What Top Makeup Brands Are Doing on TikTok in 2026

Makeup brands spent the past week treating TikTok and Instagram less like beauty moodboards and more like launch engines: summer complexion drops, retail-exclusive CTAs, creator/event footage, and culture hooks around Love Island, the Knicks, and pop-up tourism. The strongest pattern is not “pretty product demos”; it is product proof wrapped in a timely reason to care.

Makeup brands are in summer launch mode

The dominant product language this week was bronze, glow, blur, butter, tint, and summer. Rhode, Summer Fridays, Kylie Cosmetics, Charlotte Tilbury, e.l.f., Rare Beauty, Milk Makeup, and Maybelline were all pushing complexion, lip, cheek, or glow products framed as warm-weather essentials.

Rhode’s Summer ’26 rollout is the clearest example: the brand did not just post a product drop, it built a physical “summer world” around the collection, then used both brand footage and creator footage to make the launch feel like a destination.

On Instagram, Rhode packaged the same launch as a rapid creator montage: multiple creators testing bronzers, highlighting milk, and peptide lip tints across skin tones. That matters because the post is not just “here is our collection”; it answers the immediate buyer question: what does this look like on real people?

Kylie Cosmetics is also in pre-launch mode, using a short, fast TikTok to tease brightening powders tied to a Met Gala reference. The hook is smart because it makes the product feel like something viewers already “saw” before they could buy it.

Summer Fridays, Charlotte Tilbury, e.l.f., and Rare Beauty are playing in the same seasonal zone, but with different angles: Summer Fridays is “sun-kissed in one swipe,” Charlotte is “wear less, glow more,” e.l.f. is “cheap multi-use color,” and Rare is “practical foundation packaging.”

The biggest shift: brands are turning every post into a retail path

A lot of the week’s content had an unusually explicit commerce layer. Brands were not just saying “shop now”; they were naming where: Ulta, Sephora, Target, TikTok Shop, brand sites, and TikTok Live.

Fenty was the most aggressive here. Its TikTok content repeatedly pushed TikTok Live, giveaways, exclusive bundles, and TikTok Shop deals; its Instagram Reel also sent people back to TikTok Shop and a live shopping event.

That cross-platform behavior is a real shift: Instagram is being used as a traffic layer for TikTok commerce, not just as a polished brand channel.

r.e.m. Beauty used Ulta plus Ariana Grande’s tour as the commerce wrapper. The product was not the only prize; the retailer receipt became the entry mechanic, and the video made the giveaway feel like a travel/tour moment.

Rare Beauty leaned into Ulta in a different way: in-store aisle content, visible product displays, Selena Gomez imagery, and a fast “versus” style format. It makes Ulta feel like part of the content, not just the place where conversion happens.

about-face is doing the same at a smaller scale: product routine content that repeatedly anchors the purchase path to aboutface.com and Ulta.

Events are becoming content factories, not just PR moments

The strongest brand activations this week were built to generate clips from many angles. Rhode Summer Station, Saie x Knicks, Kosas Toronto, Urban Decay masterclasses, Tower 28 travel teasers, and Sephora Collection launch content all point in the same direction: brands want physical moments that creators can convert into social proof.

Saie’s Knicks partnership is a clean example. The TikTok shows a branded truck, women in Saie jumpsuits, street sampling, Sephora placement, and the “official sponsor of the New York Knicks” message. It borrows cultural momentum from New York sports while still keeping the product retail path visible.

The broader Knicks context was loud this week, and Saie’s timing gave the beauty partnership more cultural surface area than a normal “we sponsor a team” post would have. Glossier and NYX also posted New York/basketball-adjacent content, but Saie had the strongest brand fit because the partnership was official and visible.

Sephora Collection took a more surreal route: an event space, branded uniforms, makeup brushes, and a “quit everything and become a makeup brush” joke. It is less product-educational than Rhode or Saie, but it shows how launch events are being formatted for TikTok absurdity.

Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Skin Tint campaign uses a different kind of event-like storytelling: street posters, NYC texture, and a nostalgic voicemail. It feels more like fashion/editorial world-building than a normal product demo.

Culture hooks are working better than generic beauty hooks

The week’s strongest cultural layer was Love Island USA. Maybelline made an official tie-in around watching Love Island every night, with lip products placed beside popcorn in a living-room setup.

But creator content around Love Island was much stronger than most brand-owned versions. The creator format was simple: “if I were a Love Island bombshell,” then a full glam routine with product tags. That works because it turns makeup into roleplay, not just application.

Kylie Cosmetics also used the Love Island sound for a lip butter post, and Fenty referenced Love Island audio on TikTok. The repeated appearance across brands makes this more than a one-off; beauty brands are treating the show as a current aesthetic prompt.

The second cultural lane was sports, especially the Knicks. Saie had the strongest claim because of its official partnership, but the broader New York beauty cluster — Saie, Glossier, NYX, Milk — all had reasons to play in that world.

Product proof is back, but it has to be visual or sensory

A lot of brands posted simple product claims this week, but the stronger posts made the claim visible, audible, or testable.

Huda Beauty used ASMR for lip gloss: wand pops, sliding sounds, close product shots, and the text “most satisfying sounds.” This is not just a swatch video; it sells texture and satisfaction before it sells shade.

Haus Labs demonstrated transfer-proof lipstick by applying the product, drinking from a mug, and showing no visible residue. Benefit did the same kind of thing for waterproof mascara and liner by literally pouring water over the creator’s face.

