Beauty/Personal Care Brands Ranked by Social Influence

Data and analytics firm Engagement Labs has released its TotalSocial ranking of the top personal care and beauty brands in the US based on social influence. The analysis is unique in that it combines offline and online consumer conversations. It is based on Engagement Labs’ proprietary “TotalSocial” data and analytics, which continuously measures the most important drivers of brand performance in both face-to-face and social media conversations.

The brands in the top 10 have earned the highest TotalSocial scores in the category for the last six months, compared to their previous ranking in December 2017.

When compared to the last six months, several brands found themselves washed away in the latest ranking. In fact, three of the previous top 10 brands—Old Spice, MAC Cosmetics and Nivea—fell out of the top 10 entirely. Dove, a brand which held the top spot in the rankings a year ago and is known for being a highly viral brand, dropped again to number four from number three. By contrast, Neutrogena reversed its decline and reclaimed its place among the top 10.

“Our analysis really drives home the need for beauty brands to understand the importance of having a comprehensive view of social influence that embraces conversations as a powerful asset, regardless of where they take place,” said Ed Keller, CEO of Engagement Labs.

“Each of the brands that lost their hold on the top 10 experienced a decline in offline scores, while those brands that activated offline conversations saw improvement. As proven by our data and analytics, there is no reliable correlation between conversations happening via social media and those that happen in real-life—and as a result, brands need to create integrated strategies to drive consumer buzz about their brand both online and off.”

Neutrogena, which had been pushed out of the top 10 in the previous ranking, reentered the list at number six; the brand’s key reason for success was stronger offline sentiment, which measures how positive its face-to-face conversations are.

At CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) which was held earlier this year in Las Vegas, Neutrogena unveiled a new beauty technology and smartphone app.

Meanwhile, Burt’s Bees made its first appearance in the ranking, claiming the number eight spot. The brand’s strong improvement in offline sentiment and online influence, which measures the extent to which an influential audience is advocating for the brand in social media, created enough lift to carry it 13 spots.