How Instagram videos of peel-off blackhead masks have created a viral beauty trend
MORE than 23 million people have watched a video of this woman peeling a black mask of her face. The trend is taking off.
MORE than 23 million people have watched this mesmerising video of YouTube beauty vlogger Josie K peeling a blackhead remover mask off her face.
“I have seen so many people do this and so I decided to try this out for myself and see if it works,” Josie says as she paints a jet black goo all over her face. Once it dries, she carefully peels the mask off and examines her nose and cheeks in the mirror.
“Holy crap honey!” she says, thrusting the used mask towards the camera, showing off the tiny bits of dirt and grime it has removed from her face. “My face is so smooth guys and look, like all of my blackheads are gone. It’s amazing. Amazing!”
While YouTube has long dominated the cult beauty world, the hypnotising, 30-second Instagram beauty video made its mark in 2016.
Just like Kylie Jenner testing lipstick shades on her arm, or women transforming their thin eyebrows into Frida Kahlo-esque arches, videos of peel-off blackhead masks are now flooding our Instagram feeds.
“For any small business wanting to make their mark in the industry, Instagram advertising is an excellent way to create an initial buzz and get your name out there,” said Ryan Channing, the owner of Blaq Mask, one of the most popular blackhead products marketed on Instagram. It launched two months ago and already the brand has 25,000 followers.
Blaq Mask is an activated charcoal mask that comes in a jet black tube. You squeeze a little out, spread it over your blackhead-induced areas and wait until it dries. Unlike ripping off a Band-Aid, this next part cannot be rushed. You gently peel the mask off, uprooting any impurities.
“Instagram was chosen as the launch pad for the brand because the power of social media achieves instant engagement with your consumer. It makes them a part of what you’re building as a business. We wanted an organic approach.
“People want to try a product if it looks fun and playful. It’s that ‘OMG moment’ you need to hit to your viewers.”
Charcoal is a popular skincare ingredient renowned for is purifying and detoxifying abilities. Japanese women have been using it for centuries in their skincare routines.
But combined with the juggernaut face mask trend, beauty brands have cottoned on to its marketable potential.
“When any product or trend is blogged about or shared on social media by someone with a real cult following, we’ll have a customer base that will start inquiring in store within the hour,” Sephora’s training executive Kristy Gray told news.com.au.
“Masks are a skincare accessory and they’re a growing category for us. Brands started using charcoal about 18 months ago when natural ingredients became more desirable and there was a lot of charcoal added into cleansers and some exfoliation products. But in the last 6 months you saw charcoal really integrated into masks,” Ms Gray said.
Priceline Pharmacy’s skincare buyer Emily McMahon says sales of products containing charcoal have increased by 280 per cent in the past 12 months. The top-selling item is the Biore Deep Cleansing Charcoal Pore Strips — around 40,000 units were sold in the past six months.
“Charcoal has traditionally been used as an ingredient in Japanese skincare, but over the last year we’ve seen a significant rise in popularity of the product on Australian shores,” Ms McMahon said.
“Brands like L’Oreal, Biore and Sukin are leading the charge on this, providing a range of charcoal based products at a great price point. We have doubled the amount of products we range to meet the demand of our customers.”
Sephora is a business focused mainly on makeup, but Ms Gray says the company sees skincare as a growing commercial opportunity.
“Our Sephora masks are under $10 so from a price perspective face masks are really accessible.
“Women love the ritual of putting on a face mask. We might chuck on a hair mask too and paint our nails. It’s relaxing and it’s important for busy, modern women to have that.”
rebecca.sullivan@news.com.au