The age of ‘Instagram Face’ is over

The masses no longer desire perfection: a seismic migration to TikTok has seen the beauty industry scramble to adapt to a new era of beauty consumers, who readily wave their pitchforks at picture perfect advertising and crave curated ‘authenticity’. 

A new hallmark of Australian culture appears to be a stalwart satisfaction with widespread diminished efforts invested into personal care post-COVID. When the need to exhibit ourselves to the public sphere on a daily basis dissipated, consumers rejoiced – and pivoted. The ‘new normal’ also meant new standards for their consumption habits; and these consumers are firmly allocating their purchasing power to brands and influencers who embody their newly curated values: relatability, authenticity, diversity and vulnerability.