TikTok has released new research revealing that the luxury sector is undergoing a structural shift driven by discovery commerce. TikTok users are rewriting the rules of luxury.

On the platform, luxury is increasingly personal: it’s about taste, creativity, and identity. The study found that nearly half (47%) of TikTok users now define luxury as a form of self-expression, rather than status, associating it with empowerment and individuality.

I asked our PR and growth experts:

Given that two-thirds of first-time luxury buyers now enter through social media rather than traditional glossy campaigns or high-end storefronts, what specific PR tactics would you recommend for beauty brands to effectively reach and convert TikTok's diverse audience, which extends well beyond Gen Z to include users over 30?

Given the 110% surge in #selfgifting content, what strategies would you recommend for beauty professionals to tap into these emotional motivations and position luxury as a tool for individual creativity and identity rather than traditional status symbols?

One of the many ways consumers seek authenticity checks and peer recommendations is in comment threads. What strategies would you recommend for beauty brands to foster participatory dialogue while maintaining brand messaging control in this shift to community-driven conversations?

Below are the experts' insights.

• It’s how people are reclaiming joy
• Luxury’s evolution from gatekeeping to emotional and shared relevance
• Luxury not as indulgence but identity curation
• Calm and thoughtful
• An opportunity to redefine luxury
• Luxury as self-expression instead of status

It’s how people are reclaiming joy

Jack Johnson, Director & Marketer at Rhino Rank

"I’ve worked with brands that live and die by relevance and right now, self-gifting is more than a moment. It’s how people are reclaiming joy, one luxury item at a time.

The 110% increase in #selfgifting is not an indication of a bid of having some fun, it is the means through which we digest burnout.It is no longer treating yourself, but rather believing in yourself that you are going to feel better.

This is the reason why the smarter beauty products are not selling luxury as an accessory, they are positioning it as identity.

Once the product tells about what you are and not about what kind of people you want to impress, it becomes personal. Among the best tricks that I have observed is to send out what they call Treat Yourself Kits complete with notes that read like love letters to oneself.

Inspire the creators to give the explanations of #WhyIGiftedMyself which can lead their followers to think rather than respond. This has nothing to do with performance. It has to do with being there and that is what sells.

As I often tell our partners that Luxury is not noisy anymore in 2025 but personal. And there is nothing advertisable than a mirror to tell you about your why."

Luxury’s evolution from gatekeeping to emotional and shared relevance

Martin Weidemann, Founder at Mexico City Private Driver

"As the Founder of Mexico-City-Private-Driver.com, I’ve been part of luxury’s evolution from gatekeeping to emotional and shared relevance. We grew our clients 3.5x through TikTok and Instagram storytelling that never showed a car - only a moment – a nervous fiancé gifting dad private a ride to meet future in-laws, or a solo female traveler filming the peace of mind she felt having a trusted driver the moment she landed in Mexico City. They weren't status symbols – they were a story of care, self-expression and trust.

PR Tactics that target TikTok's diverse audiences:

Luxury Brands need to stop “showing” luxury and start letting people “feel” it. This means:

• First-person storytelling by real clients – especially older Millennials and Gen X that buy luxury for practical emotional reasons (security, control, indulgence).

• Partner with local micro-creators, not just beauty influencers and lifestyle/beauty bloggers. The content context – a trusted driver, a serene home routine, a calming moment – sells the emotional feel of the product that exceeded the benefits you could communicate.

• Use low-key, native-style formats. The best performing video (42% watch-to-booking inquiry) was first-person and filmed on an iPhone with the daughter of a diplomat gifting her mom a surprise airport pickup.

#SelfGifting and Identity:

Self-gifting is the new self-soothing. The messaging should always be not “treat yourself because you deserve it”, but:

"This is how I express how I want to show up in the world."

Help people share how a scent, a cream, or a service re-invents their self-image, not just their appearance. For example, we created a campaign around “ride like the version of you who’s already won.” Not about the vehicle – about inner peace. The idea generated an +86% increase in video saves.

Fostering Authentic Comment Threads:

Rather than “manage” the comment threads, we learned to “guide” them. The strategies that were successful:

• Pin the first comment with a provocative question like, "Have you ever had a driver wait for you with flowers?"

• Respond to every emotional comment with a personal consideration, not brand.

• Use private responses for customer service – public responses for brand amplification!"

