Creator.co · Influencer vetting, in action
We scored 326 beauty creators and shortlisted 77. Here is how, and what we did with the rest.
A board-certified dermatologist. A high-fashion editorial creator with flawless production. Both are excellent. Both use the same hashtags as the creators we shortlisted. Neither was the right fit for this particular campaign, so we parked them, and knowing the difference is the whole point.
Reach is not the hard part anymore
Finding creators with followers is easy. Every platform can hand you a list of accounts that posted #beauty. The hard part, and the part that actually decides whether a campaign works, is fit: does this creator make the kind of content your brand needs, for the right audience, in a style that will not feel off when your product shows up in it?
As campaigns get more niche, brands need specific alpha from creators, not raw reach. A large historical database matched on keywords, bio text, and hashtags gets you a starting pool. But that pool is noisy. The same hashtag is used by a professional MUA, a product-review flatlay account, a fashion model, and a lifestyle vlogger who occasionally films makeup. Matching on those signals alone cannot tell them apart. So we do not stop there.
Why you cannot just ask an AI for a list
A lot of tools are moving toward a simple promise: ask an AI, get a list of creators back. It sounds great until you have actually run a campaign. Influencer marketing is visual, and it is iterative. You rarely know at the start exactly what you are looking for, or what is even out there in your niche. A one-shot list cannot show you that. It cannot look at the content. It cannot learn.
So we built the opposite. You see results immediately, look at the actual content, and refine as you go. Halfway through you might realize you want more of a specific style, so you adjust what you are scoring for and re-score the pool. The system is designed to let you discover what good looks like while you search, not force you to define it perfectly up front.
Start wide, look at the content, refine, re-score
For this campaign we anchored on a style of content (get-ready-with-me beauty) and started wide, then tightened. Here is what that looks like under the hood:
- It reads the content, not just the profile. We look at what a creator actually posts. Is it face-forward? A real routine, or product flatlays? Is the presence and production there? The grid tells the truth the bio does not, and that only works because we look at the visuals.
- The scoring is yours to shape, and it is iterative. You define what good looks like for your campaign, with signals to reward and signals that rule a creator out. For this list we refined that definition four times. Each pass, looking at who came back, taught us something we did not know to ask for at the start, and the scores got sharper.
- It doubles down on what is working. As it searches, the system notices which content keywords and hashtags are actually returning creators that fit, and pours more effort into exhausting those angles, while quietly setting aside the ones that are not paying off. You are not guessing which searches to run. It figures that out and tells you.
- It sorts creators by type, so you can steer. Every creator is tagged by the kind of content they make. If your list comes back heavy on studio makeup artists but you decide you want more everyday-routine creators, you point it that way and it expands the list in that direction, instead of starting over.
- A second way in: who already loves the right brands. Separately, we find creators who have already engaged with specific brands, then run them through the same scoring so the numbers line up. Two different ways to source, one consistent way to judge fit.
What one creator's score looks like
Every kept creator has a breakdown like this. Here is @cindyruzibeauty, scored 91/100 for fit.
clean, product-forward glam tutorial grid
Shortlisted, watchlist, and parked
77 shortlisted, 34 on the watchlist, 215 parked, out of 326 scored. Nothing here is thrown away. Every creator has been researched and scored, so a parked creator is a known quantity we can pull back in the moment a different campaign needs their style. The parked ones are the most interesting to read, because they show what fit actually means.
Shortlisted
@cindyruzibeauty
Shortlisted · 91clean, product-forward glam tutorial grid
Strong face-forward GRWM/makeup creator with high production polish, clear product demos, and consistent brand-safe aesthetic.
@latteandskin
Shortlisted · 88clean, glowy K-beauty skincare/product review content
Strong face-forward skincare/beauty creator with high production quality, consistent product demos, and near-total above-the-neck focus, with no disqualifying red flags.
@nefonthebeat
Shortlisted · 84Glam wig/makeup studio content, ring-light beauty vlogger
Strong face-forward, above-the-neck beauty/wig/makeup content with consistent studio production and clear personal-creator presence, no red flags.
