The likes are fake, but the profits are real. Inside the world of beauty moguls who paid for their influence — and got rich doing it.

In the beauty world, perception is power. But what if the glossy empire, the sold-out serum, the “viral” lipstick — all started with a bot?

From Instagram grids to Shopify dashboards, a growing number of beauty moguls are being outed for buying fake followers, inflated engagement, and ghost comments — all while laughing their way to the bank.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just micro-influencers trying to look cool. Some of the industry’s biggest founders are guilty too.

Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty, once admitted in a Refinery29 interview that she had experimented with buying followers early on to boost her visibility. While she pivoted to real dominance later, it highlights how even household names started with algorithmic smoke and mirrors.

Marianna Hewitt, co-founder of Summer Fridays, was also accused by industry sleuths of suspicious follower growth in the brand’s early days. Her polished content and brand-building skills are real — but many questioned how she skyrocketed from niche blogger to skincare mogul seemingly overnight.

Then there’s the case of Rodan + Fields consultants using bot services to build “engagement pods” that flood posts with fire emojis and “So proud of you!” comments — all to signal trust and convert to sales. It’s less community, more MLM theater. Rodan & Fields, LLC, known as Rodan + Fields or R+F, is an American skincare and haircare company. Katie Rodan and Kathy A. Fields, creators of Proactiv, founded Rodan + Fields in 2000 and sold it in 2003.

One lesser-known but viral case involved “GlowbyG”, a now-defunct indie brand that gained 40,000 followers in 10 days — mostly via paid bot farms in South Asia. The brand launched with aggressive influencer gifting (and shady DMs offering payment for reviews), only to collapse six months later after being exposed by watchdog accounts like @EsteeLaundry.

Belle Gibson – Fake cancer cure guru

Australian wellness influencer who claimed she cured brain cancer with diet and lifestyle—amassed ~200K Instagram followers. Built an app and cookbook empire but never had cancer. In 2015, fined ~AUD 410K + legal costs for misleading public

Sunday Riley skincare – Fake product reviews

High-end skincare brand’s employees—including CEO Sunday Riley—posted glowing reviews on Sephora under fake accounts. In 2019, it was revealed that Sunday Riley, a skincare company, had instructed its employees to create fake accounts on Sephora’s website to post positive reviews and downvote negative ones, all to boost their product sales. The company even used VPNs to mask their IP addresses when doing so. FTC charged the company; banned them from such practices.

Chiara Ferragni – “Pandorogate” false charity

Italy’s top beauty/fashion influencer promoted a “charity” pandoro cake but pocketed profits without donating. Fined €1 million+ in 2023 and indicted for aggravated fraud in 2025

And yet — some of these brands are still thriving.

Because here’s the plot twist: fake followers don’t always mean fake success. A few well-placed ads, pretty packaging, and enough social proof (real or fake) can actually move units. The beauty industry, after all, is built on illusion.

Devumi & German Calas, founded in 2010, sold fake followers, likes, and views across Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more. Sold over 200 million fake Twitter followers before settling with the FTC for $2.5 million in 2019—the agency’s first action targeting fake social-media endorsements.

Their practices underscore how fake engagement can influence brand marketing and public perception.

In 2019, Devumi and similar companies from Colorado were sued by New York’s Attorney General for deceptive practices, accused of defrauding brands and impersonating real users.

FTC’s 2024 rule now grants it power to fine influencers or brands that buy fake followers or views to mislead consumers.

Many consumers don’t dig past the like count. If the product looks good and someone’s raving about it (even if that someone is a bot named “_glamqueen453”), they’ll buy it.
Of course, not everyone’s fooled. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have cracked down on follower farms, but they still exist — especially for founders who see numbers as the key to getting retail deals, investor attention, and PR buzz.

So next time you see a beauty mogul with 800K followers and suspiciously identical comments under every post? Just remember: the reflection may be filtered, but the money is very real.