Updated: 2025
Instagram Strategy for Beauty and Makeup Brands
Instagram remains a powerhouse platform for beauty and makeup brands despite competition from newer social media sites. With 400 million active users, it offers tremendous potential for connecting with target audiences and building brand awareness. While TikTok temporarily drew younger users away, Instagram’s introduction of creator incentives, reels, and branding payments has helped maintain its relevance in the beauty space.
For makeup artists and beauty brands, effective hashtag usage is crucial for discoverability. The most effective hashtags tend to be concise, memorable, and specific to the beauty niche. Selecting popular, relevant hashtags already in circulation can significantly increase content visibility and follower engagement.
Top Beauty and Makeup Hashtags:
- #Makeup – The essential hashtag for all makeup-related content
- #Skincare – Perfect for skincare products and routines
- #MOTD – “Makeup Of The Day” for showcasing daily looks
- #BeautyTrends – Highlights current popular styles and products
- #MakeupArtist – Specifically for professional artists
- #MakeupTutorial – Educational content showing application techniques
- #BeautyBrand – For established or emerging beauty companies
Beauty brands should combine popular broad hashtags with more specific ones to maximize reach. For instance, a post featuring a new eyeshadow palette might use both #Makeup and #EyeshadowLook to capture different audience segments.
High-quality content remains essential regardless of hashtag strategy. Beautiful product photography, well-executed makeup looks, and professional-quality videos perform best on the platform. Brands should focus on creating visually striking content that stands out in crowded feeds.
Table: Hashtag Strategy by Content Type
| Content Type | Primary Hashtags | Secondary Hashtags |
|---|---|---|
| Product Photos | #Makeup #BeautyBrand | #NewLaunch #MustHave |
| Tutorials | #MakeupTutorial #MOTD | #HowTo #StepByStep |
| Behind-the-Scenes | #BrandAwareness #MakeupArtist | #BTS #WorkingProcess |
| Customer Features | #BeautyLovers #MakeupCommunity | #ClientLove #BeautyInspo |
Brands should also consider hashtags that foster community engagement. Hashtags like #MakeupLovers and #BeautyCommunity can help connect with passionate followers who actively engage with beauty content. Creating branded hashtags for specific marketing campaigns can also track engagement and encourage user-generated content.
Instagram’s algorithm favors accounts that post consistently and engage authentically with followers. Beauty brands should develop a content calendar that includes a mix of promotional posts, educational content, and interactive elements like polls or questions to boost engagement metrics.
Makeup artists can leverage Instagram to showcase their portfolio through before-and-after transformations, detailed makeup looks, and technique demonstrations. Using professional hashtags like #MakeupArtist and #BeautyPro can help connect with potential clients and industry collaborators.
Fashion and beauty intersect frequently on Instagram, making cross-category hashtags valuable. Tags like #BeautyAndFashion or #StyleAndBeauty can expand reach to fashion-focused audiences who also consume beauty content.
Trending hashtags change frequently in the beauty space. Brands should regularly research current popular tags using Instagram’s search function or third-party analytics tools. Seasonal hashtags like #SummerMakeup or #FestivalLooks can provide timely relevance to content.
Photo by energepic.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-phone-while-logging-in-on-instagram-application-174938/
