NEW YORK, Feb 1 — TikTok isn’t the only game in town when it comes to sharing beauty know-how! With the Chinese social network full of beauty tips of all kinds, the cosmetics industry is now launching its own podcasts to allow the greatest number of people to access reliable information, but also to bring its social actions to life through powerful voices. L’Oréal Paris, Clarins, and M.A.C Cosmetics are among the brands that have already taken the plunge.

Listen to the advice of makeup or skincare professionals rather than the random tips of some TikToker — though we admit sometimes they can be very good. This is what cosmetic brands are proposing today, as they progressively invest in the podcast world. For several months now, industry giants have been presenting audio series on various aspects of the universe of beauty at large. Taboo subjects, feminism, inclusiveness, sustainability, and even going behind-the-scenes of a changing industry: podcasts offer the opportunity to see beauty in a new light.

Following L’Oréal Paris and its socially involved offerings and Clarins and its celebration of the woman’s body, now it’s M.A.C Cosmetics’s turrn to open the doors to the backstage of beauty with its new podcast series “The T-Zone.” Despite the title, it’s not about addressing issues related to that middle area of the face — forehead, nose, chin — that shines when there is excess sebum, but rather about offering a look inside the beauty scene through the voices of big names in makeup, fashion, and more broadly in pop culture.

No less than seven episodes make up this new series, hosted by John Demsey, Executive Group President of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and Drew Elliott, Global Creative Director of M.A.C Cosmetics. In addition to discovering tips and advice from experts, the audience will get a behind-the-scenes look at an industry in transformation through testimonials and anecdotes.

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“The brand plays a much higher position in the arbitration of style and taste and culture, and that’s why it rings. Why shouldn’t MAC, which has always been a part of pop culture and the conversation, be an arbiter of talking about beauty, trends, fashion and what’s going on in the world, and not just be self-serving?” Demsey explained to WWD.

Dita Von Teese opens the festivities in a first episode that covers topics as diverse as being a “Glamonatrix,” named after her show, the covid-19 pandemic, and one of her celebrity crushes. Available on streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, “The T-Zone” will be updated every three weeks. — ETX Studio