The median beauty brand Instagram engagement rate is 1.98%, where engagement rate means likes plus comments divided by views, multiplied by 100. We calculated this benchmark from 316 beauty brands and 3,985 brand-owned Reels. Of those brands, a majority (60%) had engagement rates between 0.9% and 3.2%.
How does your brand’s engagement rate compare?
| Position among sampled brands | Engagement rate | Interactions per 1,000 views | Like rate | Likes per 1,000 views | Comment rate | Comments per 1,000 views |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 1.10% | 11.0 | 1.01% | 10.1 | 0.032% | 0.32 |
| 50th percentile (median) | 1.98% | 19.8 | 1.81% | 18.1 | 0.099% | 0.99 |
| 75th percentile (top-quarter threshold) | 2.94% | 29.4 | 2.65% | 26.5 | 0.235% | 2.35 |
| 90th percentile (top-10% threshold) | 4.29% | 42.9 | 3.84% | 38.4 | 0.492% | 4.92 |
Compare your brand’s results across several Reels using the counts per 1,000 reported views highlighted above. For example, 27 likes per 1,000 views puts your brand above the 75th percentile for like rate, while five comments per 1,000 views puts it above the 90th percentile for comment rate.
Your brand may perform well for likes but lag behind for comments, or vice versa. Comparing the two separately helps you identify which type of engagement needs more attention.
How we conducted this study
We collected data on September 9, 2026, from 316 beauty brands and 3,985 brand-owned Reels published from June 11 through September 2. We considered up to 20 returned Reels per account and included brands with at least five valid Reels. Every Reel was at least seven days old at collection, but the counts were snapshots of activity to date, not fixed seven-day results. The sample covers regularly posting brands with measurable public counts.
For each brand, we divided total likes and comments by total reported plays and multiplied by 100, then took the median across brands. The median is the midpoint and reduces sensitivity to extreme results. Like and comment benchmarks were calculated separately. Saves and shares were excluded. Reported plays do not measure unique viewers, and we could not independently verify whether cross-platform plays were included.
How engagement rate differs by company region
The table shows median brand rates for the four largest regional groups, based on company location rather than viewer location.
| Company region | Brands | Engagement | Likes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 65 | 2.751% | 2.428% | 0.1676% |
| South America | 29 | 1.991% | 1.915% | 0.1155% |
| Europe | 111 | 1.465% | 1.431% | 0.0636% |
| Asia | 41 | 1.416% | 1.356% | 0.0362% |
North America had the highest rates across all three measures. The largest relative difference was in comments, with North America’s median comment rate approximately 4.6 times Asia’s. Smaller groups from Africa and Oceania are not shown, and brands with unknown company locations are excluded from this comparison.
Viewers reached in different markets may engage at different rates, or companies in different regions may use different content and distribution strategies. We do not have enough evidence to determine whether either explanation accounts for these differences.
How forty Reels accounted for almost half of sampled comments
The study’s 40 most-commented Reels generated 49.3% of all sampled comments. They came from 27 brands and fell into the following groups.
| Primary type | Reels | Comments | Share of top-40 comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giveaway or contest | 22 | 56,307 | 56.6% |
| Influencer- or creator-led content | 13 | 36,321 | 36.5% |
| Product launch or demonstration | 5 | 6,768 | 6.8% |
All 22 giveaway Reels asked viewers to comment or tag a friend to enter. Some tied participation to the product by asking about a preferred shade, a desired product or where someone would wear a fragrance.
For example, Cocokind’s keyword-entry giveaway asked viewers to comment “JUMBO” to receive a DM with an application link for a free PR-mailer lottery. The Reel has generated over 7,000 comments.
Medik8’s friend-tag giveaway generated 8,500+ comments by asking viewers to tag a friend for a chance to receive a product mailer.
Rare Beauty’s guessing teaser gave viewers a different reason to comment. It invited them to identify a partially concealed person from their outfit and generated 3,300+ comments. The guessing game encouraged participation without having to offer viewers a prize.
These examples suggest that giving viewers a specific, easy way to respond is a great way to increase the comment rate, whether that means entering a giveaway, sharing a preference or making a guess.
How to increase your engagement rate without running giveaways
Our review of the stronger non-giveaway examples found that brands have the most success with familiar/trendy creator formats and visually engaging brand content. Likes accounted for almost all measured engagement in these four Reels.
| Reel | Engagement | Like rate | Comment rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Skin Club | 17.06% | 17.042% | 0.0197% |
| BeautyColor | 10.85% | 10.835% | 0.0136% |
| OUAI | 10.25% | 10.232% | 0.0179% |
| Marin Skincare’s New England Reel | 6.92% | 6.702% | 0.2199% |
Clean Skin Club’s shopping Reel shows two people in a beauty aisle taking part in a “who knows whom best?” challenge. The products become part of a social activity that feels like creator entertainment. The account had over 380,000 followers, and the Reel received more than 160,000 reported plays with 17.06% engagement.
