10 Rising Creators Shaping the Future of Beauty Marketing That Every Brand Should Know
Destinee Wray first started posting curly haircare tutorials on Instagram in 2020 when she was just sixteen years old.
Soon she expanded to TikTok and built a following of 3.9 million thanks to her approachable and relatable get ready with me (GRWM) videos showcasing her haircare routines—like slicking her hair back for track practice to wash days. For example, in a video posted in June with 2.5 million views, Wray demonstrates the steps she takes to achieve a curly afro. This content and Wray’s warm tone is what makes her stick out to Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO at influencer agency Obviously. Karwowski praised how Wray embraces her natural hair texture and inspires confidence in her audience.
Monet McMichael
Followers: 3.8 million on TikTok, 1.3 million on Instagram, and 446,000 on YouTube
TikTok stats: 14.92% engagement rate, 404,700 estimated impressions per post, and 1.5 million average views
Brands worked with: Dove, Kiehl’s, and L’Oreal Paris
Monet McMichael attracted a following on TikTok of 3.8 million for her chatty GRWM videos. She started posting while she was a nursing student at Rutgers. Since graduating in 2022, she’s parlayed her skills into being a full-time creator.
Andrea Ahern, SVP and head of accounts at Billion Dollar Boy, recommended McMichael because of the trust her audience has for recommendations. A recent popular video from McMichael shows her recreating her go-to 2016 makeup look to a playlist of music from the year. In the video she chats with her audience reflecting on when she first fell in love with social media and makeup. Ahern said that McMichael is highly requested by brands due to her funny and trend-driven content that is tailored to the platform she’s posting on. Ahern recommended that lifestyle, beauty, hair, skincare, nails, home and decor, and pet brands partner with McMichael, additionally noting that McMichael recently bought a house which could be good for brands looking to reach young homeowners.
McMichael was also recommended by Natalie Silverstein, chief innovation officer at Collectively. According to Silverstein, McMichael consistently has high reach, engagement, and the ability to cover a wide variety of verticals like beauty, fashion, fitness, and home. Silverstein added that McMichael is known for driving sales with well-performing sponsored content.
