How social discovery is shaping the visibility of AI search in beauty

The appearance of AI search in beauty is increasingly taking shape before the information is entered.

Brands that generate responses are usually those that have been discussed, verified, and reinforced across social media. By the time a user turns to AI search, much of the groundwork has already been laid.

Using the beauty category as a lens, this article examines how social discovery influences brand visibility – and why AI search ultimately reflects those traits.

Discovery hasn’t migrated to AI – it’s fragmented

Brand acquisition is fragmented across platforms. AI tools are influencing mid-funnel considerations, but most acquisitions happen before the user enters information.

The signals that determine the visibility of the AI ​​are built up. By the time a user accesses a productive search, preferences and opinions may already be set. If brands wait for AI search to influence demand, the window to stop consideration is narrow.

That upstream influence is increasingly social. About two-thirds of US consumers now use social media as search engines, according to eMarketer research.

This change extends beyond Gen Z and reflects the way people verify information and find products. These same forums consistently appear among the top citation sources for AI results. The dynamic is particularly visible in the beauty category.

In a survey conducted by our agency and a beauty brand partner, we found that Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook were among the domains identified in both AI Overviews and ChatGPT.

While Reddit is often viewed as an anti-brand site, YouTube appears almost as frequently in the citation data, making it a logical and underutilized target for citation optimization.

Dig deep: Social and UGC: Trusted engines power search everywhere

Virtual volume: Social behavior still outpaces AI

It’s easy to get bogged down in the number of headlines around the use of AI, including the billions of notifications processed every day. But when measured against business results like traffic and transactions, the scale looks different.

Social media is already embedded in mainstream search behavior. For many users, tasks like searching on platforms like TikTok and YouTube are normal. About 40% of TikTok users search the platform multiple times a day, and 73% search at least once a day.

Transmission data reinforces the difference. ChatGPT referral traffic accounted for about 0.2% of total sessions in a 12-month analysis of 973 ecommerce sites, a working paper by the University of Hamburg and the Frankfurt School found. In the same dataset, Google search traffic was almost 200 times greater than LLM organic referrals.

Search AI is growing and strategically important. But in terms of repeat behavior, measurable times, and downstream transactions, social media and traditional search continue to work at a much larger scale.

The validation loop: Why AI needs society

2026’s most important counterpoint is that public preparation is also advancing AI. Examples of major languages ​​are not primary sources of truth. They act as mirrors, reflecting the consensus made by human interactions on the data they were trained on.

AI systems also show skepticism in product properties. One study found that only 25% of the sources identified in AI-generated responses were brand-owned websites.

At the same time, AI engines prioritize third-party verification. Up to 6.4% of the citation links in AI responses come from Reddit, an analysis by OtterlyAI found. This is more than most traditional publishers.

There is also a measurable relationship between emotion and visibility. Research shows a moderate positive correlation between positive brand sentiment on social media and visibility in AI search results.

Dig deeper: The social halo effect for search: Why social content drives branded search

A video executive and expert shape the appearance of AI

Treating video as a “brand channel” or a social media first attempt instead of search is a strategic failure.

On platforms like TikTok and YouTube, ranking signals are shaped by spoken language, on-screen text, and captions — signals that AI searchers use extensively to “build trust.”

In the beauty category, for example, ChatGPT makes up about 4.3% of searches, while Google processes about 14 billion searches per day. However, in terms of “how-to” questions and strategy-based questions, consumers prefer detailed, personalized guidance for social media-first video content.

At the same time, the beauty industry has split into two universities, according to Yotpo’s GEO for Beauty Brands analysis.

Science-backed brands such as Paula’s Choice and CeraVe dominate AI-generated results because they publish deep, structured educational content. Meanwhile, traditional marketing-led brands are less visible.

The phrase “recommended by a dermatologist” is associated with high visibility in AI results because major language models treat professional social evidence as a key level signal, according to the same report.

Breaking the high productivity barrier: Creating content at scale

One of the biggest issues mentioned is the budget. Many believe that they need a group of Hollywood producers to compete in the video fields. That is the idea of ​​inheritance.

In today’s environment, high gloss production can be a hindrance. The current landscape prizes authenticity over polish. Consumers want real people with real skin concerns, not highly filtered markets.

Preparing for video acquisition does not require filmmaking expertise. Brands can use internal talent without adding high value.

• Partner and creator platforms: Platforms like Billow or Social Native allow brands to work with creators for as little as $500 per video. When mapped to a high-target query, that investment can drive visible and measurable search results.
• Increase indigenous people in the workforce: Generally, the strongest material is the inner one. Identify team members who are active on platforms like TikTok and understand the power of the platform. Creating internal incentives or content production challenges can generate a continuous stream of original goods while contributing to culture.
• Make the strategy a differentiator: A large following is not a requirement for visibility. In one case, a TikTok profile built from scratch with one part-time creator for $2,500 a month generated hundreds of thousands of views within 90 days. The focus was not on viral actions, but on profitable business strategies that generate revenue.

If a new profile can reach more than 100,000 views per video within three months with a limited budget, the barrier is not material. It is clearly a business case and an orderly execution.

Dive deep: How to optimize video for AI-powered search

The best SEO playbook for 2026

The details are clear. Brands cannot win the productivity engine if they lose the social conversation.

AI models act as mirrors, reflecting the consistency of the web. If real users on Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok aren’t discussing a product, AI systems have little to show for it.

If marketers wait until the user reaches the ChatGPT notification to shape the impression, the opportunity is already slim.

Discovery takes place upstream. Validation occurs in a loop between social proof and algorithmic citation.

Translating this into action requires a rethinking of team structure and priorities:

• Set up silos: Your SEO and social teams shouldn’t speak different languages. Both should focus on search areas.
• Put “why” before “what”: You can simply modify the technology tag. Build a business case to find out how social sensitivity and expert validation drive market share.
• Accept scrappy execution: Whether you’re using $500 for creators or the in-house talent of the community, start building real assets now.

We are seeing a shift from algorithm-driven discovery to community-driven discovery.

It’s fast and multidisciplinary, and if done right, can have a significant impact on the bottom line.