YouTube Rewind: Beauty's most popular videos of 2019

By Sarah Parsons | Published: 6-Dec-2019

Will the annual content creator round-up be as divisive as last year?

YouTube has unveiled its highly anticipated annual year-in-review video Rewind, celebrating the platform’s most popular content creators of 2019.

The Google-owned website has been under intense pressure to make up for last year’s round-up which, with more than 17 million ‘thumbs down’, became YouTube’s most-disliked video ever.

Addressing the 2018 flop, YouTube said: “We can't ignore the elephant in the room: Last year’s YouTube Rewind, um, wasn’t your favorite (to put it lightly...).

“So this year, we tried something different and looked at what you did like – a lot.

“Our Rewind 2019 video compiles the top videos and creators that you liked and watched the most around the world, from the biggest games to must-watch beauty palettes and breakout stars.”

But in less than 24 hours, the For the Record video has racked up 2.2 million ‘dislikes’ – compared to 1.1 million ‘likes’ – and thousands of angry comments.


Viewers were quick to brand the video ‘boring’, ‘lazy’ and ‘low budget’, as the five minute clip has been described as a round-up of trending content and lacks the scripted, creative flair seen in previous years.

While the compilation may have fallen flat with consumers, what was revealed to be the top beauty-related videos of 2019?

What beauty content featured?

James Charles’ ‘Makeup Tutorial en Español’ was the most enjoyed beauty video worldwide, at 1.6 million ‘likes’.

Followed by Shane Dawson’s ‘The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star’, Kylie Jenner’s ‘A Day in the Life’ and Jeffree Star’s ‘Kylie Skin Review with Shane Dawson’.


James Charles in 'No More Lies' (Image: via YouTube)

James Charles in 'No More Lies' (Image: via YouTube)

Meanwhile, mega-influencer Charles' video ‘No More Lies’, which addressed the feud with fellow content creator Tati Westbrook, was the only video by a beauty vlogger to be in the top ten most-liked creator videos worldwide.

The 41 minute video received 2.4 million ‘likes’ in six months and was the most watched video on YouTube in the US.

It was named the second most watched YouTube content in the UK and Australia, and ranked third in Canada.

At 32 million views, Gillette’s video divisive short film ‘We Believe: The Best Men Can Be’ was the fifth most watched video in the US.

The MeToo-inspired campaign that aimed to challenge ‘toxic masculinity’ was the only personal care conglomerate-owned advert to make any of the trending lists.

Star’s ‘Kylie Skin Review with Shane Dawson’ was the seventh most popular video in the US and earned 25 million views.


Top 5 most 'liked' beauty videos on YouTube:

  1. James Charles, Makeup Tutorial en Español (1.6 million)
  2. Shane Dawson, The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star (1.4 million )
  3. Kylie Jenner, A Day in the Life (1.3 million)
  4. Jeffree Star, Kylie Skin Review with Shane Dawson (1.1 million)
  5. Anaysa, 7 Life Saving Hacks for Perfect Skin & Hair (540K)

YouTube first launched its Rewind series in 2010 and aims to highlight the trending memes, events, viral videos, music and personalities of the year.

The 2018 episode left fans unhappy as it featured traditional celebrities, such as Will Smith, rather than creators who made their names on the website.

In preparation for this year’s feedback, YouTube tweeted: “Likes and dislikes will both be enabled... see you tomorrow.”

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