It's that time of year again—Cosmetify’s Annual Index 2024 has dropped, revealing the world's most watched beauty brands and influencers. This year's study focuses on social media engagement and followers, as well as Google searches to create an overall score (out of 10) to rank each contender. The 2024 Cosmetify Index names Sol de Janeiro as the hottest brand, Huda Beauty as the best on social media, James Charles as the top influencer, and Phlur as the pinnacle rising brand. BeautyMatter outlines the rest of the findings:

Hottest Brands of 2024:

• Sol de Janeiro: 2.4M Instagram followers, 2.4M TikTok followers, 32.19M annual searches +49% year-over-year (YoY) growth in searches, 10 overall score  
• Charlotte Tilbury: 6.9M Instagram followers, 1.7M TikTok followers, 25.92M annual searches, 0% YoY growth in searches, 9.3 overall score  
• Fenty Beauty: 13M Instagram followers, 3M TikTok followers, 8.98M annual searches, +22% YoY growth in searches, 7 overall score  
• Drunk Elephant: 2M Instagram followers, 1.3M TikTok followers, 14M annual searches, -63% YoY decline in searches, 5 overall score  
• Rhode: 2.2M Instagram followers, 999.2K TikTok followers, 12.72M annual searches, +232% YoY growth in searches, 4.8 overall score 
• Dior Beauty: 13.2M Instagram followers, 933.2K TikTok followers, 1.55M annual searches, +49% YoY growth in searches, 4.7 overall score  
• e.l.f. Cosmetics: 7.2M Instagram followers, 1.8M TikTok followers, 3.98M annual searches, +22% YoY growth in searches, 4.12 overall score  
• Glossier: 3.1M Instagram followers, 935.5K TikTok followers, 8.339M annual searches, 0% YoY growth in searches, 3.97 overall score  
• Laneige: 1.2M Instagram followers, 812.9K TikTok followers, 8.115M annual searches, +22% YoY growth in searches, 3.4 overall score  
• Bubble Skincare: 641K Instagram followers, 2.8M TikTok followers, 5.893M annual searches, -33% YoY decline in searches, 3.2 overall score

The hottest beauty brands of 2024 vary significantly from the 2023 index, with only Charlotte Tilbury and Fenty Beauty returning to the list, leaving behind names including Rare Beauty, Olaplex, and Maybelline. Charlotte Tilbury remained the second hottest brand, while Fenty Beauty climbed from seventh last year to third this year, which could be attested to its partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympics among several other strong campaigns. Glossier has returned to the table, after being featured in 2022 but not in 2023; the brand has seen success this year as it celebrated its tenth anniversary with several retail expansions including a partnership with SpaceNK.

Notably, this year’s top 10 predominantly consists of brands with younger target audiences including Gen A and Gen Z. Among these is Drunk Elephant, which has been the center of conversation in beauty when discussing Gen A consumers —who have taken a liking to the brand—regardless of differing opinions from both media and parents surrounding the concern of younger customers using active skincare ingredients. Despite backlash, the brand places a respectable fourth after previously being listed as a “rising brand” in 2023 with a 270% YoY search increase. However, this year's ranking for Drunk Elephant came with a 63% decline in Google searches, although this can likely be attributed to an increasing number of consumers gravitating towards using social media instead of Google as a search engine instead. Specifically, 64% of Gen Zers state they use TikTok as a search engine.

Most Searched for Brands:

• La Roche Posay: 3.9M Instagram followers, 299.1K TikTok followers, 33.62M annual searches, 0% YoY growth in searches, 7.76 overall score  
• CeraVe: 1.3M Instagram followers, 1.7M TikTok followers, 33.43M annual searches, -33% YoY decline in searches, 7.70 overall score
• Sol de Janeiro: 2.4M Instagram followers, 2.4M TikTok followers, 32.19M annual searches, +49% YoY growth in searches, 7.76 overall score  
• Charlotte Tilbury: 6.9M Instagram followers, 1.7M TikTok followers, 25.92M annual searches, 0% YoY growth in searches, 7.79 overall score  
• The Ordinary: 2.6M Instagram followers, 1.6M TikTok followers, 20.72M annual searches, -33% YoY decline in searches, 7.47 overall score  
• L’Occitane: 1M Instagram followers, 139K TikTok followers, 17.83M annual searches, +22% YoY growth in searches, 7.26 overall score  
• Estée Lauder: 4.5M Instagram followers, 214.1K TikTok followers, 16.39M annual searches, 0% YoY growth in searches, 7.39 overall score  
• L’Oréal: 647K Instagram followers, 41.7K TikTok followers, 15.26M annual searches, +22% YoY growth, 7.18 overall score  
• Olaplex: 2.5M Instagram followers, 369.8K TikTok followers, 14.88M annual searches, -18% YoY decline in searches, 7.27 overall score 
• Cetaphil: 160K Instagram followers, 176.1K TikTok followers, 0% YoY growth in searches, 7.14 overall score

The most searched for brands of 2024 indicate a strong focus on skincare, with seven out of the top ten brands being skincare oriented. Names from Cosmetify’s “Hottest skincare brands on TikTok 2023” from a prior report are continuing to make waves in the industry, including The Ordinary, CeraVe, and Sol de Janiero. In other categories, Olaplex continues to be frequently searched for, despite a -18% decrease in searches YoY, which the report attributes to the haircare market becoming more saturated in the past year, as well as hits to the brand's reputation following a lawsuit, despite this being dropped. 

