Influencers Prove A Point: How The Top 10 Creator Brands Generate Billions in Revenue

Creators Are Redefining Brands And The Concept Of Influence

Influencer brands—like Kim Kardashian’s SKKN BY KIM—are no strangers to controversy, but they may, in fact, represent a shift toward greater inclusivity. Enter NeoReach’s recently released list of Top 100 Creator Brands. Of the top five influencer brands from the list, all are female-led and feature one American of Vietnamese descent, Michelle Phan, and another American, Huda Kattan, of Iraqi heritage.

The success of many of these brands reflects a significant shift from the days when celebrities endorsed products but rarely developed product lines designed to serve disenfranchised audiences. Today, several of the top creator brands are built around authenticating the lived experiences of untapped audiences.

Body image and beauty are often at the heart of inclusion, and audiences that are now courted by major brands with new, more inclusive product lines are finding representation in models and influencers who look like them in ads and media more frequently. The most successful influencers often have an advantage in “selling” a brand’s authenticity—many times because in telling their stories, they are creating wider visibility for body types, skin colors and lifestyles that may have unique, long-overlooked needs.

It makes sense that many influencer-led brands are focused on beauty and fashion. According to the report, 40 percent of creator brands on NeoReach’s list earning less than $500 million focus on beauty, followed by fashion at 23 percent and apps at 9 percent. “With a total annual revenue of $1.5 billion and a total monthly website traffic of 7.9 million across all 40 brands,” the report reads, “creator-led beauty brands are dominating the industry.”

Here are NeoReach’s top five creator brands:

Ipsy by Michelle Phan

• Monthly Website Traffic: 1.5 million
• Estimated Annual Revenue: $500 million
• Paid Ad Spend Monthly: $112.2K

Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner

• Monthly Website Traffic: 2.5 million
• Estimated Annual Revenue: $375 million
• Paid Ad Spend Monthly: Less than $5,000

SKIMS By Kim Kardashian

• Monthly Website Traffic: 1.9 million
• Estimated Annual Revenue: $275 million
• Paid Ad Spend Monthly: $22.6K

Huda Beauty by Huda Kattan

• Monthly Website Traffic: 549K
• Estimated Annual Revenue: $250 million
• Paid Ad Spend Monthly: $5.6K

Kylie Skin by Kylie Jenner

• Monthly Website Traffic: 750K
• Estimated Annual Revenue: $138.5 million
• Paid Ad Spend Monthly: Less than $5,000

Learn more by downloading the report.