2017 was the year—-when Kylie Jenner’s lip kits would sell out in seconds, everyone would try to copy Jackie Aina and Zoella’s latest beauty looks, and ‘influencing’ was a huge buzzword. Back in the mid 2010’s, influencers like Jenner had an undeniable power that made their products fly off the shelves. Fast forward to today, and even major brands like Revolve, once known for their influencer-driven campaigns at events like Coachella, are literally delisting influencers.
Kylie’s newer ventures, such as her drink brand Sprinter and her fashion line Khy, are yet to capture the same level of excitement and success. Despite the buzz surrounding these launches, they’re struggling to make the same impact as her earlier products, highlighting a broader change in how consumers approach products and reflecting that what used to work, just isn’t cutting it anymore.
The influencer scene, once dominated by figures like Jackie Aina, Tati Westbrook, Huda Kattan, Chiara Ferragni and Zoella, had a magic touch. Ferragni built a fashion empire with her Instagram feed, turning her daily outfits into trendsetting moments. While Zoella, Jackie and Jeffree Starr’s YouTube channel became a blueprint for beauty and lifestyle content, setting high standards for engagement and relatability. Their every post seemed to spark a trend. But now, the influencer space feels oversaturated, and the once-golden authenticity is starting to wear thin.
Take Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae, for example. These TikTok stars have transitioned into mainstream business with their own ventures—D’Amelio with her eponymous footwear brand, and Rae with her line, Item Beauty. Despite their massive online followings and influence, their products haven’t always hit the mark. Charli’s line, D’Amelio, launched with high expectations but struggled to capture the same hype as her TikTok content. The brand’s products, while stylish, didn’t quite resonate with buyers in the way many anticipated.
Similarly, Addison Rae’s Item Beauty, which boasts chic packaging and a trendy aesthetic, faced challenges in breaking through the crowded beauty market. Despite Rae’s immense popularity, the brand’s impact hasn’t translated into the same level of consumer buy-in as one might expect from such a high-profile influencer. This depicts the now popular fact that influence alone doesn’t guarantee success, and even the most famous faces need more than just social media clout to drive sales.
So is the influencer era really and truly over?
Not quite, but there’s certainly an alteration. Brands like Glossier, Gymshark, and Fenty Beauty are now leveraging User Generated Content (UGC) to create a sense of community and build trust, showing how powerful real customer experiences have become in driving engagement and loyalty instead of relying solely on high-profile influencers.
Creators like Khaby Lame, Nara Smith and Alex Cooper are leading this charge with their raw, unfiltered content. Their content feels like a conversation with a friend—honest, relatable, and grounded in real experiences. Khaby Lame’s humorous, straightforward videos cut through the noise, while Alex Cooper’s candid conversations on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast resonate deeply with her audience. Their success highlights the growing demand for authenticity and genuine connection in content creation.
Therefore, the truth is, The focus is shifting from the glossy, curated images of the mid 2010’s to a combination of influence and authenticity. The future of marketing lies in creating content that truly appeals to consumers, combining the power of influencers with the genuine voices of everyday users. The key now is to connect with audiences through genuine, relatable content that reflects real-life experiences and emotions, the most successful brands will be those that embrace this shift and prioritise authentic connections over mere reach and high-profile endorsements.
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Written by Angel Joanne Okonkwo
