Unashamedly outspoken, the skincare specialist talks sponsored content, #squadgoals and social media’s future…
Photography: Emma-Jane Lewis / Beauty: Kate Pope
“I do wish that some bloggers would wake up a bit and realise that they’re being taken advantage of by brands. A fantastic press trip might cost a brand £20,000 but what would it cost if they paid each of those bloggers to do a sponsored post? The trip is much cheaper,” Caroline Hirons says and sighs.
“To be honest, I think these massive press trips going on in the States make a joke of the industry – and don’t even get me started on #squadgoals! When I hear ‘#squadgoals, hanging with my baes’ it – quite frankly – makes me want to stab myself in the temple”.
Frank is exactly how you would describe 47-year-old Hirons. There’s no sidestepping around the point, no watering down of opinions and no fear of speaking out against policies she disagrees with or dislikes. In her own words: “I’ve got little patience for bullshit.”
Her distinctive attitude – punchy with a wonderfully dry sense of humour – is one of the reasons she has won such a large and loyal following since starting her blog in 2010.
Caroline delved into the online world “as a last resort” after seeing so many bloggers tweeting advice that was, as a qualified skincare specialist, painful to hear.
“They would tweet stuff like, ‘The face wipes are 2 for 1 in Superdrug at the moment’,” Caroline says and winces.
“I remember tweeting back saying: ‘I hope that you’re using them on your arse’.” Caroline had worked in beauty retail for over 20 years prior to starting her eponymous blog. “I basically did what I’d been doing on the shop floor and put it online,” she explains.
“I never had any tactical thought behind the blog, it was just somewhere to write about cleansing and basic skincare. My very first post was about massage routines.” Older than the majority of beauty bloggers who started in 2010, Caroline is also in a minority when it comes to having qualifications within the field.
“I think being qualified in skincare has been the key difference and what has set me apart,” she says.
“I don’t mean it in an arrogant way, but if people stumble across me and see that I’m qualified it gives them the impetus to stay and read.
“I mean, the great thing about blogging is that it’s opinions, but the bad thing about blogging is that everyone has one and they’re not always right or factual.” Caroline’s audience come back for her no-nonsense approach to skincare and are “super engaged and all sorts of ages”.
“If I were to check – it’s generally mid-twenties to 40 plus,” she says.
“My demographic changes depending on what press I’ve had, but to be honest I know more about what my audience’s skin is like than how old they are. I’m the least tactical blogger you’ll meet.”
Caroline posts what she wants, when she wants and although her blog is one of the most read in the country, it’s not her main revenue stream.
“The blog has been a very nice surprise,” she says.
“But it wasn’t a career choice.” Caroline’s main income is through her work as a brand and retail consultant, which she’s been doing for eight years.
When it comes to making money through the blog, Caroline has strict rules. One of which is that anyone who she’s working with in a consultant capacity is automatically barred from appearing on the blog.
“I don’t affiliate with brands that I work with professionally. I’ve actually had to let brands that I worked with go because they didn’t understand that working with me professionally didn’t mean that they had free access to the blog.
“I would write a blog post and wake up to emails – usually from American brands (none of my current clients) – saying, ‘We were interested to see your post with ‘blah blah blah’, we would have loved the opportunity to appear as one of your clients’. And I was like ‘the whole reason that you didn’t get that opportunity is because you’re one of my clients.’ It’s a weird balance.
“In terms of other rules, a brand can’t pay to have a product review on the blog. “I’ll do events and sponsored public appearances and occasionally a sponsored post – usually trialling products before they’re available.
“But, for me to do those sponsored posts it has to be 100% worth it to the reader – you know, what are they going to learn from it? “Maybe it’s something, for instance, that I would have covered anyway but not in such a big way. But if I even have the slightest doubt about using it or how good it is, then I won’t do it. It’s really simple.”
In terms of disclosing sponsorship, Caroline also has firm views.
“Look, I don’t think you spell AD as PARTNER. That’s not how AD is spelt. “Not disclosing tells me that you don’t trust your reader to be a) intelligent or b) able to make a decision for themselves. So why would you be deceptive? If you don’t feel comfortable doing sponsored posts, then don’t do them.”
Caroline also doesn’t buy the excuse that some people don’t have an understanding of the ASA [Advertising Standards Authority] rules.
“I think they’re full of shit. Everyone knows the rules. The problem is that no-one is held to account. Some of us have reported the really, really bad ones [bloggers not disclosing paid for content] and we got told by the Advertising Standards Authority that they wouldn’t take it seriously because we were bloggers.
“I just think ‘Why do I bother?’ Why do I bother trying to be so stringent when these f don’t give a shit. But I’m just a raging ethical head. “There’s no-one who’s doing sponsored posts at the moment that doesn’t know that you’re supposed to put AD on it. There’s no way.”
Caroline has become a bit disillusioned with the online world of late. “I just feel like everyone is selling something,” she says.
“I read very few blogs these days because I don’t think that they’re authentic. I think that it’s the brands that are taking advantage, but I just don’t have the time for it all.”
Caroline also doesn’t have time for the rising negativity within the social media community either.
“I rarely get involved. I don’t have time to get involved and I certainly don’t have time for someone telling me what I should do. If someone starts a sentence on social media with ‘You should’ then you’ve already lost me.
“With criticism, if it’s constructive then fine, but if it’s ‘you’re a fat slag’, it’s like ‘actually, less of the slag, thanks’.”
As the mother of four children aged from 12 to 25, Caroline’s experience of social media has left her in a wiser position than many of her generation. And although she’s experienced some unsavoury types, she doesn’t think banning children from social media – a route which other parents are increasingly adopting – is necessarily the right decision.
“Personally, I have no problem with my kids being on social media because they’re very savvy. You know, when they were growing up, I was the real disciplinarian. I always wanted them to be more afraid of disappointing us than impressing their friends. I know when something is a worry and when something’s not,” Caroline says.
“My youngest has done his own YouTube channel and my daughter has got almost 3,000 followers on Instagram. They know what they’re doing – they’re switched on. Their generation needs to be given more credit.”
Indeed, the perception and portrayal of the social media generation by the mainstream press is, Caroline thinks, entirely off the mark. “What makes me laugh about the media is that they think that they’ve got social media sussed, and they haven’t got a clue.
“My daughter and her mates communicate through private messages on Snapchat and they all have three Instagram accounts; one that their parents see, one that’s private for teens their own age and one for their BFFs [best friends forever]. As for social media stars, the press again has got it wrong, Caroline says.
“The press spend so much time attacking social media stars and saying that they’re the bane of everyone’s existence, and they don’t seem to realise that this generation is going to completely rule the roost.” Caroline should know.
She has the same management (Gleam Futures) as many of the country’s most prominent social stars and counts superstars Zoë Sugg and Alfie Deyes among her friends.
“They are so level-headed,” Caroline says. “What you see is what you get, which considering the amount of attention they get is astounding to me. They’re both great and switched on.
“When the traditional media attacks them, you’ve just got to laugh because they have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. Zoë is brilliant and Alfie, well, Alfie Deyes is a genius.”