Why ‘Cutesy’ Makeup Brands Are Having a Moment

Call it the cutie patootie-fication of makeup.

Data from Mintoiro shows makeup brands earmarked by ultra-colorful packaging and playful formats are seeing swift following and engagement growth on Instagram.

In fact, the top makeup brand by said metrics in November 2024 was China-based Flower Knows, which is best known for its artful, fairytale-inspired packaging and — case in point — is slated to release a cake-inspired Strawberry Cupid collection on Wednesday.

Founded in 2016 by Yang Zifeng and Zhou Tiancheng, the brand made its U.S. retail foray last year via Urban Outfitters and counts 1.3 million followers for its global Instagram account, far outpacing the 154,000 and 41,000 followers its designated Japan and China accounts respectively have.

Flower Knows is not the only international makeup brand making waves in the West: Korea’s Romand, which has gone viral for its lip tints and Glasting Melting Balms, ranks number-five, while Fwee — also based in Korea — is similarly making waves for its unique, fun formats.

Chief among them: the brand’s “fluffy” Lip & Cheek Blurry Pudding Pots, available on Amazon, TikTok Shop and e-tailers like YesStyle and Olive Young.

“It’s a lot of the ‘cute’ brands that are doing well on social media when it comes to makeup — the ones that have cool — in some cases avant-garde — packaging, innovative formulas and so on,” said Mintoiro founder Jennifer Carlsson, adding that with the exception of Flower Knows, which sits at a more prestige price point, many of the Asia-based brands seeing global growth “are very high-quality at a very affordable price point.”

This checks out with the broader resurgence of K-beauty in the U.S., which over the past year has meaningfully brought Korean makeup and hair care brands in front of global consumers, versus just skin care brands.

Also seeing persistent growth is Shein-owned Sheglam, best known for buzzy collaborations like its recent Harry Potter and Hello Kitty collections. The 2019-founded makeup brand, which expanded into hair last fall, has been rapidly making inroads in the U.S. — where it operates one of its three offices — and is posited by sources to be doing well above $200 million in annual sales.

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Ariana Grande’s R.e.m. Beauty, too, are top performers on Instagram, with the latter being boosted by its “Wicked” collaboration and promotion for the movie-musical adaptation featuring Grande as Glinda. And on the topic of star founders: Brazil-based influencer Franciny Ehlke is similarly seeing rapid growth for her three-year-old eponymous makeup range.

The brand’s latest viral launch? A honey-infused lip gloss featuring a honeycomb-shaped cap.

The top 10 trending makeup brands on Instagram in November 2024, per Mintoiro.