How brands should respond to TikTok’s ‘deinfluencing’ trend

Influencer marketing is a $16.4 billion industry. From TikTok to Instagram to YouTube to LinkedIn, it’s a rapidly maturing business segment that should be part of most marketer’s toolkit.

But there are some signs that consumers are beginning to push back, especially in the beauty and lifestyle space.

Since the new year, the trend of “deinfluencing” has grown, with hashtagged videos garnering more than 64 million views.

What exactly deinfluencing is can vary. For some, it’s saying what products they were influenced to buy by TikTok content weren’t worth it.

Others are using it in response to specific influencers, especially beauty creator Mikayla Noguiera who is involved in a scandal called #Mascaragate that raises questions of whether she used false lashes when promoting mascara.