L'Oreal Launches New Makeup Line Designed by YouTube Beauty Guru Michelle Phan

L’Oreal announced that they are launching a new makeup line to be sold online designed by YouTube beauty guru Michelle Phan. This launch shows how L’Oreal is tapping into YouTube as a force for driving makeup sales.

And it’s for a good reason. According to Google research, 50 percent of all beauty shoppers watch a beauty video on YouTube while they are shopping for products – that’s 1 out of every 2 people shopping for beauty products.

Michelle Phan began uploading makeup tutorials to YouTube in 2007. To-date, she has generated more than 700 million views and has more than 4.5 million subscribers. If you want to immerse yourself in her videos, you have enough to keep you busy. Phan has more hours of content than eight feature length films.

Her most-watched videos on YouTube are Barbie Transformation Tutorial with 46.3 million views, Lady Gaga Bad Romance Look with 40.4 million views, and Lady Gaga Poker Face Tutorial with 34.0 million views.

Beauty continues to be a growing area of content on YouTube, and brands like L’Oreal are tapping into this online community. More than 120 million how-to and beauty videos are watched every day on YouTube, and makeup videos are now the most searched for how-to content on YouTube.

To support this launch, L’Oreal is promoting the new line with Google search ads and on YouTube. Check out the launch video.

“YouTube content creators like Michelle Phan have completely transformed the way people learn about and shop for makeup today,” said Jim Lecinski, vice president, sales, Google. “A few years ago, people primarily shopped by going to the beauty counter at a mall. Now, they go first to YouTube and search for tutorials and reviews. By developing a line of products with one of our most prolific creators, L’Oreal is tapping into the core of what YouTube is for consumers today – the place where people learn, share, and engage with the products and brands they love.”

For those interested in what L’Oreal , the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company, said last Friday in a press release, click on “em michelle phan, the new makeup brand co-created by beauty expert Michelle Phan and her community, launches.”

In the release, Michelle Phan says, “em michelle phan was designed for and with my community to meet their authentic beauty needs, based on years of input I received while being a beauty mentor. My focus from the beginning has always been about empowering women to tell their own beauty stories with makeup.”

Carol Hamilton, President of L’Oréal Luxe, noted that beauty lovers are increasingly consuming and sharing information digitally, through online communities.

“We saw the power of these communities and wanted to meet them where they live – online,” Hamilton said. “Michelle Phan’s expertise in makeup, plus her passion for teaching and empowering women has made her a digital phenomenon. She represents exactly what this line is all about – community, empowerment, artistry.”

The release also explains that “em”, a Vietnamese word meaning “you,” is used affectionately to address loved ones including a little sister, girlfriend or elder. It is also literally and figuratively a reflection of “me” – it is a makeup line that reflects the needs of Michelle’s community, their personal beauty stories and life moments.

The community has been a part of every piece of the brand, providing input on launch products, shade names and product packaging. Community members also appear in package design, brand photography, and on the em michelle phan website.