BeautyColor’s hair Reel shows a woman presenting her dark hair and results at home. The setting and presentation resemble the creator-style hair videos viewers already encounter in their feeds, while the visible result gives the product an appealing role. BeautyColor had over 220,000 followers, and the Reel received more than 130,000 reported plays with 10.85% engagement.
OUAI’s scent Reel is an obvious advertisement that brings three scents to life through fast, stimulating visuals. Its polished execution gives viewers something attention-catching to watch beyond a product pitch. On an account with nearly 3 million followers, it generated about 330,000 reported plays and 10.25% engagement.
Marin Skincare’s New England Reel uses an aesthetic montage of local scenery, with a caption connecting New England summer to the brand’s origins. The appeal comes from the place and atmosphere. Marin had over 62,000 followers, and the Reel received more than 10,000 reported plays with 6.92% engagement.
So if you're looking to increase engagement, try a creator-style demonstration, social challenge or aesthetic format that your audience enjoys watching. OUAI also shows why an overt advertisement can belong in that mix when its execution is visually compelling.
How to avoid lowering your engagement rate
These low-engagement examples received millions of reported plays across accounts of very different sizes but attracted few likes and comments relative to those plays.
| Example | Followers | Plays | Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillman's cream packshot | 9,000+ | 1.1 million+ | 0.0074% |
| Laboratorios Cero formula explanation | 27,000+ | 1.9 million+ | 0.0166% |
| Pastel product presentation | 190,000+ | 2 million+ | 0.0092% |
| The Ordinary eye-cream teaser | 3 million+ | 2.2 million+ | 0.0621% |
Stillman’s Reel presents a cream packshot with graphics and a benefit message. Laboratorios Cero uses a presenter and application close-ups to explain its baby-care formulas. Pastel shows polished product close-ups against a designed background, while The Ordinary uses a teaser to introduce an eye cream.
In our viewing review, all four felt like conventional advertisements with little entertainment beyond the product pitch. The stronger examples gave viewers a shopping challenge, an appealing hair result or scenery to enjoy. OUAI was also clearly an ad, but its stimulating visuals made the execution more engaging.
Paid promotion could help explain the low examples’ high plays and low engagement rates by exposing them to broader audiences. We have no evidence that these specific Reels were promoted, so this remains an unverified explanation.
Increase your brand's engagement rate today
Start by taking advantage of our benchmark table (at the top of the page) to identify whether your likes or comments deserve more attention. Try familiar and trendy creator formats with engaging visuals, or give viewers a specific reason to respond if comments are the goal.
As those comments come in, Sociable can help your team keep up with replies in a unified comment mailbox. AI drafts responses for your team to approve, making it easier to continue the conversations your content starts while adding an additional boost to your engagement rate.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 2.5% engagement rate good for a beauty brand on Instagram?
Yes. It is above the 1.98% median brand rate in our sample, though below the 2.94% top-quarter threshold. Calculate your brand’s rate as (total likes + total comments) ÷ total reported plays × 100 across comparable Reels. This excludes saves and shares and uses plays rather than followers.
Is a 4.2% engagement rate good on Instagram?
A 4.2% engagement rate is strong relative to our beauty-brand sample, above the top-quarter threshold and just below the 4.29% top-10% threshold. This comparison uses (total likes + total comments) ÷ total reported plays × 100 across comparable Reels, excluding saves and shares. It measures public engagement relative to plays, not followers, and does not establish sales performance.
What is a good Instagram engagement rate for a beauty brand with 1,000 followers?
We do not have a benchmark specifically for brands with 1,000 followers. You can use the 1.98% overall median as broad context by calculating (total likes + total comments) ÷ total reported plays × 100 across several comparable Reels. Saves and shares are excluded. Having 1,000 followers does not mean dividing by 1,000, and using several Reels reduces reliance on one post with very few views.
How do you calculate Instagram engagement rate: by views or followers?
Our study uses reported plays rather than followers.
Engagement rate = (total likes + total comments) ÷ total reported plays × 100
Add the counts across your brand’s comparable Reels before calculating the rate. Saves and shares are excluded. To measure likes or comments separately, use only that interaction in the numerator. Multiply the ratio by 1,000 instead of 100 to get interactions per 1,000 plays.
Our benchmarks use medians across the resulting brand rates. Published benchmarks can use different methods. Submarine uses likes plus comments per view and per-brand medians, while Dash Social distinguishes between follower-based and view-based measurements. Match the interactions counted and the denominator before comparing rates.
Can I use these benchmarks for paid Instagram ads?
They offer context for public engagement but are not a dedicated paid-ad benchmark because we could not verify paid versus organic distribution. Our calculation is (total likes + total comments) ÷ total reported plays × 100 across a brand’s comparable Reels, excluding saves and shares and using plays rather than followers. Evaluate ads against your campaign objective and private campaign data. Click-through rate measures a different action and cannot replace this engagement-rate calculation.
