A dermatologist and a glam makeup artist reach almost completely different audiences, so a brand that briefs the wrong one has wasted the budget before the post goes up. That is the whole reason this page is sorted the way it is. We took 22 of the beauty creators people actually work with, split them by what they do rather than by follower count alone, pulled their current Instagram numbers, and wrote down where each one fits. The numbers are live and we re-check them every month.
22 creators, 126.5M+ combined followers, 21 verified. Last checked September 2026.
How to use this list
Everything below is grouped by niche, because trust in beauty does not transfer across them. A skincare audience will not take a makeup artist’s word on a retinol, and vice versa. Each creator has their reach, where they are based, and a line on the kind of brand they suit. If you are hiring by geography, the US and UK shortlists are right below. And a deliberate choice worth flagging: this is a list of people whose job is beauty, so celebrity founders who rank on fame alone are not on it.
The shortlists, by region
United States
Huda Kattan (56.2M), Bretman Rock (19M), Jen Atkin (5M), Patrick Starrr (4.2M), Chris Appleton (4.1M), Manny MUA (3.8M), Guy Tang (2.2M), Brad Mondo (2.2M).
United Kingdom
Chris Appleton (4.1M), BluMaan (Joseph Andrews) (160K), James Welsh (132K).
The full list, by niche
Makeup artists
Billion-dollar founders, technical virtuosos and one or two entertainers. The people who move colour cosmetics.
1. Huda Kattan @hudabeauty ✔
56.2M followers, 3,361 posts, USA / UAE
Huda Kattan built Huda Beauty from a makeup-artist blog into a billion-dollar brand, and her feed still moves product like almost no one else. The obvious call for cosmetics, and a case study for anyone trying to turn a following into a company.
2. Bretman Rock @bretmanrock ✔
19M followers, 2,064 posts, USA
Equal parts makeup and comedy, Bretman Rock is followed for the personality as much as the looks. Playful beauty and lifestyle launches suit him; straight product demos don't.
3. Nikkie de Jager @nikkietutorials ✔
18.6M followers, 3,007 posts, Netherlands
NikkieTutorials turned 'The Power of Makeup' into a moment and stayed one of the most technically respected artists in the game. Worth it for colour brands that actually want skill on show.
4. Patrick Starrr @patrickstarrr ✔
4.2M followers, 3,948 posts, USA
A working makeup artist who built One/Size around shades and formulas meant to suit everyone. Good hands for inclusive cosmetics and pro collaborations.
5. Manny MUA @mannymua733 ✔
3.8M followers, 2,963 posts, USA
Manny Gutierrez helped push men into mainstream beauty and runs Lunar Beauty on the side. A fit where gender-inclusive is the point, not the afterthought.
6. Jackie Aina @jackieaina ✔
2M followers, 5,301 posts, USA
When Jackie Aina rates a foundation, deeper-skin-tone audiences buy it. Years of advocacy plus her Forvr Mood brand make her close to essential for any launch that lives or dies on its shade range.
7. Mikayla Nogueira @mikaylanogueira
501K followers, 309 posts, USA
Mikayla built her name on TikTok with dramatic before-and-afters and blunt drugstore reviews. Instagram is her smaller channel, but the mass-market pull carries over. Affordable brands should pay attention.
Skincare & dermatology
Skincare runs on credentials now, and this is where the board-certified dermatologists are.
8. Dr Lindsey Zubritsky @dermguru ✔
1.8M followers, 2,092 posts, USA
Dr Zubritsky got her following by busting myths and saying the unpopular thing, which is why people believe her. Sits well with evidence-based skincare.
9. Dr Shereene Idriss @shereeneidriss ✔
1.6M followers, 1,458 posts, USA
The 'Pillowtalk Derm' explains the science without the jargon, and she is a board-certified dermatologist rather than a reviewer. Talk to her when a claim needs clinical weight behind it.
10. Dr Muneeb Shah @doctorly ✔
1.2M followers, 438 posts, USA
Half comic, half dermatologist, Dr Muneeb Shah is one of the most-watched skin doctors anywhere. He gets a science-first brand in front of a big audience without spending its credibility.
11. Hyram Yarbro @hyram ✔
712K followers, 321 posts, USA
Hyram taught a whole generation to read an ingredient list, then co-created Selfless by Hyram off the back of it. Accessible, ingredient-conscious brands aimed at younger buyers do well here.
