It takes a particular type of confidence for any business to hit the reset button, but the beauty industry has been putting all of its chips on the table in 2025 with its latest marketing tactic – social media sweeps.
Beauty brands have been increasingly clearing their long-established Instagram grids in a bid to generate buzz, promote a new campaign or direct attention to a revamped product line.
The latest player to tap into this marketing move is The Inkey List, which wiped its Instagram grid in September to promote the launch of its ‘No BS’ campaign.
Wiping the brand’s feed was a “bold move” that got people’s attention, but was not without its risks, with the loss of “historical content that people might reference”, Colette Laxton, co-founder of The Inkey List, told Cosmetics Business exclusively on the campaign’s launch at the time.
The Inkey List is not the only one taking a gamble though, as hair care brand Amika also recently wiped its Instagram feed in August to promote a new category launch.
But the idea and method behind the marketing stunt is not a new phenomenon.
YSL Beauty undertook a “temporary blackout” on Instagram in 2024 to promote the appointment of Dua Lipa as its Global Make-up Ambassador, with all previous posts removed from its grid before its teaser announcement post.
Looking back even further, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics cleared all but one of its Instagram posts in 2021 to prepare for a brand revamp announcement.
While the drastic marketing method can generate hype in the moment, are the long-term risks worth the immediate media buzz?
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Cosmetics Business.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.