My colleague recently pointed out that home improvement apps are growing as people have more time than ever to dwell on the imperfections of their living spaces. Well, lucky for us, we also have more time than ever to dwell on everything we hate about ourselves, too. In the past three months, the top face & body editing apps, or "selfie" editing apps, grew sessions 15% in the U.S. and 10% globally.
This data is derived from an Apptopia-built market consisting of the following apps: Facetune2, FaceApp, YouCam Makeup, Airbrush, YouCam Perfect, Facelab, Peachy, Perfect365, BodyTune, and Retouch Me.
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During this same time last year, these apps collectively saw 12% less downloads and 21% less daily active users (DAU) globally. This YoY growth signals a marked shift in user activity, which we can only assume is a result of social distancing. The apps that grew the fastest YoY are Facelab, Peachy, and FaceApp, increasing DAU 110%, 101% and 71%, respectively.
For some of the apps, these past three months were their strongest performing of the year. FaceTune2, the largest face/body editor, reached its highest number of downloads in the past 365 days on May 9, totaling 218K. Then, May 20 marked its highest number of DAU in a year, totaling approximately 5 million.
So, who is this impacting? Looking into the demographics of these apps, we see that their users are mostly girls between the ages of 11-19 and women between the ages of 20-34.
In a world where most of our social interactions take place digitally and one where Instagram influencers dominate our attention, the rise of selfie editing apps is inevitable. So the next time you see your frenemy's flawless face on your feed, just remember: maybe it's Maybelline, or maybe it's their crippling insecurity fueled by a global pandemic.