That matters because “long-wear,” “waterproof,” “transfer-proof,” and “12-hour” claims are everywhere in beauty. The posts that make those claims physically observable are easier to believe than the posts that only say them.

Creator-led education is outperforming polished brand explanation

Makeup by Mario and Patrick Ta are leaning heavily into expert-led education. These are longer, more instructional videos where the founder or artist demonstrates technique, not just product.

Patrick Ta’s transition blush video is long and detailed: application, blending under the eyes and cheeks, setting, layering, and shade range. It is not optimized like a five-second meme, but it gives serious beauty consumers something to learn.

Makeup by Mario’s recent TikToks show a similar pattern: artist spotlight, pro tips, reply-to-comment formats, and technique-led answers. This is one of the clearest splits in the category: some brands are chasing culture velocity, while artist-founder brands are protecting authority.

NYX is using a more casual creator-style version of education: replying to a comment, applying lip liner and gloss, and showing the finished combo. It is straightforward, but it fits the platform better than a polished studio explainer.

Haus Labs’ Instagram 5-minute makeup Reel sits between education and aesthetic demo. The creator does not speak, but the products are shown clearly before application, with calm pacing and a finished look payoff.

Instagram is becoming the polished recap layer

TikTok is where brands are testing cultural hooks, commerce CTAs, replies, live shopping, sensory demos, and rougher creator-style edits. Instagram is still more polished, but this week it was not just glossy product photography; it was increasingly creator compilations, event recaps, and short product-functional moments.

Rhode and Charlotte Tilbury both used multi-creator Instagram Reels to compress many skin tones, angles, and reactions into one product story.

Rare Beauty’s Instagram Reel with Selena was extremely short and packaging-focused. It worked more like a product meme than a tutorial: “me when I remember the foundation has a lock.”

Luxury brands are still more controlled. Prada Beauty’s recent TikTok is a beach arrangement of lipsticks, glosses, and fragrance — beautiful, clear, and brand-safe, but less native than the creator-led beauty content around Prada products.

Official brand accounts are often being beaten by creator context

One of the clearest findings: the same product or cultural idea often travels better through creators than through the brand account.

Rhode’s brand event post performed well, but creator videos around Rhode Summer Station reached a much broader audience. Love Island makeup routines from creators were stronger than brand-owned tie-ins. Soft glam, bronze routines, and Sephora Collection/Dior/MAC product mentions also showed huge creator-side momentum.

This does not mean brands should stop posting. It means the brand account should act like the campaign hub while creators carry the use-cases: “bombshell makeup,” “Doja Cat concert glam,” “bronze GRWM,” “wear test,” “Ulta run,” and “event POV.”

Brand-by-brand readout

Rhode

Rhode is operating like a lifestyle destination brand, not just a skincare/makeup brand. The Summer Station content combines product, travel, merch, iced coffee, seaside atmosphere, and creator try-ons.

Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty is mixing founder visibility, retail presence, and practical product details. The foundation lock post is a tiny packaging gag, while the Ulta content turns retail shelves into a fast-paced product playground.

Fenty Beauty

Fenty is one of the most commerce-forward brands this week. It is pushing TikTok Shop, TikTok Live, bundles, giveaways, and limited-time deal language more heavily than most competitors.

e.l.f.

e.l.f. is balancing mass-price accessibility with entertainment. The $8 launch content is clear and useful, while the Bigfoot teaser shows the brand is still willing to make weird, platform-native campaign hooks.

Saie

Saie’s most distinct move is sports/local culture. The Knicks partnership gives the brand a reason to show up in New York beyond normal beauty content, while Sephora remains visible as the retail endpoint.

Milk Makeup

Milk is leaning into editorial storytelling around Hydro Grip Skin Tint: city posters, street visuals, and “stays on” messaging. The brand’s official posts were less creator-native than the broader skin tint conversation, but the campaign world is distinctive.

Huda Beauty

Huda is strong on sensory and creator-amplified product content. The ASMR lip gloss post is a good example of using the product itself as the hook: sound, texture, and close-up packaging.

Patrick Ta and Makeup by Mario

These artist-founder brands are not chasing the shortest meme formats as much as they are building authority. Their strongest content teaches technique and shows the founder’s hand in the product.

Haus Labs and Benefit

Both brands are using proof formats well. Haus Labs shows transfer resistance; Benefit shows waterproof wear. These formats are simple, credible, and easy to repeat across products.

Maybelline and Kylie Cosmetics

Both brands are tapping Love Island, but in different ways. Maybelline built a watch-night setup around lip products; Kylie used Love Island audio on a lip butter post while also teasing complexion products for the next launch.

Sephora Collection and Prada Beauty

Sephora Collection is trying to be playful and event-native, while Prada Beauty remains controlled and aesthetic. The contrast is useful: accessible brands are moving toward absurdity and creator behavior; luxury brands are still leaning on visual world-building.

What this says about makeup marketing right now

The category is moving away from isolated product beauty shots and toward situational proof. Products are being attached to a reason: a show everyone is watching, a sports team everyone is yelling about, a pop-up people can visit, a retailer where the product just landed, or a claim that can be tested on camera.

The brands that look most current are not simply posting more. They are giving each product multiple social lives: launch teaser, creator try-on, retail shelf moment, event recap, proof test, and culture hook.

The formats makeup brands should copy next week

Final takeaway

The winning makeup strategy this week is not one format. It is a launch system: build a product world, give creators a reason to enter it, connect the content to retail, and make the product claim visible. Brands that only post polished product shots look slower; brands that turn launches into culture, proof, and commerce look native to 2026 TikTok.