In the beauty world trends move fast and shoppers crave real results before they commit. Influencer gifting has therefore become more than just a goodwill gesture. It’s a strategic engine for content, conversion, and community. The beauty category is uniquely visual and emotionally charged. Consumers want to see products in action, understand how they perform...
In the beauty world trends move fast and shoppers crave real results before they commit. Influencer gifting has therefore become more than just a goodwill gesture. It’s a strategic engine for content, conversion, and community.
The beauty category is uniquely visual and emotionally charged. Consumers want to see products in action, understand how they perform in real life, and hear trusted opinions from people who reflect their own skin type, tone, and preferences. This is where influencer gifting steps in, not as a nice-to-have, but as a must-have. Done right, it fuels authentic user-generated content (UGC), boosts visibility, and generates social proof that drives purchasing decisions.
It’s also the fastest and most effective way to collect impactful product reviews at scale, especially vital for new product launches or when entering retail. Reviews build trust, support conversion, and are often the tipping point in a crowded category where every click counts.
In this article, we’ll learn how today’s beauty brands are evolving their gifting strategies, activating content across multiple touchpoints, amplifying product launches, and turning one gifted moment into full-funnel brand impact.
The Power of Gifting in the Beauty Category
Beauty is built for influencer gifting—products are visual, easy to demonstrate, and thrive in tutorial-style content. The community-driven nature of beauty means that when creators share honest, unsponsored reviews, it builds instant trust and relatability.
92% marketers say that influencer gifting has increased their brand awareness, while 72% say that it has helped them drive sales. Gifted UGC stands out because it feels real. No scripts, no pressure—just authentic reactions that resonate with audiences.
From Gift to Growth: UGC Activation Channels That Matter
Turn Gifted UGC into Scroll-Stopping Paid Ads
Gifted content doesn’t belong in a folder, it belongs in your paid media engine. Beauty brands that win today know how to spot a top-performing unboxing, tutorial, or transformation video and scale it fast.
Run it as a Meta ad. Spark it on TikTok. Drop it into YouTube Shorts. UGC doesn’t just fill your feed it fuels conversions.
What to look for in gifted content to boost:
- A clear “before and after” skincare payoff
- A get-ready-with-me that mimics real buyer behavior
- A product demo with a hook in the first 3 seconds
Pro Tip: Spark Ads on TikTok are made for this. The content runs from the creator’s own handle, which means instant trust and no performance dip like you’d get from overly branded ads.
Identify 3 gifted posts from your last campaign. Test one each on Meta, TikTok Spark Ads, and YouTube Shorts. Watch which format drives the highest ROAS and scale it.
Add them to your PDP and Retailer Sites
Your product detail pages (PDPs) and retailer sites are key channels to build credibility. And there’s no better proof than real people using your products in real life.
Beauty buyers want to know:
Will this shade work on my skin tone? Is it cakey? Is it beginner-friendly? Gifted reviews and unfiltered application videos answer these faster than any product description ever could.
What to showcase on PDPs:
- Short-form tutorials (reels, TikToks, Shorts) from gifting creators
- Text reviews that call out results, ease of use, or scent/texture
- Before/after snapshots with skin types or age brackets labeled
Drybar displayed the UGC collected through Skeepers—7,000+ reviews and 2,300+ influencer videos—directly on their product detail pages across their D2C site and major retailers like Sephora and Ulta. The result? A 94% recommendation rate, a 4.75/5 star rating, and significantly higher engagement and conversions, especially for new product launches and best-sellers.
Include Gifted UGC in Your Organic Social
Your social channels are often the first-place potential customers engage with your brand—and gifted UGC is one of the most powerful tools to turn that engagement into conversion. When influencers or creators share authentic content, it signals credibility and relatability. Smart brands don’t just “like” these posts—they integrate them into their broader social strategy.
- Feed Posts: Repost high-quality influencer visuals showing your products in real life. Whether it’s skincare results, outfit styling, or unboxings, these visuals add credibility and social proof to your grid.
- Stories & Highlights: Maximize reach by featuring gifted UGC in your Instagram Stories—then save the best ones as Highlights. It creates a running archive of trust-building moments that new followers can binge.
- Reels: The short-form video format is ideal for repurposing gifted content like “how-to” demos, application tutorials, or before-and-after reveals. Reels boost organic reach and keep your content feed dynamic.
Kaja Beauty effectively leverages UGC on Instagram to enhance brand engagement and authenticity. By encouraging customers to share their experiences using specific hashtags, Kaja curates and reposts content that showcases real-life applications of their products. This strategy not only fosters a sense of community but also provides potential customers with genuine testimonials and demonstrations.