12. Dr Andrea Suarez @drdrayzday ✔
656K followers, 3,435 posts, USA
Dr Dray is the rigorous one. PhD dermatologist, no hype, ingredient by ingredient. If your skincare is minimalist and evidence-led, this is her territory.
13. Susan Yara @susanyara ✔
444K followers, 3,719 posts, USA
Susan Yara turned years of skincare explainers into an actual product line with Naturium. Works for accessible skincare and founder-led stories.
14. Dr Whitney Bowe @drwhitneybowe ✔
217K followers, 2,082 posts, USA
Dr Bowe popularised skin cycling and writes about as much as she posts. A natural home for barrier-repair and dermatologist-backed lines.
15. James Welsh @jamesissmiling ✔
132K followers, 567 posts, UK
Calm, practical, no theatrics. James Welsh walks a UK audience through skincare and grooming without overselling, which makes him a safe explainer for both.
Hair
Celebrity stylists who turned a chair at the salon into a brand.
16. Jen Atkin @jenatkinhair ✔
5M followers, 9,297 posts, USA
Probably the most influential hairstylist alive, and she turned it into Ouai. The reference point for anyone running the stylist-to-founder play.
17. Chris Appleton @chrisappleton1 ✔
4.1M followers, 889 posts, UK / USA
The hands behind countless Kardashian and Met Gala looks. Chris Appleton lends red-carpet credibility to haircare and tools, and already works with Color Wow.
18. Guy Tang @guy_tang ✔
2.2M followers, 1,268 posts, USA
Guy Tang made his name on vivid colour transformations and spun it into #mydentity. Colour and pro haircare is his lane.
19. Brad Mondo @bradmondonyc ✔
2.2M followers, 52 posts, USA
Brad Mondo's reaction and transformation videos are entertainment first, hair second, which is exactly why they travel. He runs XMONDO; go to him for reach and energy.
Men's grooming
A male audience that is growing fast and still under-served.
20. Aaron Marino (Alpha M) @aaronmarino ✔
1M followers, 4,386 posts, USA
Alpha M has been the internet's men's-style uncle for more than a decade, and co-founded Tiege Hanley. A trusted voice for men's grooming and skincare.
21. Daus Mendoza @dausmendoza ✔
790K followers, 669 posts, USA
Daus Mendoza is where a lot of younger men are picking up grooming and skincare now. The pick for brands chasing that Gen-Z male audience.
22. BluMaan (Joseph Andrews) @blumaan ✔
160K followers, 938 posts, UK
Joseph Andrews turned men's hair-styling tutorials into the BluMaan product line. Straightforward fit for men's haircare and styling brands.
How we put this together
We started from the beauty rankings already showing up in search, noted who kept appearing, then pulled live Instagram figures for each name and checked every account by hand before it went in. Grouping is by main niche, order within a niche is by follower count. Numbers come from public profiles and shift constantly, so read them as roughly current rather than exact. Plenty of these creators are bigger on TikTok or YouTube than on Instagram.
Common questions
Who is the biggest beauty influencer right now?
Among working creators, Huda Kattan tops the list here at 56.2M followers, on the back of building Huda Beauty into a billion-dollar company. In skincare it is Dr Lindsey Zubritsky, and NikkieTutorials is still the makeup artist other makeup artists respect.
Which of these are best for a skincare brand?
Skincare has moved toward hard credentials. Board-certified dermatologists such as Dr Lindsey Zubritsky, Dr Shereene Idriss, Dr Muneeb Shah and Dr Andrea Suarez carry more weight than a general beauty creator, while Hyram and Susan Yara reach the younger, ingredient-literate crowd.
How should I pick one for my brand?
Start with the product, not the follower count. Colour cosmetics point to makeup artists like NikkieTutorials or Patrick Starrr; skincare to the dermatologists and educators; haircare to Jen Atkin or Chris Appleton; a men’s line to Aaron Marino or Daus Mendoza. Every entry above says who it suits.
Are the follower counts exact?
They are pulled live from each public profile and refreshed monthly, but social numbers move daily. Treat them as accurate to the month, not the follower, and remember Instagram is only one of the channels most of these people work.
Why no Kylie Jenner or Rihanna?
On purpose. This is a list of people whose actual job is beauty, not celebrities who happen to own a beauty brand. For most partnerships a makeup artist’s or dermatologist’s authority does more than a famous name’s reach.
