An influencer marketing survey carried out by Estée Lauder Companies and influencer platform Vamp into beauty trends on social media has found Millennials are investing in #nofilter skincare.

The survey was carried out anonymously by 60 of Vamp’s most influential Australian power-middle beauty influencers on Instagram.

The findings indicated that influencers and their followers are more interested in skincare than other beauty products.

Estée Lauder Companies’ corporate digital and social media marketing lead, Kate Gildea, said that the company is definitely seeing an increased interest in skincare products amongst Millennial and Gen Z consumers.

“Any skincare products that help to prepare the skin for make-up application or remove make-up are in growing demand,” she said.

“Products such as face wipes, micellar water and make-up removers index strongly amongst Millennials, but we also see that masks are a hot category for this age group.”

The products the beauty company chooses to promote in their influencer marketing campaigns are reflected by these emerging trends on social media. Gildea said it wants to ensure that its brands are part of these conversations.

Vamp co-founder Aaron Brooks said: “It’s not so much about selling a product anymore – it’s more about presenting an attainable lifestyle.”

Brooks attributes the rise of social media influencers to be at the core of the new skincare trend.

“In traditional advertising, beauty companies could simply feature airbrushed models with flawless skin to sell a product,” he said.

“Now, buyers are more savvy and are now turning to influencers’ trustworthy recommendations.

“Millennials want to see a product in action with real-life people they can relate to because they believe that they are more likely to see these amazing results on their own skin.”

The survey indicates that among Millennials the most successful beauty brands are those they have seen lots of influential people “posting, raving about and using them on the regular” on social media.

The top three most successful brands on the digital/social media space were MAC, Mecca and Clinique, according to the respondents of the survey, closely followed by beauty brands La Mer, Estée Lauder, Glossier, Aesop and NARS.

Brands which dedicate time to social media campaigns, work with a range of influencers and actively engage with their audience, were selected as the most successful.

Investing in influencer-produced video content with make-up hacks and video tutorials was also a key indicator of beauty brand success in the survey. In fact, 79 per cent of beauty consumers look to online videos to see how to use a product.

Gildea said investing in influencers is an important part of the ongoing marketing strategy of Estée Lauder Companies because it allows it to tap into new audiences and have consumers see how its products can fit into their lifestyle.

“We really enjoy seeing influencers communicate our brands and products in their own unique voice, as it provides inspiration for our consumers and also evolves our creative choices for our marketing communications,” she said.