Our latest report on the top 10 fastest-growing beauty brands on Instagram looks at which names saw the biggest follower growth between March 2024 and March 2025. These brands aren’t just growing in numbers. They’re building loyalty and visibility in a space that’s more competitive than ever.
Some brands made the list with strong regional strategies. Others stood out for their creative content formats. Rare Beauty stood out for something slightly different: emotional connection.
Founded by Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty grew its following by 1 million in the past year, enough to rank third on our 2025 list. But its success goes far beyond the growth rate. Rare Beauty has built one of the most distinctive brand identities on Instagram by leading with feeling, not just visuals.
More than a celebrity brand
Rare Beauty is a global lifestyle beauty brand launched in 2020 by singer and actress Selena Gomez. From the start, the brand positioned itself as different, focused on self-expression, confidence, and mental health just as much as makeup itself.
While many celebrity brands fade after a few campaigns, Rare Beauty has done the opposite. It’s managed to build a meaningful Instagram presence that doesn't just rely on Gomez’s popularity but reflects her values and personality in the brand’s tone, content, and community.
The result? A feed that feels warm, expressive, and surprisingly relatable, even at a global scale.
Content that feels human, not just promotional
Most of Rare Beauty’s Instagram content is made up of Reels, with a strong emphasis on creators and fans showing how they use the products in everyday life. You’ll see:
GRWM-style videos
Tutorials and close-up reviews
Cosplay or fan-style edits
Creative, cinematic formats (like fake ads or music-inspired videos)
This mix of content helps the brand feel more like a community and less like a storefront. Instead of pushing out highly produced brand videos, Rare Beauty encourages playful, expressive formats, many of which are created or inspired by the audience itself.
Some of the best-performing content includes edits made by fans, mashups using Selena’s music, and fun product transitions created by micro-influencers. It all feels cohesive, but not overly controlled.
A huge, global creator network
Rare Beauty works with a large and varied mix of creators – from traditional beauty influencers to cosplay artists and fan page admins. This creator-first strategy is about long-term relationships, not one-off collabs.
In the past year, the brand has engaged:
27,887 influencers
Which resulted in:
77,604 Instagram posts featuring the brand
That’s a massive volume of creator content – one of the highest in our report! And it’s helped the brand stay visible across markets like:
United States
United Kingdom
India
The wide reach is important, but the consistency of tone across regions is what makes Rare Beauty’s strategy stand out. No matter where the creator is based, the posts feel emotionally in tune with the brand: confident, uplifting, and often personal.
Rare Beauty’s Instagram performance by the numbers
Here’s a breakdown of how the brand performed between March 2024 and March 2025, according to our report:
Follower growth: +1 million
Reach: 5.3 billion
Engagement rate: 4%
Influencers engaged: 27,887
Posts featured: 77,604
Primary content type: Reels (majority of posts)
Average views per post: ~19,909
Average likes per post: ~3,896
Average comments per post: ~43
Top markets: United States, United Kingdom, India
An engagement rate of 4% at this scale is exceptional. It reflects a high level of trust, emotional investment, and relevance, especially considering the global footprint of the brand.
What Rare Beauty is doing right
Rare Beauty’s growth on Instagram comes down to a few key things that work together: content that feels personal, creators who are genuinely connected to the brand, and messaging that goes deeper than the usual product pitch.
1. Emotional storytelling works everywhere
Instead of focusing just on makeup trends, Rare Beauty leans into themes like self-love, mental health, and confidence. These messages feel genuine and consistent, whether it’s a creator sharing a GRWM or a fan posting an edit. It’s emotional content that translates across cultures and gives people something to connect with beyond the product.
2. Content is expressive and open-ended
Rare Beauty encourages creators to play with the brand. You’ll see everything from cosplay edits and fake ads to cinematic reels and Selena Gomez-inspired looks. That freedom means the content rarely feels repetitive or overly branded, and it keeps people watching and sharing.
3. Fan culture is part of the brand
Selena Gomez’s fanbase is definitely a factor, but Rare Beauty has gone further by integrating that energy into its actual content strategy. Fan pages, tribute edits, and UGC get shared often, and the brand gives those creators a spotlight. That kind of community participation helps the brand feel alive, not just curated.
4. Long-term creator relationships
Rare Beauty works with creators consistently, not just for one-off campaigns. Many influencers post about the brand over time, suggesting there’s real trust behind the partnerships. That ongoing visibility helps reinforce the brand’s values and makes the content feel more authentic.
Final thoughts
Rare Beauty proves that global growth doesn’t have to come from volume alone. You can scale with intention by leading with values, prioritising creative expression, and inviting your audience to be part of the story.
It’s not about perfect visuals or massive ad budgets. It’s about tone, consistency, and emotional relevance – things that are harder to copy and easier to connect with.
Want more insights like these?
Download the full Top Beauty Brands on Instagram 2025 report to explore all 10 brands and their strategies.
