Why are Instagram Beauty Hacks so over the top?

Instagram hacks are everywhere. Earlier today I shared this post to the @MakeupforMelaninGirls Instagram page and so many people instantly responded with "I can't deal", "This is exactly how I feel" and a few crying emojis.

We are only three months into 2017 and the message is clear: Everyone is tired of the click-bait "makeup hack" videos. Who is really going to wait 10 minutes to boil an egg to blend their foundation, deconstruct their bra  for a face beat or take a perfectly edible tomato from their pantry to smooth out their highlighter?

If we all agree these hacks aren't very useful, why do they keep popping up?

Here is a deeper look at the rise of "ridiculous"  beauty hacks:

In the US alone, beauty sales increased nearly 4 percent last year to $63bn  and this increase came mostly  from speciality store sales and online beauty companies.

And how have online beauty companies in particular been growing? Influencer marketing.

Paying an online beauty content creator to review products and produce tutorials is relatively inexpensive for brands and it yields very high returns.

Wondering just how high?

For the second quarter of 2015, Tribe Dynamics estimated Anastasia Beverly Hills’ earned media value on the social media platform was $46.5 million, versus $26.4 million for MAC and $17.2 million for Too Faced Cosmetics.

With the relatively low barrier to entry to become an influencer, it's become a pretty crowded space and existing or aspiring influencers have to figure out ways of standing out.

In the days of MySpace and early days of Facebook, the perks of a large following were just that, a large following. With heavily visual platforms like Youtube , Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram a large following or brand collaboration can lead to sponsored trips, free beauty products and paid advertising.

Considering the perks, it makes sense that influencers are prepared to get creative and downright ridiculous for a chance to get a large following or noticed by a brand.

So I have some bad news for you guys that can't stand the click-bait ad videos,  as long as Influencer marketing continues to rise (it is expected to explode in 2017) these tomato blending videos aren't going to stop.

These are the most OMG  "Beauty Hacks" we've seen so far:

1. Slay with a side of eggs

 

A post shared by MakeupforMelaninGirls (@makeupformelaningirls) on Mar 21, 2017 at 6:07am PDT

2. Blended Tomatoes

 

Blending with 🍅🍅!! Knives, condoms, tape now tomatoes!! Beauty vloggers on social media keep coming up with interesting beauty "hacks". What Beauty hack has surprised you the most? This look is by @curvy_cartel

A post shared by MakeupforMelaninGirls (@makeupformelaningirls) on Mar 5, 2017 at 9:43am PST

3. A Deadly Slay

 

Something a little crazy tonight. 😱🔪🔪 contour with knives. Tape, fruit, why not knives 😱 (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME) #wakeupandmakeup #motives #makeup #tampamua #dressyourfacelive #sephora #urbandecay #wakeupandmakeup @wakeupandmakeup @dressyourface #makeupbyalaha @muastars #universodamaquiagem_oficial #lippie #glitterinjections #theglamourhouse #undiscovered_muas #makeupartistworldwide #makeupfanatic1#universalhairandmakeup #inssta_makeup #morphebrushes #morphe #MUA #motd #makeupartist #makeupaddict #nail #contour

A post shared by Iris (@wwonder_wwoman) on May 12, 2016 at 6:02am PDT

4. Chocolate Wasted

 

😱BEAUTY HACK!Fail or holy grail?How to contour your face with natural unsweetened Hershey cocoa‼️‼️ ▶️ full video is up on my 🎥YouTube channel #linkinbio 🔴tag your friends #miriammarroquinn ‼️‼️ ‼️‼️I did a little research and saw @hudabeauty had Done a diy bronzer so I thought to give it a try and result where amazing thanks @hudabeauty and cocoa is totally safe for your face and you can benefit by using this in so many other ways too ‼️‼️ Benefits of Cocoa 🔴Antioxidants: Cocoa is high in antioxidants which help fight off free radicals. Free radicals can cause skin aging, dark patches, and dull skin. 🔴Stretch Mark Reducer: Cocoa is widely noted to help reduce stretch marks. There are no guarantees, but it seems like this secret tip is shared with every pregnant woman in the world. There are many women who claim that the regular use of cocoa was what kept their stretch marks away. We're not entire convinced anything can keep stretch marks away, you'll find many anti-stretch mark cocoa products to choose from. In fact Palmers, a line devoted to cocoa has a product just for stretch marks. People also say it has helped heal scars. 🔴Deep Hydration: Cocoa is high in fatty acids and hydrates the skin deeply. 🔴Sensitive Skin Healer: Again, no guarantees, but cocoa has been noted to help skin irritations such as eczema and dermatitis. 💄💄💄💄💄💄💄💄💄Makeup details💄💄💄💄💄💄💄 💄💄💄💄💄💄Foundation @maccosmetics Brows @anastasiabeverlyhills brow definer Set it wit the clear brow gel Using the amazing eyelashes by "Diamonds" #lillylashes Highlight by the glow kit gleam "starburst" #undiscovered_muas #makeupvideo #makeupaddict #makeupartist #makeupoftheday #makeuplover #makeupjunkie #makeupbyme #mua #anastasiabeverlyhills #hudabeauty #makeupfanatic1 @makeupfanatic1 @makeupvideoss @makeupfanatic1 #anastasiabrows #allmodernmakeup #slave2beauty #dressyourface #fashionarttut #glamvids #makegirlz #beautytrends #1minutemakeup #brian_champagne @makeupaddictioncosmetics #undiscoveredvideos @liveglam.co #LiveGlam #amazing_makeup4u @allmodernmakeup

A post shared by ⠀⠀⠀⠀ Miriam Marroquin (@miriammarroquinn) on Mar 28, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

5. Safety First

 

▶️Press play ▶️ Bet you thought I was doing my makeup with an actual penis this time huh ? 😂🤔🤔 couldn't help click baiting y'all one time ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ FULL VIDEO ON THIS LOOK WILL BE UP AT 6:00 pm EST . Featuring my real reaction to what it's like using a condom to apply makeup . By far one of the nastiest things I've ever tried , not practical AT ALL , but it was a challenge and I tried it . Get over it . Worry about why your texts aren't being delivered today sis . 😢 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ Hair deets @sensationnel_hair bare and natural bohemian 3pc set LUSTI Natural Argan oil shaping gel ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ Head over to my YouTube channel to watch the full tutorial and tell me what you think ! Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE !!! @fakeuproom @fakeupfix @1minutemakeup

A post shared by K H L O E D O S H (@khloedosh) on Feb 14, 2017 at 2:50pm PST