Key Takeaways:

• Viral brands rapidly converting TikTok buzz into real sales, especially on Amazon.
• Amazon’s share among viral shoppers exceeds 75%, while physical retailers lose ground.
• Sustaining hype demands quick innovation, repeat-purchase products, and omnichannel expansion.

Virality on social media has become a huge growth engine for many beauty brands. A recent joint analysis by Spate and YipitData shows how TikTok-native and TikTok-accelerated brands are converting short-form attention into measurable gains in search interest, social engagement, and most importantly, transactional share on Amazon and across omnichannel retail. Unlike heritage players that have traded on decades of equity, today’s viral brands are optimized for speed, authenticity, creator fluency, and format-first innovation. They lean into unfiltered tutorials, “dupe” culture, and affiliate-friendly content to generate trust quickly, often jumping from discovery to cart in a matter of swipes.

The report defines virality-driven brands through a consistent signal set, including rapid growth in TikTok hashtag views versus category peers, a clear platform-born or platform-accelerated inflection, culturally resonant positioning over heritage cues, as well as early proof that hype can translate to distribution expansion, SKU proliferation, and community retention. Spate contributed directionally rich demand signals from 20 billion+ Google searches and 60 million TikTok posts, while YipitData layered in a transaction panel of 11 million+ consumers with near-real-time SKU tracking to show where momentum is moving the money. Together, the datasets create a clear view from attention to intent to purchase, and where those flows concentrate by retailer.

Across skincare, makeup, hair, and fragrance, the takeaway is clear. Virality-driven brands are not only cracking engagement leaderboards, but also increasingly converting that buzz into share, especially on Amazon, forcing retailers to adapt to a discovery-led path to purchase. Still, the arc of viral growth isn’t linear. Case studies in the report illustrate how difficult it is to sustain gains without repeat purchases, community building, and a steady drumbeat of product innovation.

How Virality Shows up by Category

Skincare: Tech-Credible Results Meet Creator Reach

• Top TikTok risers (52 weeks ending June 2, 2025 vs. prior year, TikTok US):
  
  
  • Medicube (#medicube): 10.6B total views; +146.9M YoY; >1,000% YoY growth
  • Anua (#anua): 9.3B; +68.8M; +213.9% YoY
  • For benchmarking context: Neutrogena (#neutrogenapartner): 16.4B; +46.7M; +46.9%; Aveeno (#aveenopartner): 3.8B; +39.7M; +169.1%; Mixsoon (#mixsoon): 3.7B; +39.1M; +392.4%
     
• Conversion evidence (Amazon, US): YipitData showed Medicube climbing rapidly to ~2% of total skincare category share by May 2025 (1P + 3P), while Anua also gained traction, illustrating share transfer from legacy staples as shoppers chase buzz-driven efficacy.
   
• Why it works: The report highlighted Medicube’s dermatologist-approved positioning and tech-driven, visually compelling devices that “fuel results-based content,” while Anua scaled via paid and commission-eligible content that simplifies ingredient-centric routines for mass audiences.

Makeup: Format Innovation Becomes the Content

• Sacheu Beauty’s Peel-Off Lip Liner Stain turns application itself into a viral ritual, delivering “visual satisfaction” and staying power ideal for short-form storytelling.
   
• Top TikTok risers (52 weeks ending June 2, 2025):
  
  
  • Tarte Cosmetics (#tartecosmetics): 10.3B; +64.0M; +165.2% YoY
  • Sacheu Beauty (#sacheubeauty): 4.5B; +61.1M; >1,000% YoY
  • L’Oréal Paris (#lorealparismakeup): 5.0B; +53.5M; +391.7%; Lancôme (#lancomepartner): 3.6B; +44.7M; +259.0%; Armani Beauty (#armanibeauties): 3.0B; +32.2M; +410.4%
     
• Conversion evidence (Amazon, lip makeup): Sacheu’s share climbed through early 2025, rivaling NYX, e.l.f., and CoverGirl by March, while Clinique and Revlon stagnated/declined—a clean proof point that viral novelty can rerank legacy leaders in fast-cycling subcategories.

Hair: Transformation Content Supercharges Tools and Treatments

• Hair is the most visibly disrupted by virality-driven players. Wavytalk, Karseell, and Tymo win with dramatic before-and-afters, bite-sized tutorials, and accessible pricing.
   
• Top TikTok risers (52 weeks ending June 2, 2025):
  
  
  • Wavytalk (#wavytalk): 27.3B; +213.8M; +224.9% YoY
  • Karseell (#karseell): 77.2B; +211.6M; +73.7% YoY
  • Tymo (#tymobeauty): 8.0B; +91.0M; +575.6% YoY; L’Oréal Paris (#lorealparispartner): 9.6B; +51.2M; +111.3%; Color Wow (#colorwow): 7.2B; +41.7M; +161.4%
     
• Conversion evidence (Amazon, hair masks): Karseell steadily gains share vs. Olaplex and Moroccanoil, both of which lose ground in 2023-2025—underscoring how targeted treatments and viral education can move baskets.