Best on Social Media (Most Followers)

• Huda Beauty: 64.4M combined social media followers, 54.4M Instagram followers, 10M TikTok followers  
• MAC Cosmetics: 25.4M combined social media followers, 24.2M Instagram followers, 693.8K TikTok followers  
• Fenty Beauty: 16M combined social media followers, 13M Instagram followers, 3M TikTok followers

Best on Social Media (Most Engagement)

• Juliette Has a Gun: 59.68% engagement rate  
• e.l.f Cosmetics: 5.11% engagement rate  
• Lancôme: 5.04% engagement rate

The best performers on social media are those with a clear brand identity and strong community feel Once again, the majority of these brands cater to a younger audience, particularly Gen Z, and are known to keep up with the latest social media trends. Those not often associated with Gen Z are upping their efforts to connect with the age group, including Lancôme, who recently tapped Gen Z singer Olivia Rodrigo as a brand ambassador—who was featured in several campaigns across socials—following a partnership with content creator Emma Chamberlain last year. The report highlights Juliette Has a Gun’s astoundingly high engagement rate—showcasing that it's possible for an indie brand to outshine the big names—crediting this to its ability to follow trends, including creative story time content and creative visuals.

The Most Powerful Beauty Influencers 

• James Charles: 39M TikTok followers, $62,495.40 estimated earrings per TikTok video, 20.1M Instagram followers, $53,536.50 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 59.1M combined followers, $116,031.90 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Mari Maria: 26M TikTok followers, $41,673.99 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 22.2M Instagram followers, $58,830.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 48.2M combined followers, $100,503.99 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Bretman Rock: 17.5M TikTok followers, $28,014.59 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 18.7M Instagram followers, $49,825.50 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 36.2M combined followers, $77,840.09 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Nikkie Tutorials: 8.7M TikTok followers, $13,917.19 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 19.4M Instagram followers, $51,411.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 28.1M combined followers, $65,328.19 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Jeffree Star: 6.9M TikTok followers, $11.057.45 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 13M Instagram followers, $36,040.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 19.9M combined followers, $47,097.45 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Meredith Duxbury: 18.6M TikTok followers, $29,690.01 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 1.8M Instagram followers, $4,770.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 20.4M combined followers, $34,460.01 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Mikayla Nougueira: 15.9M TikTok followers, $25,461.92 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 2.9M Instagram followers, $7,690.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 18.8M combined followers, $33,151.95 combined earnings per post 
• Jaclyn Hill: 957.6K TikTok followers, $1,548.31 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 8.8M Instagram followers, $23,320.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 9.7M combined followers, $24,868.31 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Elnaz Golrokh: 1.1M TikTok followers, $1,810.36 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 8.2M Instagram followers, $21,730.50 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 9.3M combined followers, $23,540.86 combined estimated earnings per post  
• Brad Mondo: 10.4M TikTok followers,$16,683.39 estimated earnings per TikTok video, 2.1M Instagram followers, $5,565.00 estimated earnings per Instagram post, 12.5M combined followers, $22,248.39 combined estimated earnings per post

This year's top influencers include names that show year after year, such as James Charles, Bretman Rock, and Nikkie Tutorials. Mari Maria is another that has held a consistent spot for many years and is continuing to grow; last year, the influencer placed sixth on the list, and this year has jumped to second. New entrants on the list include hairstylist Brad Mondo and cosmetics and skincare content creator Elnaz Golrokh.

Brands on the Rise:

• Phlur: The conscientiously crafted, sustainable scent brand is named the top growing brand within the report, with a +400% average monthly growth in searches YoY, with a modest search number of 715.4K. Cosmetify attributes Phlur’s growth to the vitality of its Missing Person fragrance, which the report states has “placed the brand at the forefront of modern beauty.” 
• Rhode: Hailey Bieber’s skincare-turned-cosmetics brand has been making its mark in the beauty industry this year. With a combined 3.19M followers across Instagram and TikTok, the brand has seen a +232% monthly growth in searches YoY, building up 12.72M annual searches over the past twelve months. Its hero product, Peptide lip Treatment, has had a huge part to play in the brands traction, specifically due to the viral Peptide Lip Treatment Phone Case, which segued the brand into the lifestyle category.
• Summer Fridays: Launched in 2018 by influencers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland, Summer Fridays found its footing in the industry through its commitment to clean skincare. The brand has seen a +173% monthly growth in searches YoY, amassing 6.66M annual searches. Summer Fridays has become beloved among millennials and Gen Z, with its Lip Butter Balms having been trending on TikTok throughout the year.

The 2024 Cosmetify Index shows that consumer loyalty is growing as many industry players are able to sustain their growth year after year, however, there is always room for disruption from newer or more niche brands. Established players like Fenty Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury are maintaining their relevance through strong campaigns and partnerships, yet the door of opportunity is open for smaller-scale brands such as Phlur to make their way through with unique selling propositions including sustainability, encouraging value-driven interest and purchases. Viral products are continuing to drive many brands to success, being adopted particularly quickly by younger generations including Gen A and Gen Z. Ultimately, the beauty industry’s future belongs to brands that adapt to evolving consumer demands and those that embrace creativity, transparency, and digital innovation.