TikTok
- Raw & Real Reviews: TikTok users thrive on authenticity. Repurpose unfiltered creator reviews and reactions to build trust with Gen Z and Millennial audiences.
- Trend Integration: Use gifted content to jump on trending sounds or formats—just pair the UGC with a caption or text overlay that aligns with your brand voice.
- Spark Ads Ready: Repurpose high-performing organic creator content for paid amplification later—TikTok prioritizes native-looking content in its feed.
Kate Somerville, the skincare brand, taps into UGC on TikTok to spotlight how their products address real skincare concerns like dermatitis, acne, and dryness. By collaborating with influencers who genuinely experience these issues, the brand shares authentic skincare routines and visible results. This relatable content has helped Kate Somerville foster a highly engaged community on TikTok—driving significant growth in views, reach, and ultimately, sales.
YouTube Shorts
- Shorts: Use quick creator-led videos showing product results, transformations, or how-tos. These are perfect for repurposing gifted content into discoverable, mobile-first video.
- Community Tab: Re-share UGC quotes, stills, or mini-testimonials from creators who have tried and loved your products. Use it as an endorsement engine.
Make Up For Ever strategically uses UGC on YouTube Shorts to deliver quick, high-impact content. They showcase a range of content from makeup tutorials and product hacks to behind-the-scenes looks at pro techniques. By partnering with creators who blend artistry with authenticity, the brand taps into a beauty-savvy audience looking for real results in under 60 seconds. This approach keeps their content fresh, discoverable, and perfectly aligned with today’s fast-moving beauty trends.
Add them to In-Store Screens & POS Displays
Digital and physical retail are blending. Beauty brands are closing the loop by bringing UGC directly into the store. Displaying authentic customer videos, reviews, and social content on in-store screens and POS displays can influence shoppers right at the point of decision.
When consumers see real people using and loving your product, whether it’s a skin transformation video, a quick makeup demo, or a glowing text review, they’re more likely to trust the brand and try it for themselves. UGC adds a layer of social proof that no shelf-talker or brand copy can replicate.
Repurpose your top-performing gifted reviews and influencer posts as dynamic in-store visuals to:
- Showcase real results and routines in action
- Educate shoppers with authentic product benefits
- Boost confidence in purchase decisions with peer validation
This approach turns in-store screens into digital influencers—bringing the power of UGC to life in the last few seconds before purchase.
Leverage UGC for New Product Launches & Hero Campaigns
Influencer gifting plays a pivotal role in building momentum for new product launches. By seeding products ahead of launch, brands can generate authentic buzz across social platforms, often before a single ad goes live.
Encourage influencers to share unboxings, first impressions, and early usage content. These UGC assets are ideal for launch countdowns, sneak peeks and teaser videos, “first look” reels and stories, early-access landing pages, and more.
This early wave of social validation gives new products credibility and urgency. When your audience sees trusted creators genuinely excited, they’re more likely to convert, fast.
Peace Out Skincare uses UGC to supercharge product launches and sustain hero campaigns.
With Skeepers’ Gifted Reviews solution, the brand ensured a steady stream of high-quality reviews, right when they mattered most. For every new product launch, they activated micro and nano influencers to generate buzz and build trust instantly, helping them accelerate conversion from day one.
By continually collecting reviews for both new and hero products, Peace Out Skincare kept their content fresh across their DTC site and retailer pages like Sephora. This strategy prevented review fatigue and kept momentum going across campaigns.
The results: over 300 reviews per new product launch fueling early trust, thousands of reviews for best-sellers driving continued interest, and a consistent increase in conversion rates tied to fresh UGC.
Their strategy proves that timely, authentic UGC isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the engine behind successful launches, sustained visibility, and scalable customer trust.
“When we launch new products, gifting becomes a major part of that strategy to ensure we generate reviews from the start. [Without Skeepers], We’d have to do it all internally. Operationally, I think that would be very difficult for us.”
Annie Sokoloff
VP of Sales, Peace Out Skincare
Conclusion
Influencer gifting isn’t a one-and-done tactic—it’s the spark that fuels your content engine across every channel. From TikTok ads and Instagram Reels to PDPs, bundle campaigns, and in-store displays, the most strategic beauty brands are activating their gifted content far beyond the unboxing moment.
If you’re serious about turning gifting into measurable ROI, you need a plan for how to scale, optimize, and repurpose the UGC you collect.
Want to see how far your gifted content can go?
Download our checklist: The Ultimate Gifting Checklist: Maximize UGC Created and Collected from Gifting Campaigns and discover every high-impact opportunity to put your influencer content to work.
