If beauty marketers want to earn an A with Gen Z, they better brush up on their social media skills. One recent survey found that 83% of Gen Z women purchase beauty products because they were recommended by content creators. Further, 53% of Gen Z women use TikTok for beauty purchase inspiration. Statista maintains that more than one-third of global Gen Z shoppers engaged in beauty e-commerce. No wonder why multinational brands are scrambling to catch up with indie beauty players that found a home on social media pages.

“Social media is very interesting right now and beauty is leading the way,” noted Orveon Chief Digital Officer Salima Popatia. “But chasing trends isn’t a winning strategy; on social media, brands must be authentic.”

The Orveon executive acknowledged her company was late to the social media game, but now is more than making up for it. With brands like Buxom, Laura Mercier and Bare Minerals, Orveon’s lineup appeals to a diverse group of consumers who consume social media in a variety of ways, according to Popatia. Bare Minerals users prefer Facebook, TikTok has been a boon for Buxom and Laura Mercier customers prefer a mix of platforms.

Orveon had its Independence Day on December 7, 2021—that’s the day Advent International announced the launch of Orveon. Popatia joined the company shortly thereafter and for much of 2022 and into 2023, the Orveon team worked on its social media game plan.

“Due to the change in ownership, our brands were lagging in social media,” admitted Popatia. “We reset our social media strategy.”

Popatia calls social the third highest organic channel for driving traffic. To keep growing on social, Orveon is creating meaningful connections with content creators. Earlier this month, for example, the company held an influencer event to ensure content creators had a chance to play with different products and get comfortable creating content with the products. In fact, B2C is a critical part of the equation.

“Our brands are reinventing themselves through our users,” she insisted. “Short story snippets work well; as do before-and-after.”

For example, customers with rosacea told Orveon that Bare Minerals improved their appearance, and even changed their lives. Social media is strengthening that connection, said Popatia.

“Creating that emotional connection and relying on word-of-mouth is authentic,” she told Happi. “Influencers talking about product efficacy is the best campaign for a brand.”

Taking to TikTok

TikTok is a priority for Buxom; in fact, 20% of Buxom’s sales come from TikTok, according to Popatia.

“TikTok is an amazing platform,” she told Happi. “We connected to TikTok Shop last year and learned what works. We’re working with content creators to create great content that attracts new consumers and reaches a younger audience.”

In contrast, the Bare Mineral customer prefers Facebook, where there is a strong “natural cosmetics” community.

As for Laura Mercier, the brand relies on a mix of social media channels. One particular viral moment for Laura Mercier came when BTS—a K-Pop boy band and social media sensation in Korea—touted the benefits of Real Flawless Foundation. As a result, the product has posted record-breaking sales.

“We’re selling 2.5 times more product than last year,” observed Popatia. “When something goes viral (like Real Flawless Foundation) it generates more content.”

Orveon has leveraged that BTS boost by obtaining usage rights and creating a host of different content. That success helped drive sales of other Laura Mercier products such as Caviar Stick Eye Shadow. The formula is crease-, transfer- and smudge-resistant with 12-hour, long-lasting wear. Caviar Stick debuted two years ago, but sales surged when an influencer explained how she used the sticks to reduce the appearance of “hooded” eyelids.

Orveon customers skew 35-50 years of age. They’re women who actively engage in shopping with disposable income. Popatia calls them heritage brands with a loyal fan base. Now the plan is to build rapport with younger consumers, too.

“Daughters learn their cosmetics routines from their moms,” she noted. “We want to pass their heritage secrets on to keep the connection going.”

The strategy is on-trend as makeup sales remained strong through Q1. US prestige beauty sales rose 9% during the period, according to Circana. That’s down from recent double-digit gains, but it’s to be expected after the post-covid surge in beauty sales.

And while sales may have softened, Popatia noted that beauty consumers are promiscuous—they carry 10 different brands in their makeup bags.

“Women want brands that have meaning for them,” she explained. “Social media and other digital platforms help build that connection.”