Overcoming Influencers

Understanding how people interact with their favorite content creators and how to separate their job from your reality.

January 2026

Why We Get Attached to Influencers

People buy products and especially cosmetic products based on vibes. Classic fashionistas buy Dior, trendy teens buy Tower 28, and polished professionals buy Merit, I don't make the rules. Purchasing decisions are a direct reflection of how a person feels about them selves and who they aspire to be. Buying something is a form expression and a display of self worth and identity. The subconscious is always speaking "If I buy this new makeup product, I'm one step closer to having a happy life like Morgan Turner."

Influencers of any level, micro influencers to mega online celebrities, represent a life style viewers subconsciously aspire to have. Influencers give viewers inspiration and ideas of what people might want their life to look like. Influencers can even set the tone for who people might seek out as friends or who viewers want our friends to be. This type of world building creates a mini universe within their social media platforms. This universe spans even farther when influencers team up, announce friendships, or mention approval of other creators. An example is how often JenLuv mentions Robert Welsh, even though Robert never mentions Jen. Their content is similar and have perceived similar audiences, despite being in different countries, because of this a product recommend by either is grouped into the larger ethos they as influencer create together. These kinds of relationships extend credibility for product recommendations and make the online "community" feel more close-knit presenting a more tangible lifestyle for the viewers.

Overall, what makes an influencer successful at infiltrating the lives of viewers?Frequent posting, little life details, aesthetic continuity, and tone create a familiar face who viewers build essentially one-sided trust and connection with. Influencers do speak to their audiences and may respond to comments but for the most part the viewer is more attached to the creator than the creator is to the individual viewers. However, the global "hi friends" is starting to lose traction in making viewers feel connected. As influencers have become more successful their lifestyles and tone change overtime and internet icons like Jacklyn Hill are lamenting on camera trying to figure out why she's losing followers. An influencer will inventiably grow faster than their audience in terms of achieving the lifestyle aspiration, due to sponsorships and PR packages from brands. Success is a slippery slope because, if influencers become out of touch with the realties of their fan base, fans will (and should) move onto creators who are more relatable.

The False Need

Urgency of limited edition releases so you can add another Valentino Born in Roma color way to your collection. Getting caught up in the fantasy of a captivating marketing campaign. The feeling of seeing everyone have something because all your favorite influencers are on the same PR list. The reality is that all this is just a general over exposure to marketing, and this makes people feel like certain products being promoted in their internet world are an essential part of a happy life. Humans are easily influenced by each other and want be behave similarly to people they feel are safe or similar, how do you think language was formed. People don't want to be left out on a seemingly very important moment in time.

Companies will often identify clusters of popular influencers to gift products to or host retreats for, like Tart cosmetics annual Trippin With Tart influencer vacation. This strategy of identifying similar influencer personalities creates the illusion for viewers that "everyone" loves the product they all got for free.The experience of receiving a gift or a free vacation sponsored by a brand does not guarantee an influencer will speak positively about a product but, it almost 100% guarantees an influencer will speak about the brand in some way. Influencers are also likely to soften harsh opinions on a product they don't love if they receive it for free. It's easy for people to say they like something when they didn't invest any money into it.

Window Shopping Without Remorse

Online window shopping is starting to become popular. This may also be framed as playing "abandon cart." This is the leisurely past time of browsing a company website, adding anything to a cart without mind for budget, then simply leaving the website after the desire for shopping has been fulfilled. For companies this may sound like the perfect time to set up an abandon cart recovery campaign but, that would be the fastest way to lose an email subscriber. These potential customers are not adding $500 worth of product to a cart because they have expendable income, they're doing that because they lack dopamine.

As a consumer I highly recommend adding all the new beauty releases to your cart and feeling the thrill of possibly owning a vanity full of products that could potentially make your life at least 20% better. I also recommend abandoning that seasonal haul cart and checking in a month later to realize you don't actually want any of those items and, realizing that life has been perfectly great without another new eyeshadow palette.

Similar to the online window shopping trend, "shopping your stash" and "project pan" are gaining popularity among beauty consumers. These ideas are being popularized by down-to-earth influencers and regretful community members to encourage consumers to take inventory of what they already have and make a point to finish a product before buying a new one. Influencer "shop my stash" videos obviously differ from the reality of a regular consumer. Still, the idea of seasonal rotation of personal cosmetic collections is actionable inspiration for people to engage in more mindful purchasing habits.

Influencers are Entertainers

The important detail to remember when taking an influencer product recommendation is that these people at the end of the day are entertainers, and there have been few people in show business that are not trying to sell you a ticket to a show. Influencer personalities often began as special internet friends you made a genuine connection with, who may occasionally talk back to you in comments.

Viewers should understand that for every video or photo published to Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, TikTok, whatever, the goal is views. The goal is entertainment. Viewers don't always understand the amount of editing, background staging, and production staff involved in creating content. This is their business. Just like a dancer or comedian they will do whatever it takes to attract you as a viewer and keep sponsorships coming in. They are not your friends. All the behind the scenes stress would not be necessary if this was just someone you knew sharing a product they loved.

How Will Authenticity Change

Marketing is always lifestyle aspersion. On the surface, the cosmetic industry aspirations are, nicer skin, nicer hair, better makeup. What’s really being subliminally sold is social acceptance and desirability. Sexuality is a long-standing influence in all marketing campaigns and is still a primary focus for legacy brands like Dolce & Gabanna but, as the consumer mind changes influencers will need reinvent the idea sexy.

Kayali's promotional video for the Passport to Paradise fragrance collection is a perfect example to contrast against the D&G Light Blue video. Both of these campaigns were released in the same summer 2025 season promoting the same product category of summer fragrance. The Passport to Paradise video shows mainly women having a relaxing fun vacation, there are mild undertones of sexuality suggested by showing a couple casual dates with men but, overall the video appeals more to someone who loves themself instead of someone looking to be loved. The Light Blue ad on the other hand is pure seduction and sexual fantasy appealing to the more traditional mantra of "sex sells".

To be effective in the marketing space, influencers need to be down to earth, relatable, while still displaying aspirational lifestyles. What will be the signs of someone genuinely sharing something they love and not something they are paid to love. To cultivate true authenticity with an audience, influencers need to be selective about what brands they accept paid collaborations with. This can be hard when creators are desperate for money. The art of maintaining authenticity is the art of saying no to brand deals that don’t speak to their target audience. Success also depends on the influencer's awareness of their target audience. If a creator does not understand demographics and behavior of their viewers, they may crash into irrelevance when they accidentally separate themselves from the fan based who built them.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. It took a bit to figure out what I was saying for this one but overall I wanted to bring attention to how influencer and social media marketing is changing and what shifts the market might see in the future. There's also the conversation to be had of offline marketing which is going to become very important in the near future.

If you haven't already please share this blog with friends who might enjoy this content. Also check out my recent posts on Peptides, How to use Bronzer, and the Ultimate 30min Makeup Routine.

Cheers,

-Katt