@kiediazz
Shortlisted · 84clean face-forward soft glam GRWM
Strong face-forward GRWM/beauty focus with consistent makeup tutorials, product use, and polished camera presence, no disqualifying red flags.
@contouredbykatie
Shortlisted · 82polished glam MUA-style beauty creator
Consistently face-forward, high-production beauty/makeup content with clear product use and personal branding, ideal for a GRWM beauty program.
@rayrevue
Shortlisted · 82close-up makeup tutorial/GRWM, product-forward
Consistent face-forward makeup application/tutorial content with clear product use, strong GRWM focus and no red flags.
@theglownarrative
Shortlisted · 82casual authentic beauty/skincare reviewer
Face-forward creator consistently reviewing and demoing skincare/makeup products with clear on-camera talk-through style, strong GRWM and above-neck focus, no red flags.
@riyapatel_
Shortlisted · 80vibrant curly-hair beauty & makeup creator with bold styling
Strong face-forward beauty/haircare content, clear brand partnership (Ulta), high production and presence with no red flags.
@lexmichaelaa
Shortlisted · 79sun-kissed glam beauty/skincare creator
Strong face-forward GRWM content with clear product use, skincare/makeup application, and cohesive polished aesthetic, minimal off-topic content.
Watchlist
@themelaninchemist
Watchlist · 55beauty-education/product-review talking-head content
Strong face-forward beauty commentary and product demos, but content leans more toward reviews/skincare science education than actual GRWM routines, capping full fit.
@taytailx
Watchlist · 55gothic/alt makeup artist with festival lifestyle
Strong face-forward alt makeup artistry and clear product use, but grid is diluted with lifestyle/festival/body content reducing consistent GRWM focus.
@theonlyanina
Watchlist · 54bold colorful eye makeup, wig/hair changes, glam selfie style
Strong face/makeup focus and consistent glam aesthetic but content leans more toward posed selfies/outfits than true GRWM process, limiting brand-ready polish.
Parked for another campaign
All excellent creators. A dermatologist, an editorial creator, a product-review account, all using beauty hashtags. Different content than this campaign called for, so they are saved, not discarded, ready for the brief that fits them.
@chefmarie
Parked · 44lifestyle/fragrance promo with occasional beauty close-ups
Shows face and demos fragrance products, but content is mostly lifestyle, fashion, and body-forward rather than dedicated GRWM/beauty routines.
@beautywithneesha
Parked · 42clean product-swatch beauty catalog
Polished product/swatch content shows lips and arm swatches but lacks actual GRWM/routine or full-face presence, limiting marketability for a get-ready-with-me program.
@drsharimarchbein
Parked · 42dermatologist-educator with mixed personal/political content
Account is primarily a dermatologist's professional/educational and advocacy content rather than a personal GRWM/beauty creator, diluting brand fit despite some product demos and face visibility.
@emilykate.aus
Parked · 42high-fashion travel/editorial model
Strong visual quality and camera presence but content is dominated by fashion/travel/editorial imagery rather than GRWM or above-the-neck beauty routines, with only one lip-product post as a beauty signal.
@makeupbyjulian
Parked · 42glam lifestyle & maternity/fashion editorial
High production and polished presence but grid is dominated by lifestyle, maternity, and fashion content rather than get-ready-with-me or beauty routine focus.
@mel.thomp
Parked · 42personal/lifestyle mixed with occasional bold makeup looks
Some strong face-forward makeup shots show potential but grid is heavily diluted with personal/lifestyle content unrelated to GRWM, reducing focus and cohesion.
The signals that earned their place
The content keywords and hashtags that actually surfaced creators worth vetting for this campaign, after testing.
Content keywords
Hashtags
That was one campaign. We will do it for yours.
Scoring 326 creators down to 77 the right ones is a lot of work. It is also exactly what we do. Tell us your brand and campaign, and we will build you a vetted, scored list like this one.
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