Fashion and Beauty brands have used influencer marketing to dominate social media in the UK according to a report by influencer marketing platform Kolsquare. Zara takes the No:1 slot in the top 100 brands rankings for EMV (earned media value) on Instagram, while L’Oréal Paris leads the way on TikTok.
For engagement on Instagram, Dior Beauty, Fenty Beauty and Gymshark top the charts, with Gymshark achieving an impressive 22m likes. On TikTok, Dutch brand Gisou led for total engagement with Italian brand Kiko Milano second and the UK’s Jellycat London coming in at number three.
Half of the brands in the top 100 on Instagram are UK-based, while 40% are homegrown on TikTok. 83% of the leading brands on TikTok are fashion and beauty, while the sectors represent 70% of brands on Instagram.
“Analysis of EMV (earned media value), KOLs (key opinion leaders) and content volumes being posted in the UK show that fashion and beauty brands are leveraging smart strategies to appeal to wide audiences. On TikTok, eight of the top 10 brands in the UK are beauty brands; on Instagram, six of the top 10 performers are fashion brands. The rankings also show that UK retailers, from Superdrug to John Lewis and Home Bargains, are also leveraging influencer campaigns,” says Kolsquare CEO and founder Quentin Bordage.
Gymshark and Marks & Spencer have risen in the Instagram rankings since last year – Gymshark has gone up eight places, while M&S has risen by five. Charlotte Tilbury has slipped two places and H&M has dropped by one.
Top 10 UK brands on Instagram
Ranked according to EMV and number of influencers used.
- Zara – £55.2M, 3,085 influencers
- ASOS – £52M, 2,972 influencers
- H&M – £40.7M, 2,596 influencers
- Gymshark – £36M, 1,069 influencers
- Primark – £33.3M 2,190 influencers
- IKEA – £32m, 1,361 influencers
- PrettyLittleThing – £29.5m, 2,444 influencers
- Marks & Spencer – £29m, 2,071 influencers
- Charlotte Tilbury – £23.9m, 2,033 influencers
- Dunelm – £23m, 1,324 influencers
Top 10 UK brands on TikTok
Ranked according to EMV and number of influencers used
- L’Oréal Paris – £16.2m, 599 influencers
- Garnier – £12.6m, 533 influencers
- PL Makeup Academy – £11.7m, 705 influencers
- PrettyLittleThing – £11.6m, 1,260 influencers
- Huda Beauty – £9.9m, 507 influencers
- Charlotte Tilbury – £9.4m, 681 influencers
- NYX Cosmetics – £9.3m, 567 influencers
- Made By Mitchell – £9.2m, 666 influencers
- White Fox – £8.2m, 316 influencers
- MAC Cosmetics – £7.7m, 358 influencers
Quentin Bordage adds: “The influencer marketing industry continues to grow and UK marketers can no longer afford to ignore it. Much can be learned from the likes of Zara and L’Oréal who have connected with huge audiences thanks to innovative influencer marketing strategies and powerful content.”
Download your copy of the report here.
About Kolsquare:
Kolsquare is Europe’s leading influencer marketing platform, providing a data-driven solution for brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies. The platform enables marketing professionals to identify top content creators, manage campaigns, and measure results with advanced big data, AI, and machine learning technologies.
As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare champions responsible influence, promoting transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations. The platform serves hundreds of clients, including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès, across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Kolsquare is now part of team.blue, a leading tech company consisting of 60+ brands that serve 3.3 million customers. team.blue aims to make online business simpler with user-friendly, innovative technology.
Image – Unsplash