"Virality-driven Beauty Brands..."

How TikTok-Born Beauty Brands Are Disrupting Legacy Players

Executive Summary

TikTok has transformed from a platform for fleeting trends into a launchpad for the fastest-growing beauty brands. Our latest collaborative report with YipitData reveals how virality-driven brands are converting cultural buzz into significant market share, with some achieving over 1,000% year-over-year growth while legacy players lose ground.

The Virality Revolution

As Yarden Horwitz, Spate's co-founder, noted in this WWD exclusive covering our latest collaborative report with YipitData, "Virality is being driven by curiosity. Consumers are excited by new product innovation, as well as new application techniques." This shift is especially clear in the rise of TikTok-born and TikTok-accelerated brands that have transformed cultural buzz into real market share.

Skincare: Two Paths to Success

Medicube's Tech-Clinical Approach

Medicube combines derm-approved products with influencer partnerships and tech-driven formats, fueling a staggering +1,000% year-over-year growth ending June 2, 2025. Its microneedling serums, boba creams, and peel-off masks demonstrate how clinical credibility can meet playful, TikTok-friendly execution.

"Medicube has continued to launch new products and formats, and despite first taking off in the U.S. in 2024, they're still seeing over 1,000 percent year-over-year growth in 2025," noted Horwitz.

Anua's Content Strategy

Anua leverages content strategy to turn ingredient-focused products into cult favorites, growing +213.9% YoY. Both brands are expanding on Amazon even as legacy staples like CeraVe and Neutrogena lose ground.

Makeup Transformation

Sacheu Beauty's peel-off lip liner stain has reshaped consumer engagement. After rising on Amazon in mid-2024, Sacheu peaked early in 2025, rivaling heavyweights like NYX and e.l.f. with +1,000% YoY growth. Legacy players such as Clinique and Revlon, by contrast, show stagnation.

Hair Care Innovation

Hair care has become a hotbed of virality-driven momentum:

• Wavytalk: +224.9% YoY growth
• Karseell: Expanded its lead in masks with +73.7% YoY
• Tymo: +575.6% YoY growth

These shifts reflect how consumers are embracing tools and treatments that offer both novelty and results.

Fragrance Disruption

Fragrance has also seen disruption, with Lattafa's affordable luxury dupes achieving +235.5% YoY growth.

The Sustainability Challenge

The story isn't purely about meteoric growth. Cosrx, once propelled by its viral snail mucin serum, has experienced a tapering decline since mid-2024, showing that virality alone doesn't guarantee staying power. Instead, brands that innovate continuously, tapping into both clinical credibility and experiential formats, are proving more resilient.

Strategic Implications

These insights reveal critical takeaways for brands and retailers navigating today's fast-moving beauty landscape, where continuous innovation and the ability to combine clinical credibility with experiential formats determine long-term success.

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