In today’s digital age, many online influencers do more than just entertain and inspire. With the ability to captivate, these individuals now possess the power to shape trends and influence industries.

Though relatively new in the world of digital marketing, influencer marketing has become highly effective, especially within the social media landscape. However, what happens when popular influencers step out of the confines of social media and embark on their own entrepreneurial journey?

With the right approach, influencer start-ups often have a positive impact on various digital markets. As their businesses begin to scale, many influencers combine their creative prowess with the power of Salesforce, a cloud-based software platform designed to support customer journeys.

A powerhouse behind many successes, Salesforce empowers businesses of all shapes and sizes to build stronger relationships with their customers by streamlining their sales processes. Given how complex using a customer relationship management (CRM) platform like Salesforce can be, many businesses use a tool like Sweep, a Salesforce configuration tool, to help decipher the data and streamline processes within the platform.

With Salesforce, getting started can be a transformative experience for many budding entrepreneurs as it offers a robust set of tools, from automating sales workflows to organizing customer data. What’s more, incorporating Salesforce best practices can unlock untapped growth potential within a company.

Using social media and search data, we’ll take a deep dive into the most successful companies started by influencers. Looking at factors such as the industries they’ve entered as well as the most sought-after businesses on social media, we’ll reveal the biggest brands started by influencers.

The rise of influencer-owned brands

In recent years, more influencers have jumped on the trend of entrepreneurship with many dipping their toes into the world of business.

Many influencers merge their online presence with industry expertise to create innovative start-ups that resonate with their loyal fan base.

According to our research, the average age of an influencer entrepreneur is 33 years old, some of the youngest on our list include famous YouTuber Emma Chamberlain and TikTok star Addison Rae, both 22 years old.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, Kourtney Kardashian who at the age of 44 is the founder of the health and wellness company Poosh, created back in 2012.

Possibly due to the lockdown, 2020 was the year when the majority of influencer start-ups were founded. This includes brands such as We Wore What, Refy, and One Size.

Although skincare and fashion had a fighting chance, most new influencer start-ups dominated the beauty industry. This includes the likes of Huda Beauty, Ipsy, and Fenty Beauty.

Top influencer-founded brands on social media

1. Huda Beauty - Huda Kattan Industry: Beauty Instagram followers: 52.8 million

Huda Beauty debuted in 2013, with its launch by the famous YouTuber Huda Kattan. Now a major beauty brand, the cosmetic company offers more than 140 products online and in-store and has also introduced a wide range of products.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that this trending brand takes the top spot as the most sought-after on Instagram, with a whopping 52.8 million followers.

2. Kylie Cosmetics - Kylie Jenner Industry: Beauty Instagram followers: 25.6 million

Founded nearly a decade ago, Kylie Cosmetics was created by the famous reality star and Instagram influencer Kylie Jenner. Towards the end of 2019, the company was valued at approximately $1.2 billion.

With such a huge fanbase, Kylie Cosmetics has continued to thrive over the years. It currently has an impressive 25.6 million followers on Instagram making the brand a major contender not just on social media but also in the beauty industry.

3. Fenty Beauty - Rihanna Industry: Beauty Instagram followers: 1.4 million

Revolutionizing the industry with its broad inclusivity across various skin tones, Fenty Beauty was launched in 2017 by the Barbadian singer and social media influencer, Rihanna.

In the brand’s first month, it reportedly made $72 million in earned media value and has drawn international praise for its range of shade offerings. It’s, therefore, no wonder that this cosmetic company completes the top three with 12.4 million followers on Instagram.

Most Googled Influencer Brands

1. Skims - Kim Kardashian Founded: 2019 Total Google searches: 19.6 million

Founded in 2019 by reality star Kim Kardashian, Skims is a shapewear and clothing brand that focuses on body positivity and size inclusivity.

Valued at over $3.2 billion as of January 2022, the company’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, within the last 12 months, the brand has received more than 19.6 million Google searches as it continues to boom in popularity.

2. MrBeast Burger - Jimmy Donaldson Founded: 2020 Total Google searches: 4.9 million

A virtual restaurant founded by online personality Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast Burger is available in various virtual locations across North America and Europe.

Created in 2020, the fast food restaurant soared in popularity after it was announced, in the last 12 months alone almost 5 million Google searches were reported.

3. Ipsy - Michelle Phan Founded: 2011 Total Google searches: 4.4 million

The well-known beauty brand, Ipsy was launched over a decade ago by the YouTube beauty vlogger Michelle Phan. Back in 2015 the company raised $100 million in funding and was valued at an estimated $800 million.

According to our research, from May 2022 to April 2023 over 4 million Google searches were made for the term Ipsy, highlighting the brand's popularity.

The youngest influencer founders

1. Chamberlain Coffee Founder: Emma Chamberlain, 22

Best known for her unique approach to vlogging, YouTuber Emma Chamberlain takes joint first place as the youngest influencer on our list to create a start-up at the age of 18.

Launched in 2020, Chamberlain Coffee received $7 million in just its first round of funding. Recently turning 22, Chamberlain’s entrepreneurial efforts have paid off after making it to the Forbes 30 under 30 for the Social Media list.

2. Item Beauty Founder: Addison Rae, 22

In joint first place is the now 22-year-old TikTok star Addison Rae who is also one of the youngest influencers to found a business on our list. In 2020, the social media influencer launched her very own cosmetics line, Item Beauty at the age of 19.

3. MrBeast Burger Founder: Jimmy Donaldson, 25

Widely known as MrBeast, the viral YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson launched his first-ever virtual restaurant chain known as MrBeast Burger at 23 years old. Now at the age of 25, this venture has grown to be a success in various countries outside the United States such as Canada and the UK.

