EXCLUSIVE: Launchmetrics Ranks China’s Top 10 Beauty Influencers

PARIS — Chinese influencers are key to foreign brands seeking to gain market share in the country as it grows to become the world’s largest beauty market, Launchmetrics said in a report that ranked the 10 most influential figures in the field.

Li Jiaqi (known also as the Lipstick King), Babe, Ximen and Late Night Teacher Xu lead the list established by the data research and insights company for fashion, luxury and beauty.

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Today China’s beauty market is worth $38.6 billion, ranking second behind the U.S., which rings up approximately $56 billion, the group said.

China is on its way to become the largest beauty market by 2023, and so brands are aiming to capitalize on the growing industry and their key supporters, Chinese beauty influencers,” Launchmetrics said in a statement.

“There are many social media platforms in China that have their own top influencers and content, many of which have not yet been explored properly by brands based in other markets,” Launchmetrics continued.

Chinese influencers, who are also known as key opinion leaders, or KOLs, can garner massive following, often eclipsing that of beauty influencers in the west.

Launchmetrics ranked the top 10 Chinese KOLs according to their Media Impact Value, or MIV, between January and June of this year. The measure, based on a proprietary algorithm, estimates the value of coverage across social networks and in the media.

The Lipstick King, who is present on various platforms including Weibo, with 7 million followers, and Douyin, with 35 million fans, has collaborated with brands such as Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Estée Lauder. His MIV is $2.6 million, putting him in the number-one slot, while his MIV per placement comes in at $33,000.

Babe (aka Doudou Babe) placed second, with an MIV of $2.3 million and an MIV per placement figure of $44,000. Brands she’s worked with include Lancôme, Charlotte Tilbury, YSL and Chanel. One post she created to promote Estée Lauder products for RED garnered $45,500 in MIV.

Third up was Ximen, with an MIV of $2.1 million. She is a top-ranking KOL on WeChat, who has carved out a strong presence on Weibo. Brands Ximen has collaborated with include Tom Ford Beauty, Guerlain, Dior and Estée Lauder.

Late Night Teacher, placing fourth with an MIV of $2 million, is among the highest-rated Chinese influencers on Weibo. Her posts there featuring Clarins generated $141,000 in MIV in April.

At fifth place, Cherie is among the highest-ranking beauty influencers on Weibo, having achieved $1.58 million in MIV. Cherie has her own cosmetics label, Fab2Cherie, which she promotes on social media, and she works with other brands such as Kérastase.

Ranking sixth through 10th are:

  • Viya, or Wei Ya Viyaaa, who collaborates with brands such as Givenchy, Lancôme, Sisley, Tom Ford and SkinCeuticals, and has built up an MIV of $1.54 million.

  • MK, who has an average rating of $10,700 in MIV on WeChat, boasts an overall MIV of $1.53 million.

  • Ryan, or Mao Xiaoxing Ryan, whose six posts for Estée Lauder in April made $101,000 in MIV. His total MIV came in at $1.45 million.

  • Miao Ye-Wu Miao, who posts primarily on Weibo, has collaborated with brands such as Dior, La Mer, Yves Saint Laurent and Clarins. The influencer rang up an MIV of $1.4 million, including $1.07 million through 76 posts on Weibo.

  • Brother Berry, who is primarily found on Douyin, features products from Clarins, Estée Lauder, Lancôme and Shu Uemura, and generated an MIV of $1.39 million.

The ranking is part of Launchmetric’s #KnowYourMIV! series.

“A strong KOL relationship and positive review can skyrocket any beauty brand’s latest product and help maintain China’s trajectory towards dominating the beauty market within the next two years,” said Launchmetrics.

In November 2020, Launchmetrics bought the Chinese influencer analytics platform Parklu, giving it a foothold in China.

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