THE ROLE OF INDONESIAN DIGITAL INFLUENCERS IN POPULARIZING CHINESE BEAUTY PRODUCTS THROUGH THE TIKTOK PLATFORM

Abstract

Chinese beauty products represent a category of foreign cosmetics that have entered the Indonesian market and have been associated with audience skepticism, particularly in relation to conventional celebrity endorsement practices. Digital influencers are observed to produce content emphasizing honest narratives and everyday practices to strengthen audience trust. This study aims to describe the role of digital influencers in popularizing Chinese beauty products in Indonesia by applying the theory of commodity fetishism and the concept of digital influencers through a descriptive qualitative, literature-based approach. Data were collected from academic journals, scholarly publications, product reviews, and content analyses, and were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model, with attention to transparency, content authenticity, and cultural alignment. The research results show that the process of digital influencers builds trust with the audience by providing examples of product use in the form of videos throught daily activities and the suitability of products with the needs of the audience in Indonesia. The approroach taken by digital influencers still given an authentic impression even with the offer of paid company advertising collaborations.