A college student with an interest in Cosmetics & HR
CANCEL OR SCANDAL? THE STORY OF JACLYN HILL
Does this beauty guru stand the test of time?
Let’s start with a Jaclyn Hill timeline: In 2011, Hill began her YouTube channel where she made a name for herself by doing makeup tutorials for her followers. Her main inspirations came from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian-West and she connected with these followers through her care-free attitude and obvious love for cosmetics. In 2015, Hill landed her first collaboration with Becca Cosmetics where she created a highlighter named “Champagne Pop” and in the same year, collaborated Morphe, a company worth millions. Champagne Pop sold out in twenty minutes of release, breaking sales records for Becca cosmetics. Moral of the story: Jaclyn had the best of both worlds, both brick and mortar and online sales were thriving.
Fast forward, Jaclyn releases a second palette and a vault collection with Morphe resulting in a total revenue of $10.7 million and $12.2 million in EMV cards (cards equipped with a chip). Riding these seemingly nice high, Hill decided to create her own brand titled Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics in May of 2019. The first goal here for Hill was to master the “perfect nude” lipstick and this seemed to be the case by the look of her swatches and the time she expressed that had been put into the creation of this brand (evident in YouTube video “Introducing Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics”). Following this release is where things took a turn a different path. Insider called Hill’s lipsticks launch to be “disastrous” due to the poor quality shown by little hairs and visible bumps in the formula thus causing physical reactions to the lips of some buyers. This not only made Hill seem laughable for claiming she spent years perfecting this formula, but damaged the credibility of her whole career. Due to the intense backlash, Hill felt inclined to release an apology video where she blamed the issues on the factory she contracted with. After putting eight years into a field such as cosmetics, it is truly crazy to see how things can take a turn for the worse so fast.
As a seemingly obvious attempt to save her reputation, credibility, and brand, Hill then released a Highlighter collection that “critics were eager to find a flaw in” (Insider). That being said, they did so quite easily. The highlighter collection was not only pricey, but the PR packages sent to other influencers to try out were not uniform. Smaller influencers were given smaller packages and within that package was one of the least liked products after review. Additionally, “Some customers have raised concerns about their orders being split up for shipping, which could raise the cost…thus causing multiple shipping fees” (Tenbarge). Following this launch, Hill attempted to save herself with a “Volume II” collaboration with 2015 brand Morphe, knowing that was a previously positive reviewed product. Unfortunate for Hill, this palette received backlash as well because “unbeknownst to her knowledge”, the formula was not vegan. This proved to be a big issue for customers who follow a vegan lifestyle (Duribe). Now, this all raises further questions around the credibility of Hill. How could someone review makeup if they cannot even create a good quality lipstick formula and cannot handle sending out PR packages correctly? Has Jaclyn Hill become too obsessed with self-promotion to understand true product quality? And most importantly, are collaborations with big brick and mortar store brands the best way for YouTubers in cosmetics to operate?
Lets take a look at Jeffree Star for more insight…
"Sorry if we can't all be unoriginal but I have a mold to break".
Jeffree Star
JEFFREE STAR: MUSIC TO MAKEUP MOGUL
33-year old self-made billionaire? Can't relate.
Ever hear a millennial or Gen Z describe something as "shook"? "something they "can't relate" to? "Girl", these phrases were coined by none other than Jeffree Star. When examining the rise of Jeffree star, the timeline will tell the path was unconventional. Star was destined to be a celebrity evident by his strategic use of MySpace, one of the first social media platforms. According to Dommu, "Star was pioneering the idea of building a brand online. Between his outrageous persona, Warped Tour-ready singles, Hot Topic-approved merch, and a body covered in tattoos, Star was both a product of his time and the person most ready and willing to sell that product" (Dommu). Building a brand is something influencers today pride themselves on achieving and unbeknownst to most of them, Star was one of the first to do so.
With a career beginning on MySpace and topping millions on YouTube to date one fact is for sure when examining the success of influencers: Longevity. Key factors such as longevity help to establish one's credibility once he or she ventures into creating their own brand within their craft (in Star's case: cosmetics). While longevity brewed inevitable controversy for Star, his brutally honest makeup reviews helped establish his now relatively unmatched credibility and authenticity. As time progressed and those following Star seemed to rely on his hilariously transparent reviews, Star took this rise as an opportunity to start something he always dreamed about: high-end makeup brand Jeffree Star Cosmetics - fully owned and operated by Star himself. He successfully sold millions in palettes and concealers but decided to collaborate for an interesting business venture with popular, affordable brand Morphe.
In an interview with Out Magazine, Star was asked "As a cosmetics mogul with your own wildly successful line, what made you decide to do this collab with Morphe?" Star's answer lied in reading his consumers need for more affordable products and while he did want to sacrifice the high quality products showcased in his own brand, he was more than happy to collaborate and create something everyone could enjoy.
To dive further into understanding Star's grit, Elle Magazine quotes Star explaining "'I own an entire shipment and fulfillment centre, I own a merchandise company, I print and manufacture everything myself. So I have about 10 businesses that I'm currently running besides my brand, which is my cosmetics company'"(Waterhouse). The clear microscopic handle that Star holds on his businesses is one that could be compared to that of previously discussed Jaclyn Hill. While Hill also has a hand in longevity in the YouTube space, Star's commitment to being an entrepreneur reigns most mighty.
Today, stars vibrant personality and hilarious catch phrases are all seen on his YouTube channel. When viewing his highest rated videos such as "My pink VAULT closet tour", one may wonder why viewers die to see Star's collection of vintage Louis Vuitton and one-of-a-kind Birken bags when those same viewers are bothered by Kardashians flaunting their cash. The difference to me lies in the connection with the influencer. Viewers saw Jeffree rise from nothing to stardom and there is admirability in that. The dream then seems less out of reach and the lifestyle a bit less insane to follow.