4. Kylie Jenner, 25 Brand (s): Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Skin, Kylie Baby

Starting her first business venture at just 14 years old, popular social media influencer, Kylie Jenner is no stranger to the entrepreneurial world.

Ever since creating her first clothing line with her sister called Kendall & Kylie back in 2012, Kylie’s business ventures thereafter have continued to thrive.

Now at the age of 25, the reality star has created various businesses under her name, most notably Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Skin, and more recently, Kylie Baby.

Start-ups created by older influencers

1. Poosh Founder: Kourtney Kardashian, 44

Reality star Kourtney Kardashian takes first place as the oldest influencer with a start-up on our list. In early 2019 Kourtney launched her website called Poosh which is described as a “modern guide to living your best life.”

At the age of 44, the popular social media influencer’s health and wellness business has accumulated 4.8 million followers on Instagram.

2. Ouai, Mane Addicts Founder: Jen Atkin, 43

Having worked with the likes of the Kardashians, Jennifer Lopez and Chrissy Teigen, Jen Atkin is now a well-known hair stylist around the world.

At the age of 43, she is both the founder of the hair care line, Ouai, and the digital magazine ManeAddicts - the entrepreneur, and columnist has made a name for herself.

3. Skims, SKKN by Kim Founder: Kim Kardashian, 42

Popular social media influencer and reality star, Kim Kardashian completes the top three. Some of her most notable brands include Skims and SKKN by Kim, which has been described as an innovative line of skincare products.

At the age of 42, the well-known socialite has also developed a strong online presence with hundreds of social media followers.

Most searched female influencer start-ups

1. Skims - Kim Kardashian Search term: “Skims” Total Google searches: 19.6 million

Shapewear brand, Skims makes it to the top of the list as the most searched female influencer brand with 19.6 million Google searches in a year. Created by the famous reality star, Kim Kardashian, this comes as no surprise since its initial launch resulted in a profit of over $2 million as the company sold out in 10 minutes.

2. Ipsy - Michelle Phan Search term: “Ipsy” Total Google searches: 4.4 million

Michelle Phan’s cosmetic company, Ipsy, takes second place with 4.4 million Google searches in 12 months. Showing no signs of slowing, Ipsy has continued to expand its portfolio.

In 2017, the beauty brand launched an e-commerce site offering beauty deals to its subscribers. As of 2023, the company has now acquired several businesses such as BoxyCharm.

3. Rare Beauty - Selena Gomez Search term: “Rare Beauty” Total Google searches: 4.3 million

Founded in 2019 by the singer and actress Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty completes the top three with 4.3 million annual searches.

Promoting inclusivity, the brand now has accumulated 5.7 million followers on Instagram and is also made available across various continents such as Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Most searched male influencer start-ups

1. MrBeast Burger - Jimmy Donaldson Search term: “MrBeast Burger” Total Google searches: 4.9 million

With almost 5 million Google searches in one year, MrBeast Burger takes first place as the most searched start-up created by a male influencer.

Just after its launch was announced, the fast food chain rose to popularity with its release video trending at number one on Youtube and its app rising to the top spot on both the Apple and Google Play stores.

2. Craftd London - Alex Cannon & Danny Buck Search term: “Craftd London” Total Google searches: 170.7 thousand

A premium jewelry brand founded by Alex Cannon and Danny Buck, Craftd London is an online retailer shipping to over 100 different countries worldwide. The company received approximately 170,700 Google searches from May 2022 to April 2023.

3. Xmondo - Brad Mondo Search term: “Xmondo” Total Google searches: 129.3 thousand

Founded in 2019 by Brad Mondo, Xmondo is a hair care products brand that uses vegan ingredients to help restore healthy hair.

As a hairstylist, Mondo first became popular through his YouTube channel reacting to various hair videos as a professional hairdresser. His brand received an estimated 129,300 searches in a year.

Most followed Youtube influencer start-up

Huda Beauty - Huda Kattan Instagram handle: @hudabeauty Instagram followers: 52.8 million

First starting on YouTube in 2010 as a beauty channel, Huda Kattan quickly rose to fame after launching her first cosmetic line in 2013, 4 years later she was chosen as one of the most influential people online by Time magazine.

With such a successful career, it's, therefore, no wonder that Huda Kattan takes first place as the most-followed YouTube influencer with 52,800,000 on Instagram.

Most followed blogger influencer start-up

Tezza - Tessa Barton Instagram handle: @tezza Instagram followers: 1.1 million

Blogger and photographer Tessa Barton top the list with her over 1 million followers on Instagram for her creation – Tezza. The photo and video editing app allows you to create beautiful content as well as shop for curated art collections.

Most followed influencer fashion brand

Kendall + Kylie - Kendall & Kylie Jenner Instagram handle: @kendallandkylie Instagram followers: 5.2 million

Socialite sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner are no strangers to a business opportunity. Since the fashion brand’s launch in 2012, the company has evolved into what it is today.

Today, the brand serves as the ultimate lookbook for style inspiration aimed at young girls. With collaborations with Pacsun and Topshop under its belt, the Kendall and Kylie clothing brand is a force to be reckoned with.

Methodology

Using the Top 100 Creator Brand Report from the Influencer marketing Hub we gathered information on over 50 different brands by looking at various factors such as gender, occupation, brand, date their business was founded and more. This data was collected on 17/05/2023.

Data on the number of Instagram followers for each brand and the company’s Instagram handle was taken from Instagram. This data was then ranked to find the brand with the most social media followers. Data collection for this was completed on 18/05/2023.

Search data using a Keyword Planner. This was to find the number of Google searches each brand received in the last year, ranging from May 2022 to April 2023. This was also ranked in order to find the brands with the most annual searches. This data was collected on 19/05/2023.