This Is What Beauty Media and Branding Jobs Really Pay in 2021

From beauty editors to publicists, hundreds of industry professionals told us what they make.

Every year, we conduct a survey of fashion industry professionals to find out, and share, what they're earning at their jobs. This year, for the first time, we're also delving into the beauty industry, with a special focus on the people who help bring beauty to the masses through journalism, content creation, PR, marketing and more. The results bring transparency to what people in popular fields are making these days, on average.

More than 250 beauty professionals filled out our anonymous survey — a small but influential group with experience ranging from one to more than 20 years at companies including Esteé Lauder, Coty, Condé Nast, Bustle Digital Group, Edelman and many more.

First a bit about them: Ninety-two percent are women. Over 50% reside in New York, with the majority of the rest split between California and outside the United States. Most (about 64%) have between 3-10 years of experience. About 60% identify as white, 9% as Spanish-origin, 12% as Asian, 9% as Black or African-American.

As far as how these demographics impacted salary, while men were not very well represented among our respondents, their average salary was still higher: $138,400 vs. $107,770 for women. White respondents had the highest mean salary of $114,830, followed by Asian at $103,820, then Black or African-American at $86,050.

We also asked a few questions about how the pandemic affected their jobs. Based on responses, most people either didn't have their salaries impacted negatively at all, or only dealt with a temporary reduction. But, those who did lose their jobs seem to have had a hard time finding a new one. Of the 11% who said they were laid off, 59% said they were still unemployed.

Below, you'll find the mean salaries for each job we surveyed and received a significant number of responses for. We also included mean salaries by years of experience for each field, to give a sense of how that impacts compensation as well.

Media

By Job Title:
Beauty Editor: $143,750
Beauty Director: $112,000
Senior Beauty Editor: $87,000
Associate Beauty Editor: $67,750
Assistant Beauty Editor: $51,000
Beauty Writer: $89,170

By Experience Level:
0-2 years: $50,800
3-6 years: $85,730
7-10 years: $90,090
11-15 years: $108,500
16-20 years: $144,000
20+ years: $227,000

Brand Content

By Title:
Chief Creative Officer: $102,500
Editorial/Content Manager: $83,200
Social Media Manager: $167,330
Editorial Director: $137,750
Copywriter: $78,800
Assistant: $25,000

By Experience Level:
0-2 years: $46,830
3-6 years: $71,500
7-10 years: $105,140
11-15 years: $142,500

Marketing/PR

By Title:
Marketing Manager: $99,050
Account Executive: $88,710
Publicity Director: $136,750
Senior Publicist: $87,580
VP - PR: $165,670
VP - Marketing: $185,380
Coordinator: $53,290
Assistant: $49,330

By Experience Level:
0-2 years: $46,750
3-6 years: $75,100
7-10 years: $122,790
11-15 years: $131,110
16-20 years: $204,600

Influencer: $97,780

Brand founder/business owner: $103,190

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