers are once again embracing glitz and glam. This renewed appetite for creativity shows up in Reddit’s data: In r/MakeupAddiction (“r/” indicates subreddits, or distinct discussion forums on Reddit), views to eye-shadow palette posts increased 56% and tutorial discussions rose 38%. Beauty brands are already responding to consumers’ evolving tastes: Saie (a classic “clean girl” staple) just debuted its SuperSuede Baked Eye Shadows and Marc Jacobs Beauty unveiled whimsical star-shaped single shadows for its June relaunch.
Conversations around makeup experimentation are surging on Reddit, signaling a shift away from the pursuit of “effortless” perfection. Views to discussions around “pre-shower makeup” (a.k.a. trialing bold, colorful looks right before hopping in the shower) and “playing” with makeup increased nearly 400% over the past year in r/MakeupAddiction and r/Makeup (two of Reddit’s biggest makeup communities).
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit
Reddit’s community-based beauty culture is also punctuated by a 32% decrease in posts mentioning keywords like “fix,” “hide,” “cover,” “correct” and “conceal.” This coincides with a 220% increase in posts mentioning “embrace,” “highlight,” “enhance” and “emphasize,” which showcases the presence of supportive online communities in popular subreddits like r/HoodedEyes, r/ShortyNails, r/BlackHair and r/AskWomenOver40. The gender-inclusive r/Bald community (where users navigate hair loss or choosing to shave their heads) also skyrocketed to 1.2 billion views, up 467% year-over-year.
The platform serves as a popular hub for product discovery and education, as seen in r/AsianBeauty, where users recommend sunscreens from K-beauty brands like Beauty of Joseon, Skin1004 and Round Lab (with each bringing in about 700,000 to 1 million views). This online community support is also leading to an IRL impact on consumer confidence: According to the report, “nearly 7 in 10 people feel more confident buying a product after reading about it on Reddit.”
Read Reddit’s full report here.
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