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It may be difficult to name the world’s first influencer, but Michelle Phan is often credited as just that.
In 2007, when YouTube was a shadow of its current self, Michelle Phan created her first makeup tutorial after receiving a job rejection from Lancôme.
Phan had been running a blog, Rice Bunny, where she shared makeup tips and expressed her
love for the beauty industry. But one day, instead of writing a new article, she set up her webcam and recorded what may be YouTube’s first ever makeup tutorial.
“I taught myself how to edit, and I decided to upload it to YouTube, not thinking anyone would watch it because who would watch this video? It’s not even that good,” Phan said in an interview with Alex Blumberg on the Without Fail podcast.
Within two weeks, her video had received 100,000 views and people were asking for more. So she made another video. And another one after that.
During what’s now referred to as the “golden age of YouTube” Michelle Phan found herself in the right place at the right time: on a burgeoning platform with plenty of room for growth.
After two Buzzfeed features in 2009 and 2010, Michelle Phan gained millions of subscribers and the traction she needed to launch brands of her own. In 2015, Phan launched EM Cosmetics as a L’Oreal line, only to buy all shares from L’Oreal in 2016.
Michelle Phan, the first makeup influencer on YouTube, is now a full-time CEO for one of the most distinguished makeup brands of our era.