Luxury not as indulgence but identity curation

David Li, Owner at Mountain View

"Target Cross-Generational Trust Signals Beauty brands that want to target the increasing 30+ luxury audience on TikTok must stop thinking of TikTok as Instagram Lite. Those users of TikTok after the age of 30 seek practicality and cultural richness in the real world. Forget beauty hauls and get ready with me trends and collaborate with niche experts, who inevitably combine expertise with desire: licensed dermatologists, fragrance historians, or ingredient chemists. These artists develop the layers of trust, particularly with the older buyers who are more in investigation than being driven by impulses. Lift this content with the help of TikTok Q&A and Stitch so that the participation of consumers is prompted without overloading the brand voice.

Reframe Self-Gifting as Emotional Maintenance The explosion of #selfgifting has nothing to do with indulgence and is all about identity curation. Market your luxury products as emotional maintenance. Rather than the standard seasonal discounts, make up limited and mood-driven bundles such as the Reset Set or the You-Time Trio. Add packaging that appeals to emotional stimuli as well, such as the use of texture, soft font, and QR codes that lead to guided rituals.

Own the Comment Thread Like a Lounge Stop policing the comments- curate them. Use conversation-baiting questions in captions (“What scent makes you feel like yourself again?”), and plant thoughtful responses by planted commenters (super fans of a brand or UGC partners) who slowly drive home messages in just small ways. Stick pinned comments with high empathy (I needed this today) to make your thread communal. Educate community managers to be natural, personal, and exposed, and employ jokes and stories as opposed to institutional brand slogans. Questions and Pros should be reminiscent of a friendly after-hours conversation, not a technical support session."

Calm and thoughtful

Lord Robert Newborough, Founder at Rhug Wild Beauty

"Our TikTok strategy gives people a clear view of where our products come from. We show that each item is made with care, shaped by place and rooted in tradition. This story speaks to people of all ages. For self-gifting we do not use typical luxury themes. Instead we focus on real moments like how our face oil helps you relax at night or how our balm brings clarity to your morning.

These small rituals matter. In the comments we keep our tone calm and thoughtful. We do not try to control the conversation. We simply join it in a way that adds value and shows that we care about the people using our products."

An opportunity to redefine luxury

Dr. David GhozlandDr. David Ghozland, Owner and OB/GYN

"TikTok has become the favorite destination of many types of users, and people over 30 are almost a third of the daily active users. Beauty brands should stop with polished and traditional campaigns and embrace authenticity in order to appeal to both Gen Z and older generations. Consider real life rather than ideal editing. Rather than scripted material, employ creators who demonstrate how the products are part of their real lives, either by just taking the skincare or doing a quick hair fix. This is a down to earth, authentic style that goes a long way and breaks through the clutter.

This boom of self-gifting is an opportunity to redefine luxury to beauty brands. The consumers in the modern world do not purchase products to display wealth; they are investing in the product that indicates their unique process. It says a lot when you position your brand as an element of their self-expression. Point out the fact that your products transform every day rituals and make people feel good, not only rich. The strength of this shift is that it is based on a more fundamental emotional desire to gain individuality. Consumers want their brand to be the means of their self-expression, rather than their vanity. When beauty is transformed into a personal creativity it is not a luxury anymore it is something one cannot miss."

Luxury as self-expression instead of status

Hasan Hanif, Founder at Colour Vistas

"In order to be truly unique on TikTok, beauty companies have to stop filtering their content. Rather than just treating influencers as the means to reach an audience, pay attention to those who truly use and enjoy the product so their promotion can feel like they are telling an honest opinion. It is further essential when targeting an audience past the age of 30, which is wary of slick advertising. Challenges or tutorials that engage the audiences go a long way not only to increase the interactions, but also enable the consumer to glimpse the product in use, thereby again confirming its reliability and usefulness not as an image, but as a real life concept.

The self-gifting phenomenon is an indicator that beauty will change the role of luxury. Consumers are gradually spending on themselves, not to impress anyone but to boost their personal creativity and well-being. One way in which beauty brands should capitalize on this is the use of the products on their offerings with a theme of personal change either customized or providing individual experiences. They can make their brands be seen as a way to engage in self-expression instead of being a status symbol. Providing consumers with the environment where they can express their stories and connect with the brand will make them feel like they are more than a transactional relationship, which contributes not only to the emotional connection but also brand loyalty."

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