Fragrance: Dupes, Layering, and Creator Reviews Widen the Funnel

• Lattafa leverages “affordable dupes” and creator comparisons to prestige scents, turning TikTok curiosity into sustained Amazon gains.
   
• Top TikTok risers (52 weeks ending June 2, 2025):
  
  
  • Lattafa (#lattafa): 2.3B; +21.4M; +253.5% YoY
  • Armani Beauty (#armanibeautypartner): 1.1B; +17.9M; >1,000% YoY; Phlur (#phlur): 1.3B; +13.7M; +549.3%; Jean Paul Gaultier: 2.6B; +12.5M; +98.1%; Parfums de Marly: 1.0B; +4.8M; +137.1%
     
• Conversion evidence (Amazon, fragrance): Lattafa’s market share more than doubled from early 2023 to early 2025, ranking among top brands by March 2025 and gaining as legacy players (e.g., Nautica) stagnate.

Momentum versus Moat: The Sustainability Challenge

• COSRX (facial serums on Amazon, US): Entered 2024 as a category leader, then share tapered from mid-2024 into 2025 as Medicube and Anua gained, suggesting a pivot from single-ingredient “wow” to more science-stacked, routine-building solutions.
   
• Unbrush (hairbrushes and combs on Amazon, US): Viral late-2023 entry, peaked early 2024, then declined through mid-2025, despite a modest holiday bump—illustrating how format novelty must be followed by retention mechanics (tiered pricing, newness cadence, community) to stick.

Retail Dynamics: Where the Money Is Moving

• Among shoppers of viral brands, Amazon’s share of spend rises from under 70% (2023) to over 75% (2025); Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Target, and Walmart decline with this cohort—evidence that speed, availability, and social-to-cart proximity trump legacy channel habits when discovery starts on TikTok.
   
• Zooming out to the broader beauty market: Amazon now holds nearly 30% of beauty and skincare share, yet brick-and-mortar still commands the majority of spend—especially in skincare, where in-store experience and loyalty programs anchor retention. The report highlighted rhode and Beauty of Joseon's expansion into Sephora in 2025, a strategic omnichannel move to convert social heat into durable reach.
   
• Sephora category structure: Top-brand concentration varies—eye palettes, lip liner, lip gloss ~80% held by top 10 brands, while foundation ~60%, leaving more room for emerging challengers where fragmentation is higher.
   
• Spend migration within makeup: Dollars are shifting away from core complexion (foundation, concealer) toward expressive/finishing (setting spray, eyeshadow, lip liner). Brands anticipating subcategory flows can catch the next wave earlier.

Case in point: Blush’s breakout. YTD 2025 leaders at Sephora include Patrick Ta (Crème & Powder Blush Duo, #1), Rare Beauty (Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, #2), Yves Saint Laurent (Make Me Blush, #3), Milk (Cooling Water Jelly Tint, #4), and Benefit (Benetint, #5)—a mix of formats and sensorials that shows the content-first nature of the category.

Retailer playbook in action: Boots utilized Spate signals to identify ~25 virality-driven brands in the UK, many of which became top sellers with half of their stock out of stock. This evidence suggests that earlier listing and agile replenishment can effectively capture viral demand before it shifts to Amazon.

Next Steps for Brands and Retailers

Brands:

• Spot the white space early: Use search and TikTok trend velocity to prioritize format-led and benefit-led innovation that’s inherently “filmable.”
• Plan the second act: Launch calendars, shade/size extensions, and routine-anchored systems (e.g., device and serum) to convert viral trials into repeats.
• Channel to fit the moment: Early Amazon distribution can compound social buzz; broader omnichannel helps normalize the brand and mitigate algorithm shocks.

Retailers:

• Track cross-shopper behavior to prequalify which viral brands will convert in your doors (e.g., Anua’s Amazon shoppers already buying efficacy peers at Ulta Beauty).
• Design flexible shelves: Seasonal endcaps and fast-churn bays for viral contenders; move winners into core adjacency with tighter replenishment SLAs.
• Own discovery: Use creator partnerships and in-app media to recreate the social “aha” moment in your ecosystem.

The Spate x YipitData view clarifies the new beauty math: Content creates demand, and convenience captures it. Brands like Medicube, Anua, Sacheu, Wavytalk, Karseell, Tymo, and Lattafa show that when social proof is paired with clear functional payoffs, shares can shift fast. However, that same velocity that lifts can also rotate attention elsewhere. Sustained gains come from repeatable newness, community, and omnichannel breadth that transforms hype into habits.