Seven checks before you sign with beauty influencers

What to take away

The most common mistake when briefing beauty influencers is treating disclosure as a caption job. The rules bite at the point you agree the brief, not when the post goes live.
The seven checkssize the market, confirm the disclosure rules, check who else regulates you and what you owe, decide paid or gifted, agree contracts and usage rights, set a realistic budget, and keep records from day one.
Check the market before you sign anything. Audience size, engagement and rates vary widely by category and region.
Decide early whether you are paying a fee or sending product. Gifted-only arrangements change your tax, reporting and contract position.
Write the disclosure line into the contract and approve it before filming starts.
Keep records for every collaboration, including the brief, the agreed fee and the published post.

Size the market first

Before committing budget, work out what you are entering. Beauty sits inside the wider influencer marketing picture, and the numbers move quickly. Our breakdown of beauty creator partnerships market size sets out the figures and the definitions behind them.

A useful starting point is your own category. A skincare brand selling into the UK is not competing for the same creators as a nail brand. Rates, audience expectations and disclosure norms differ.

Build a shortlist of twenty creators. Note follower count, average views and comment quality. That gives you a realistic range rather than a headline figure.

Confirm the disclosure rules

Non-broadcast advertising across the UK is governed by the CAP Code, which covers influencer content on social platforms. The rules for non-broadcast ads set out by the ASA require ads to be obviously identifiable, so a label such as #ad must be clear and upfront. The ASA's Influencer's Guide explains what counts as clear labelling in a bio, a caption or a Story.

Disclosure rules by market

England

Rule source: CAP Code / ASA
Key requirement: Ads obviously identifiable
Label example: #ad clear and upfront
Email outreach: ICO consent guidance

United States

Rule source: FTC Endorsement Guides
Key requirement: Disclose endorsements
Label example: Clear and conspicuous
Email outreach: FTC applies

If you collect email addresses for outreach, the ICO's direct marketing guidance explains when consent is needed and how to handle objections.

Selling into the United States as well? The FTC Endorsement Guides are the primary US text on creator endorsements and testimonials.

Check who else regulates you — and what you owe

The CAP Code is UK-wide, and the ASA is not the only body with an interest in how a partnership is presented. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) treats hidden advertising as a misleading commercial practice, and its guidance for influencers says the same as the ASA: if money or product has changed hands, the content must be identifiable as an ad.

Tax follows the deal. HMRC expects fees to be declared as income, and gifted product sent in return for coverage is not a present, so it needs recording alongside the fee. Keep the contract, the invoice and a note of what each creator received.

Decide paid, gifted or both

Gifted product is not free marketing. It still creates a commercial relationship, and it still needs a label.

Paid partnerships give you more control over timing, messaging and usage rights. Gifted seeding is cheaper and often better for reach testing.

Many teams run both, with gifted seeding feeding a paid tier for the creators who perform. If that is your plan, say so in the brief so creators know what happens next.

For a fuller view of how the market is structured, including the split between agency and direct deals, see the 2027 market guide.

Check contracts and usage rights

Every collaboration needs a written agreement, even a short one. Cover the deliverables, the fee, the payment date and who owns the content.

Usage rights matter more than most teams expect. If you want to run the creator's video as a paid ad, that needs a separate licence and usually a separate fee.

Include an exclusivity clause with a defined period. Two weeks is common. Twelve months is not, unless you are paying for it.

Set a realistic budget

Rates vary by platform, category and audience. For example, a micro creator with 15,000 engaged followers might charge £300 for a single Instagram reel, while a larger beauty creator could quote several thousand pounds for the same deliverable. Treat those as illustrative figures, not market rates.

Add the hidden costs. Briefing time, product cost, shipping, agency commission and paid amplification all sit on top of the creator fee.

Keep records from day one

Log every collaboration in one place. Record the creator, the platform, the fee, the disclosure wording used and the date published.

This helps when HMRC asks what was paid and what was published, and it helps if a complaint ever lands. It also shows you which creators actually drove sales rather than just views.

Glossary

Brief: the document setting out deliverables, messaging and deadlines.
Gifted: product supplied with no fee, still a commercial relationship.
Disclosure: the label making an ad identifiable.
Usage rights: permission to reuse content beyond the original post.
Exclusivity: a period during which the creator cannot work with rival brands.

Common questions

Do gifted posts need a disclosure label?

Yes. If the brand supplied the product and expected coverage, the content is an ad and must be identifiable as one.

How long should exclusivity last?

Match it to the campaign. A fortnight around launch is typical. Longer periods should carry a higher fee.

Can I reuse creator content in paid ads?

Only with a written licence. Check the contract before you boost anything, and expect a separate fee for paid usage.

What records should I keep?

Keep the brief, the signed contract, the fee paid, the disclosure wording and the live post URL for each collaboration.