Beauty is in the throes of revolution. As people move away from the idealised to a celebration of real people, brands have an exciting opportunity to tap into the new beauty wave. With its #SephoraSquad, Sephora is going further, inviting everyday people to become influencers for the brand.

With her flawlessly rendered appearance and dramatic digital narratives, virtual influencer Lil’ Miquela has been challenging ideas of authenticity on Instagram since 2016. Why are brands and social media users embracing these CGI celebrities and could they ever replace their human counterparts?

In a Series A funding round led by Gresham House Ventures, Australian influencer marketing platform Tribe has raised $7.5M. As people grow increasingly disillusioned with influencer marketing, younger customers are looking for recommendations from authentic micro-influencers.

Consumer-goods company Unilever has committed to cutting ties with influencers who buy followers or have dishonest business models. Because people are increasingly sceptical of influencer marketing, Unilever wants to avoid risking people's trust in one of the fastest-growing areas of advertising.