Influencers Have Reached the Mall, but Not the Directory

Not every brand doing business inside a shopping center appears in its directory. One prime example is Mexican influencers, whose ability to turn audiences into business extends from social media to physical stores, where their products now occupy shelves, displays and counters operated by third parties that give them access to retail without the cost and complexity of building their own store network.

This is happening in the beauty and personal care sector with Bailando Juntos, Yuya's makeup brand, whose products reach consumers through chains such as Liverpool; with collections developed by Yeri Mua in collaboration with Beauty Creations, also sold through physical distributors; and with Kenia OS, whose K OS Muse fragrance has reached Ulta Beauty Mexico stores.

The significance of this model lies in how it changes a brand's starting point in retail. While a conventional brand must invest in building awareness and finding consumers as it builds distribution, a creator can enter the market with an established community, meaning some of the demand that would normally have to be generated around a product already exists before it even reaches the point of sale.

That community is particularly valuable in the beauty and personal care market because the same social networks where audiences are built also influence purchasing decisions. In this regard, Mordor Intelligence identifies e-commerce and social commerce as key growth drivers for the industry in Mexico and notes that influencer tutorials help reinforce perceptions of product efficacy and status. As a result, creators not only enter retail with potential consumers, but also retain some ability to influence what those consumers discover, value, and ultimately buy.

The value of retaining that influence grows with the size of the market where it can be exercised. Mordor Intelligence estimates Mexico's beauty and personal care industry will reach $17.6 billion in 2026 and nearly $22.4 billion by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate of 4.86% that would also expand the business opportunity brands can compete for.

That potential, however, narrows considerably when it moves into physical space. Of the 12,185 establishments tracked by SiiLA in shopping centers across Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, only 255—equivalent to 2.1% of the total—have the characteristics needed to serve as platforms for third-party beauty brands¹ potentially.

The share shows the opportunity isn't dispersed throughout the shopping center, but concentrated among a very specific category of operators. For a brand built around a creator, therefore, reaching the mall depends less on securing numerous spaces than on gaining access to the few retailers capable of opening those doors.

For shopping centers, by contrast, the effect is less visible because it does not necessarily change their occupancy structure. A store can still appear as a single tenant in the directory while becoming an entry point for multiple brands. Influencers, then, are not only finding a way into shopping centers without opening stores of their own; they are also revealing how much business can exist inside a property without occupying a single square foot under their own name.

Want to learn more about the performance of Mexico’s commercial real estate market? Visit SiiLA Market Analytics or contact us at contacto@siila.com.mx. 

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¹ Establishments were classified as potential platforms only when evidence was identified that they retail beauty, personal care or related products from third-party brands. Single-brand stores, service providers without a compatible retail offering and cases with insufficient evidence to establish this function were excluded. The classification measures the existence of a potential physical distribution channel and does not imply that every establishment currently sells brands associated with influencers. The reported share is not an exhaustive estimate of the potentially eligible population, but rather the share of establishments whose compatibility could be established based on the available information and defined criteria. Cases with insufficient evidence were excluded; therefore, the existence of additional establishments meeting these characteristics cannot be ruled out.