In Star's world: "Negative or positive attention, I think it's all great".
JAMES CHARLES: SCANDAL TURNED SUPERSTAR
As time has progressed, buyers have become interested in finding their "perfect shade" of foundation base and "unleashing their inner artist" with fun, unique eyeshadow looks. The idea of using makeup as a form of artistry was coined by YouTube influencer James Charles. Charles at 20 years old hosts 18 million followers and has expanded his influence to Instagram, TikTok, and is currently filming an upcoming reality show titled "Instant Influencer" created and directed by James himself.
Similar to Jaclyn Hill and Jeffree Star, James Charles is famous for makeup reviews, but also stands out by creating unseen before eyeshadow looks such as recreating instagram filters and celestial scenes. This being said, unlike the other two, Charles has not used his platform to create his own makeup brand- only to collaborate with Morphe cosmetics and sell two in-store and online palettes. His first palette was available for purchase on "the Morphe Website on November 13th and in Ulta Beauty stores on November 16th...the entire collection was sold out, making it the biggest sales day in Morphe Brushes history. In the United Kingdom, the palette was sold out in just 5 minutes" (Nurlatifah). This launch was a clear success and Charles' decision not to break off to create his own brand seems to have been a smart one being that he had so many other desirable ventures to take on.
Another keen similarity between the two seems to be the almost magnetic attraction to drama. Charles had a huge falling out with YouTube cosmetics influencer Tati Westbook that resulted in a loss in subscribers that was so large, followers would pull up his social blade to track what seemed like a massive downhill-bound account. The key difference here between Jaclyn Hill and James Charles scandalous moments define their remaining influence in the cosmetics world today. Westbrook and Charles fought through a series of personal jabs and issues brought to light over social media while Hill's publicized issues were with the ingredients and production of her cosmetics themselves.
As discussed in the analysis of Jeffree Star, mastering authenticity and credibility is vital to maintaining both a large following base and a successful social-media-based cosmetics career. Though Charles had negative comments released about him that resulted in a loss of around 3 million followers in 4 days, "the scandal might ultimately have worked to Charles' benefit. For better or for worse, it's bringing attention to Morphe, the company that produces the makeup mogul's eyeshadow palette" (Preston). While reputation might have been tarnished on a personality level, Charles is still very much a credible creator within the beauty community.
Now, Charles has owned up to mistakes made and as mentioned, is spearheading a reality show centered around discovering the next best cosmetics influencer which makes for another large boost in credibility. Charles hosts the show and challenges contestants to push their beauty limits while they are judged by some of the most well-known influencers in the industry. Successfully spanning social media and constantly pushing out fun, authentic, unique content is a measure of hard-work, dedication, and helps to connect these influencers with their followers on what feels like a much deeper level.
BATTLE FOR THE BEAUTY MARKET: A DEBRIEF
Does brick and mortar reign supreme? Or are influencers claiming the throne?
The evolution of makeup has gone from the early 1900's lipstick and gentle blush to a twenty-step routine for some. The evolution of beauty has generated a plethora of products to choose from and created a mountain of income for brands both large and small.
Morphe's success with all three of these monumental influencers did wonders for the brand's visibility and advertising for consumers. For me, I never heard of Morphe before these mass collaborations. Just like many of the mass amounts of brands sold in Ulta and Sephora, if it was not a name I previously heard YouTube influencers I subscribed to mention or review, I did not care to spend on it. In these examples, credibility for Morphe was pushed through the millions produced by cosmetics collaborations. It is as if the tables turned; as opposed to influencers needing a sponsorship from a brand to make a name for themselves, these three showed others how to brand themselves first and allow the creative collaborations to follow.
Youtube has demonstrated social media's power to create connections, establish trust, and influence what we buy, wear, and even say. This battle for visibility for beauty brands has even the largest brands with a clear longevity such as L'Oreal and Proctor & Gamble trying to partner with influencers. an Ad Age article claims "Influencer marketing is fast moving from experiment to staple status in budgets" (Ad Age). While some customers trust these companies based on their longevity, a product created or reviewed by a loved YouTube star with millions of followers is something novel but also something that they have a strong connection to.
Online marketing and sales has made it easy for customers to browse products from the comfort of their homes. For Jeffree Star, the Jeffree Star Cosmetics site also houses apparel, mirrors with the JS logo, and even a "Meet Me" tab to showcase his authentic self and his journey navigating a world of social media and cosmetics.
Star, Hill, and Charles are beauty icons- without their publicized journeys to find themselves and create an empire, the beauty industry would not be evolving as strongly as it is today. A study on brand authenticity found that "perceptions are influenced by indexical, existential, and iconic cues"(Mohart). Perceptions of the power of social media as a whole have evolved immensely and an analysis in relation to the beauty world is vital to understanding these changes. The rise of these icons and their commitment to authenticity has led to so many people of different genders, races, and ethnicities to find solace in their stories. Each influencer had a dream to inspire and today they reach millions with a power like no other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.popbuzz.com/style/beauty/jaclyn-hill-morphe-palette-volume-2-vegan/
https://www.elle.com.au/beauty/jeffree-star-net-worth-1907
Rasmussen, L. (2018). Parasocial Interaction in the Digital Age: An Examination of Relationship Building and the Effectiveness of YouTube Celebrities. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 7(1), 280-294. Retrieved from https://thejsms.org/tsmri/index.php/TSMRI/article/view/364/167
Morhart, F. (2015). Brand authenticity: An integrative framework and measurement scale. 25(2), 200-218. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1057740814001089