In today’s dynamic landscape, understanding the true power of a beauty brand means looking beyond traditional metrics. At dcdx, we believe that the most authentic measure lies in the organic conversations happening around us. As the rate of cultural change accelerates, a more revealing and versatile gauge of a brand’s strength emerges from how people talk about it in their everyday lives. This foundational truth of marketing—word of mouth—has been amplified and transformed by the digital age.

Our Q1 2025 Magnetic 100 Beauty report dives deep into this very concept of Brand Magnetism®: the power of a brand to attract young people, measured through the lens of organic, user-generated content (UGC). We analyzed how much and how often consumers are talking about beauty brands online, revealing a staggering 11.13 billion total engagements for the top 100 brands in the past year. This immense volume underscores the power of consumer voices in shaping the beauty atmosphere.

The Q1 2025 Magnetic 100 Beauty rankings showcase the brands that have most effectively captured the attention of young consumers through organic content.* 

The Top 10 Most Magnetic brands are:

• 1. Sephora (88.91)
• 2. Charlotte Tilbury (87.00)
• 3. Huda Beauty (86.68)
• 4. Fenty Beauty (86.66)
• 5. Rare Beauty (86.18)
• 6. Rhode (85.97)
• 7. Maybelline (85.50)
• 8. MAC Cosmetics (85.24)
• 9. NYX (85.09)
• 10. Ulta (84.32)

*These are the brand’s Brand Magnetism® Scores—a 0-100 measure of the organic user-generated content they attract. It’s a weighted composite of popularity (how much engagement) and consistency (how often/variation in that engagement). 

Interestingly, the concentration of engagement is significant, with the top 19 beauty brands driving more than 50% of the total UGC engagement in Q1 2025. Furthermore, our analysis highlights the rise of “Value Seeker” content, indicating that consumers are increasingly focused on maximizing the utility of their beauty purchases through tutorials and practical advice, a particularly relevant and timely finding in the midst of global economic concerns.

The Magnetic 100 is not a list; it’s a playbook for understanding the dynamics of organic conversation and its impact on brand perception. By analyzing Brand UGC Profiles, the Brand Magnetism® Matrix, and more, we uncover the authentic ways consumers engage with beauty brands. For those eager to tap into the genuine pulse of the beauty market, the data within the Q1 2025 Magnetic 100 Beauty report offers invaluable and unfiltered insights.

The report can be accessed at dcdx.co/beauty.

About the Author

Andrew Roth, 26, is the founder and CEO of dcdx, a research and consulting firm focused on Gen Z. Andrew was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 and Ad Age Gen Z’ers to Watch lists for his work at dcdx with the world’s top brands like Spotify, Hinge, Chipotle, L’Oréal and many more. Andrew and his team’s work has been featured across the NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, BBC, and continues to drive the cultural narrative on Gen Z through their expertise. 

Photo: MOTOKO Stock/ Adobe Stock