The hottest beauty brands on YouTube are not necessarily the ones that have the largest marketing budgets. In fact, it’s often the smaller brands that truly understand how to deliver entertaining and engaging video content. Here, Beauty Insider reviews a selection of the Top 10 performing beauty brands on YouTube, as identified by Tribe Dynamics, and how these brands are gaining share of voice on beauty’s all-powerful platform.

NYX
Scope/range of video content: NYX promotes its community of content creators, especially ‘rising star’ makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts.

Overall look and feel of videos: Dramatic beauty looks

Flagship videos or video series: The NYX FACE Awards, an annual contest for up-and-coming makeup artists, is like the YouTube makeup equivalent of American Idol.

Building awareness, consumer engagement: By showcasing the talents of budding makeup artists, NYX builds brand awareness and nurtures the next generation of vlogger stars with organic ties to the brand.

Benefit


Scope/range of video content:

Benefit leverages the authenticity of product reviews by way of its influencer community, such as its Liked playlist. Other popular playlists include All About Brows, Friends with Benefit and Five Minutes to Flawless.

Overall look and feel of videos: Girly, whimsical
Flagship videos or video series: With dozens of videos on All About Brows!, Benefit works hard to own the category. Influencer presence: The Friends With Benefit playlist features videos from influencers with big personalities such as Patrick Starrr, Kim Thai and James Charles.
What makes videos distinctive: Fun and lightheartedness accompany user-friendly tips and tricks. The brand even has its own lingo, referring to its fans as Benebabes.

Sigma


Scope/range of video content: Sigma, a cosmetics company best known for its professional quality brushes, collaborates with YouTubers to generate the overriding beauty content.

Flagship videos or video series: There are lots of videos on

Brush Cleaning, All About Brushes, Brush Kits and Sets, and Cleaning Accessories.

Influencer presence: Sigma reposts videos by popular beauty vloggers, such as Tati of GlamLifeGuru, who has over 2.5 million YouTube subscribers.
What makes the videos distinctive: Sigma strategically uses its affiliate program to advocate for the brand on YouTube. In fact, affiliate marketing is a key part of Sigma’s rapid ascendance. The brand has an Affiliate Marketing for YouTube page on its website outlining its program which incentivizes and rewards YouTubers.

Too Faced


Scope/range of video content: Too Faced’s upbeat videos celebrate product launches and collections, and disseminate a consistently positive and inspiring outlook on life.

Overall look and feel of videos: Feminine, vintage aesthetic

Flagship videos or video series: It’s Happening! With Jerrod Blandino is the standout collection of videos. Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Jerrod presents collection reveals, shares engaging stories behind bestselling products and announces collection giveaways – all in Jerrod’s bubbly, endearing style (bloopers included).

Influencer presence: The Our Favorite Reviews playlist consists of reposted reviews, including ones by mega YouTube star Zoella, who boasts over 11 million subscribers. Too Faced also collaborates with mega-influencers like Kandee Johnson (nearly four million subscribers) for cinematic videos with fun and sexy narratives to promote products.

What makes the videos distinctive: Jerrod Blandino’s intimate one-on-one style is personable and irresistible, making viewers feel like his BFF.

M.A.C Cosmetics


Scope/range of video content:

M.A.C’s YouTube channel is true to its makeup artistry roots, with creative videos showcasing its backstage presence at Fashion Week around the world, professional makeup artists giving trendsetting tutorials, short commercials for new collections, as well as seasonal and special event looks, especially for Halloween.

Overall look and feel of videos: Bold, colorful and eye-catching

Influencer presence: Most impressive is the geographical diversity of M.A.C’s community of experts, which showcases the brand’s global reach.
What makes the videos distinctive: The focus on M.A.C’s YouTube channel is its collections, emerging beauty and fashion trends and makeup expertise.

OFRA
Scope/range of video content:

OFRA leverages the power of user-generated content with its liked videos and reviews and beauty blogger videos.
Overall look and feel of videos: User-friendly makeup tips.
Flagship videos or video series: The OFRA Insider series offers a view into the brand’s process for manufacturing long-lasting lipstick, pressed powder, highlighters and more, in videos that are under a minute each.
Influencer presence: OFRA features a huge number of influencers who, collectively, reach a large audience and build credibility for the brand’s products.

What makes the videos distinctive: OFRA’s no-frills tutorials provide functional advice for solving beauty issues. The focus is on product function rather than the glamour factor.


Anastasia Beverly Hills


Scope/range of video content:

Anastasia Beverly Hills comprises a mix of visually sophisticated videos for new product launches with lots of reviews by vloggers. The Before and After Contour is one of the channel’s most popular playlists.
Overall look and feel of videos: A broad range of video style, from highly produced videos to reposted user-generated content.

Flagship videos or video series: Professional makeup artists give authoritative tutorials on the looks that can be achieved using Anastasia Beverly Hills’ new products. The highlights, of course, are videos featuring Anastasia Soare presenting Brow Definer, which are like quick masterclasses on brows.
Influencer presence: The brand recently collaborated with beauty vlogging star Nicole Guerriero, who has nearly three million YouTube subscribers for the new Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit by Anastasia Beverly Hills. The brand also collaborates with Patrick Starr, who has more than two million subscribers.

What makes the videos distinctive: Anastasia Beverly Hills hits all the bases with a breadth of content, from trusted tips and recommendations by the brand’s founder, to a multitude of beauty vlogger tutorials.