The price of sustainable skincare : A multimodal critical discourse analysis of influencing on TikTok

This thesis investigates the role of so called sustainable influencers in the communication of sustainable skincare on TikTok. Several videos are analysed using MCDA as a method and enriching the analysis with interviews performed to the influencers whose videos have been object of examination. During a preliminary research several elements have been taken in account, such as the uniqueness of TikTok in its communication tools and features compared to other social media. Since sustainable skincare is a growing topic of conversation online, this thesis explores how sustainable influencers shape the discourse on sustainability related to skincare on TikTok. The collected sample has been selected after applying several criteria, one fundamental one being that the influencers who produced the videos didn’t have to be sponsored, collaborating or paid by any brand in those videos. Surprisingly, out of a hundred retrived videos, only eight respected the criteria imposed, showing from the start of the analysis a deep consumeristic and capitalistic ideology moving these influencers even when not sponsored by any brand. This work is believed to be useful to open the conversation about online communication and consumerism within sustainability.