The Duchess of Cambridge has fought off tough competition from supermodel Kate Moss to bag the title of 'Britain's most influential beauty icon'. According to a poll carried out by the UK's largest online beauty retailer Feelunique.com, readers favoured Kate Middleton's polished look over the internationally recognised model's cool and contemporary image. The results showed that at least one in three women would be inclined to purchase a beauty product with the royal's stamp of approval compared to just 15 per cent of shoppers who wanted Kate Moss' beauty look. Other highly-voted contenders included Victoria Beckham, model Cara Delevingne and actress Angelina Jolie who were also noted as being influential in a buyer's make-up and skincare choices.
"Kate and Kate represent two sides of really modern women and between the two of them they cover all style and lifestyle tastes," explains Newby Hands, editorial director at Feel Unique. "Moss is more party and rock n' roll, whilst Kate Middleton is more of a perfect wife and role model. Despite their differences they are both aspirational and fascinating," she added. "What was interesting was it was very equal, almost head to head with Kate Middleton just tipping the balance on popularity. "It seemed that shoppers were more inclined to adopt the classic style of the Duchess' understated glamour rather than the Croydon-born model's more daring beauty looks. Among the most requested Kate Middleton-inspired beauty items saw Elizabeth Arden's Rose Illumination, a pearlescent cream to add a glow to the complexion, and Lancome’s Genefique youth-enhancing serum, which rose in sales immediately after the poll. Indeed, the company have also announced that they have seen a direct correlation with Kate Middleton's publicity and a boost in the popularity of their products. "We have seen first-hand the 'Kate Effect' on sales of beauty products," says Siobhan McDermott, general manager of the online retailer. "For example, two years ago blonde shades were more than twice as popular as brunette tones. Immediately after the Royal Wedding we experienced a surge in brown shades and in particular, Kate's signature Natural Dark Brown colour," she explained. "It's now our most popular shade and contributes to brown colours consistently outselling blondes by two to one."
The Top Ten most influencial celebrities on our beauty buying habits1. Kate Middleton, 30 per cent2. Kate Moss, 15 per cent3. Victoria Beckham, 12 per cent4. Cara Delevigne, 11 per cent5. Kim Kardashian, 10 per cent6. Jennifer Aniston, 8 per cent7. Angelina Jolie, 5 per cent8. Olivia Palermo, 4 per cent9. Millie Mackintosh, 3 per cent10. Gwyneth Paltrow, 2 per cent.