When looking at the most successful haircare brands on social media in the US, there has been some significant shift over the last year based on CreatorIQ’s Earned Media Value, an indicator that estimates the monetary value of a brand’s organic social media activity.
K18 moved from sixth position in the ranking a year ago to first in April 2026 with a near tripling of its organic social media exposure. The brand, founded in 2020 with a biotech approach to hair repair, was acquired by Unilever in 2024, and reported double-digit sales growth in 2025. This commercial success can be in part explained by a content strategy built on demonstrable product results with short-form video showing before and after user transformations.
Amika was third one year ago and rose to second place with a roughly doubling of its exposure. Kérastase and Redken both stayed in the top four with meaningful exposure gains, respectively seeing 80% and 50% in exposure.
But the more interesting entry to me remains Cécred in fifth position. Beyoncé’s haircare brand was launched in February 2024 and convinced 2 million customers in its first six months. Unlike too many celebrity brands that fade away after a launch spike, it managed to sustain its social presence through continued product launches. In August 2025 it released a Protection Collection targeting the specific needs of braids, weaves and extensions. In April 2026 it launched a new styling line with a live styling hair show in Los Angeles. This sustained product strategy, supported by activations, has allowed the brand to keep at the top of social media conversations well beyond its launch.
In contrast the biggest fall in the ranking was Olaplex. In absolute term it maintained the same exposure as last year, but it was overtaken by faster growing competitors. This mirrors its commercial performance as FY 25 sales were flat at $423m, and the company project 2026 revenue at roughly the same level.
Finally, Schwarzkopf, Living Proof, and OUAI all dropped from the top ten while Emi Jay, a brand better known for hair accessories that has been building a haircare line since 2023, and L’Oréal Professionnel both joined the ranking.